Church History

Church of the Great Commission (CGC), formerly named Parkway Baptist Church, was established as a chapel on March 1, 1953.  The work begun as a mission of the Second Baptist Church of Washington, D.C., now known as the University Baptist Church of College Park, Maryland.  Fifteen months later, on May 30, 1954, the chapel was organized as a church with 38 members.  The first pastor was Quinton S. Ivy.   In March, 1958 the church called its second pastor, Walter G. Gummelt.  The growth of the church encouraged the purchase of 6809 District Heights Parkway in District Heights, Maryland.

In 1985, the church called David T.P. Perrin to fulfill the role of interim Pastor with a congregation of 32 members. Pastor Perrin was installed as Senior Pastor in January 1986, and was later consecrated as a Bishop. In 1989, the church changed its name from Parkway Baptist Church to Church of the Great Commission.

From 1985-1990, the church began to experience explosive growth and grew from 32 members to 500 members in a 250-seat sanctuary. The church began to burst at the seams and moved to a public high school in 1990. When the high school became packed to capacity, the church went from one to two services. In 1992, the church contacted the Miami Tent Company to construct a tent in the parking lot of 5055 Allentown Road to hold worship services. In 1993, the church began to conduct worship services inside what is known today as Building Three.

Pastor Joshua Kevin White and Elder Terri White joined Parkway Baptist Church, now Church of the Great Commission, in March 1986. They immediately began to serve and share in the work of the ministry. From 1988, the Whites took a huge leap of faith by leaving their electronics careers and joining the ministerial staff without any salary, trusting God for their provisions. The church collected faith offerings for the Whites and two others who had also joined the staff by faith. Pastor White served as the church’s first Youth Minister and Elder Terri became the first Children’s Minister. In 1990, Pastor White was called to serve as Pastor-at-Large and Ruling Elder. In July 1999, Pastor White assumed the role of Senior Pastor after years of faithful service.

We currently have one worship service every Sunday and provide a wealth of diverse teaching and preaching that is challenging, relevant and effective. We are a biblically driven church with a passion for healthy relationships and communicating the truth of a 2,000 year-old message in a fresh and vibrant way. We offer training and equipping courses through our Genesis classes, School of Life Issues, Support Groups, Discipleship Institute and Foreign Mission opportunities.  As we continue to grow and make disciples (in obedience to His command) and reach out to the lost, we expect God to do exceedingly and abundantly more than all we could ask or imagine!