A Church at the Corner of Rural and Knox

On South Rural Road in Tempe, just north of Corona del Sol High School, Arizona Community Church (ACC) gathers people of every age and background around a single motto: "Making disciples who love God, love people, and love the Bible." The church describes itself as "all ages, all stages, for all of Arizona," and the breadth of its ministries - from AWANA clubs for kids to In-Joy gatherings for adults in their seventies and beyond - reflects that ambition. With a founding date of 1997 and a first service on Easter Sunday 1998, ACC has grown into a multi-generational, non-denominational congregation known for combining a full orchestra and choir with electric guitars and drums under one roof.

Two Expressions of Worship on One Campus

ACC's most distinctive feature is its commitment to two different worship styles that share the same Bible-centered teaching every weekend. Each service opens with a time of music, followed by a message from one of the pastors.

Blended Worship meets on Sunday mornings at 8:30 and 10:00. The 10:00 service is broadcast live each week. Blended is exactly what it sounds like - a mix of modern and traditional songs led by a choir, an organ, a piano, a worship team, an orchestra, plus guitar and keyboard. The result is a dynamic, congregational experience rooted in classic and contemporary songs.

Contemporary Worship gathers on Saturday evenings at 5:30 and Sunday mornings at 10:00 and 11:30. The 11:30 service is the second livestreamed option. The music here leans modern, with electric guitars, drums, keyboards, and songs you might hear on Christian radio, and the room is encouraged to sing out loud.

A certified ASL interpreter is present at the 11:30 Sunday service and at the Wednesday morning Women's Bible Study. The Deaf Ministry also meets for an ASL-taught class on Sundays at 10:15 in Room B3.

Plan a Visit: What to Wear, Where to Park, and How It Works

ACC tells first-time guests to come in whatever they are comfortable wearing, from shorts and a t-shirt to business casual. The church has parking all around its campus, and during the current building project overflow parking is available across the street at Corona del Sol High School, with shuttles running back and forth throughout the morning.

Once parked, guests head to the Worship Center, where a welcome center in the lobby hands out a free welcome bag. A Connect Card is available for anyone who would like the church to follow up with a prayer request, a visit, or information about membership and baptism. Members of the prayer team are available after every service.

Kids: From Infants Through Fifth Grade

Kids Ministry runs concurrently with every weekend service - Saturdays at 5:30 and Sundays at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 - so families can attend any service and have their children in age-appropriate programming. The curriculum is the Gospel Project, a chronological Bible study that walks children from Genesis to Revelation and centers on God's plan of salvation through Jesus.

The Children's Building sits on the southwest corner of the campus and uses a secure check-in and check-out process. Each child receives a coded name tag; only a matching code releases the child at the end of the service. Every Kids leader and volunteer is background-checked and referenced, volunteers work in pairs, at least one person per room is trained in first aid, and each room is video monitored.

Weeknight programming during the school year includes Evening Kids Ministry on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 and AWANA, a weekly verse-memorization club that meets Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:30. Sharon Kinsella leads the children's team and is the point of contact for parents who want to volunteer.

Students: Middle School and High School

Middle School Ministry (MSM) meets on Sundays at 10:00 and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 in the MSM room south of the gym. Sundays walk through books of the Bible one at a time; Wednesdays explore specific topics in the Bible. Throughout the year MSM hosts Girls Nights, Guys Nights, movie nights, pool parties, an all-nighter, and trips to Winter and Summer Camp at UCYC in Prescott.

High School Ministry (HSM) also meets Sundays at 10:00 and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30, in Room F5. Sunday mornings begin with worship followed by verse-by-verse Bible study; Wednesday nights feature games, worship, a message, and small groups broken out by age and gender. Ryan Tonkinson leads HSM; the ministry keeps an Instagram presence and a parent email list.

Women's Ministry: Wednesdays and Beyond

ACC's Women's Ministry is built around a weekly Bible study attended by more than 200 women. Two Wednesday options are offered: a 9:00 a.m. session in the Worship Center (livestreamed) and a 6:30 p.m. session in Room G2. Both follow the same format - a 45- to 50-minute message followed by table discussion and fellowship - and both offer child care in the Kids Building along with snacks and beverages.

Tina Schuler directs Women's Ministry and teaches most weeks. Series have included "Made To Thrive," "Knowing Him Better, Loving Him More," "Responding to the Red Letters," "God Is On The Move," and a study through Daniel. The ministry also runs Single Women's Connection, a Friday evening game night for women 50-plus, and monthly outings such as lunches at La Madeleine in Chandler.

