Riverside Church (Denver) — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Chris Phillips (Lead Pastor — Teaching, Vision, Leadership Development)

Founded Unknown

Denomination SBC

Service Times See website

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website www.riversidechurch.family

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Multi-site (Jefferson Park, Central Park, Spanish-language) — Denver's largest historic SBC megachurch.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

SBC via NAMB Send Network. Phillips also serves Champion Forest Houston via CF Connect Spotlight. Long-running congregation known historically as Riverside Baptist Church (founded mid-20th century under Charles Robert McPherson; later led by Dr. Jim Shaddix 2005-2012, who died Feb 2025).

Strong

Assessment

Riverside Church (formerly Riverside Baptist Church) is Denver's most historically significant SBC megachurch, founded in 1962 as South Denver Baptist under Charles Robert McPherson. Jim Shaddix led 2005-2012 (died Feb 2025 from brain cancer). Now led by Chris Phillips (lead pastor), who came via Bellevue Baptist Memphis and the NAMB Send Network. Multi-site in Denver (Jefferson Park, Central Park, Spanish-language). Pursuing SBTS doctorate. Solidly SBC and conservative-evangelical.

#sbc#namb-send-network#denver#colorado#multi-site#historic-megachurch

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source riversidechurch.family
[2] Live source riversidechurch.family/chris-phillips
[3] Live source linkedin.com/in/chris-phillips-9a84626/
[4] Live source brnow.org/news/jim-shaddix-champion-of-prayer-and-exposit…

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.