Men's Ministry: Every Man a Brother

Men's Ministry at ACC carries the motto "Every man a brother" and brands itself as "Men of ACCtion." Frank Pinterics, the Groups Pastor, also oversees Men's Ministry. Weekly study options include a Wednesday morning Men's Bible and Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. in Room G1, a Wednesday evening Bible study at 6:30 p.m. in Room G1, a Thursday evening study group through Joshua, Judges, and Ruth at 6:30 p.m. in Room G3, and a Monday morning Theology Dudes study through the 1689 London Baptist Confession at 1:00 p.m. in Room G1. Throughout the year the ministry hosts fellowship lunches in October, November, and December.

Young Adults, Young Families, and Young Professionals

4:12 Young Adults is a ministry for adults 18 to 28 that meets on Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in Room G1, starting with coffee and snacks, then moving into worship and a Bible lesson led by Paul English, followed by small groups. A twice-yearly retreat in Show Low gives the group a longer weekend together.

Young Families is geared toward adults in their twenties and thirties, meeting on Sundays at 10:00 in Room G7 under Jeff Schuler. Encore (ages 55 to 65) and In-Joy (65+) meet separately for fellowship, and a WOW group - Widows or Widowers - provides community for those who have lost a spouse.

Groups, Classes, and the One Year Chronological Bible

Beyond its dedicated ministries, ACC runs a large program of small groups and teacher-led classes. Campus Groups meet on the Tempe campus in rooms labeled G1 through G7; LIFE Groups meet in homes and coffee shops across Chandler, Tempe, Gilbert, and Ahwatukee. Topics range from Grief Share to a study through the Gospel of John, to a men's group reading the 1689 London Baptist Confession.

Sunday morning classes include Young Families, CrossFit (ages 30 to 50), Voyagers (40s plus), Grace Walk, KGBS, Awaken, Lifesavers, MVB, Compass, New Horizons, and the Cambodian Christian Fellowship class in Room G4. Tuesday and Thursday evenings add an adult study through 1 Timothy and a study of pictures of Christ in the Old Testament.

One Year Chronological Bible is a church-wide program that meets on the third Sunday of each month at 4:00 p.m. in Room G2. Participants read through the Bible in chronological order in roughly fifteen minutes a day and gather to discuss what they have read.

The Hub, Sports, and a Campus in Transition

ACC has an active sports ministry, with open and ladies-only pickleball several days a week, basketball on Monday evenings, and Pilates on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The Hub, a new campus building that seats 120 people, anchors the church's hospitality and food service. The Venue, another planned building, will be a 400-seat auditorium designed to give both worship teams their own dedicated space.

The church is in the middle of a multi-year building project that will replace two unused D and E buildings with new construction, adding roughly 10,000 square feet of usable space, additional public restrooms, and permanent outdoor shading. Until construction is complete, weekend parking extends across the street to Corona del Sol High School with shuttles running throughout the morning.

What ACC Believes

ACC's statement of faith centers on the classical evangelical doctrines. The church teaches that there is one God eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is true God and true man, born of the Virgin Mary, sinless in life, crucified for our sins, raised bodily from the dead, and now at the right hand of the Father making intercession for believers. The Holy Spirit is the supernatural agent in salvation, indwelling, sanctifying, and empowering believers.

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone - a gift received by personal trust in Jesus's death and resurrection. The Bible is described as the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God, written by forty authors over sixteen centuries. The church teaches that all people will be resurrected - the Christian to eternal life and rewards, the non-Christian to eternal punishment - and that marriage is a covenant between one man, one woman, and God.

Reaching the World from South Rural Road

Missions is woven into ACC's identity. The church supports a long list of mission partners working in Papua New Guinea, Bulgaria, England, Austria, Kosovo, Hungary, Romania, India, the Philippines, Mexico, Turkey, Serbia, Africa, Greece, Antigua, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Belize, Dominica, Spain, and Denmark. Local outreach includes a Food Pantry holiday distribution run by church members and a Cambodian Christian Fellowship led by Pastor Kim Lim that meets on Sundays and conducts its own Khmer-language worship.

Operation Christmas Child is another cornerstone of ACC's community footprint. The church serves as a community drop-off site for Samaritan's Purse and collected 1,787 shoeboxes in one recent year. Each summer the congregation hosts a packing party; the most recent one packed 202 shoeboxes for young boys.

Connect, Give, and Get Involved

Anyone wanting to take a next step can sign up for baptism, request membership information, or join one of the church's serve teams - Welcome Team, Safety, Video Ministry, Music, Prayer Team, Missions, or Ambassadors for Christ. ACC accepts donations online, through the church app, by texting AZCC to 833-589-5719, by mail, in person at the church office during business hours (Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m. to noon), or through stock and mutual fund transfers and qualified charitable distributions. Fry's Food Stores shoppers can also direct a portion of their rewards to ACC using the code WN015.

Office address: 9325 S Rural Rd, Tempe, AZ 85284. Office phone: (480) 491-2210. General email: welcome@azcc.org.