Who We Are
Echo Church began in October 2005 with a desire to resonate the voice of God throughout the city and to the ends of the earth. What started as a group of ten friends has blossomed into a fellowship of believers that impacts not only the neighborhood of Walnut Hills but also greater Cincinnati and the world.
We're a body of believers united by a common relationship with Jesus. We laugh, we cry, we hurt, we mess up. But we keep moving forward together. When we listen to what God is saying, we begin to see the world in a different light. We invite you to journey with us as we ask questions, seek Jesus, and work out our faith.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Echo is a simple church with a passion for Scripture. For a detailed list of our theological beliefs, download the PDF by clicking here.
OUR FAITH TRADITION
Echo is an autonomous, non-denominational church, affiliated with the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. Our tribe can be traced back to the beginning of the United States, birthed out of the Second Great Awakening. Known as the Restoration Movement, ours was the first non-denomination movement in America, a call to faith based on biblical authority. While people prefer to impose certain labels on churches, we aim to be a simple church of Christians focused on living out the message of Jesus in our community.
BEHIND OUR NAME
Our search for the name began with a study of the Bible. As we explored how God presents himself to humanity, we noted that God created the universe with His voice; God called prophets to verbally communicate His commands. And ultimately, God sent Jesus, His Son, who was also called the logos (Greek for “The Word”).
Throughout the Scriptures, God speaks. It's our duty to share His words with others—not our words (we're not the source); we merely echo God’s words to all creation. “Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:4).
Our City
The people who make up Echo Church come from all parts of Cincinnati. While we are a regional church, we have an urban focus, specifically ministering in the Walnut Hills community.
GET CONNECTED IN CINCINNATI
If you're a recent Cincinnati transplant, welcome to the city. Cincinnati is a unique Midwestern city featuring amazing architecture, stunning vistas, and world-class amenities—all while maintaining a small-town feel. One of the first thing many people do when they move here is try to find a place to worship. This excites us at Echo: it's critical that Christians get connected with a church community; when you invest in a church family, the community becomes a blessing and, ultimately, God is glorified.
A HEART FOR COMMUNITY
Echo Church is determined to impact this neighborhood by any means possible. You don’t need to live in Walnut Hills to be a part of Echo, but our church has a heart for making this community a better place.
For more about Walnut Hills, check out the community website: wearewalnuthills.org.
WALNUT HILLS HISTORY
One of Cincinnati’s earliest suburbs, Walnut Hills is a diverse community, where people of various races and economic backgrounds work and live. In 1804, Reverend James Kemper built a log cabin between Park Avenue and Kemper Lane (the cabin still exists; it was relocated to Sharon Woods in northern Cincinnati). The neighborhood became a college town in the 1820s, with the founding of the Lane Seminary. After the Civil War, Walnut Hills benefited from suburban sprawl, attracting people leaving Cincinnati's lower basin. Throughout this time, Walnut Hills was a diverse neighborhood, hosting a significant African American community.
After World War II, many middle- and upper-class residents fled urban Cincinnati for newer suburbs. When housing stock in the West End was eliminated, many impoverished residents relocated to Walnut Hills. The community was neglected for decades. Even though numerous community service agencies invested decades here, and that renewal movement has brought new hope to the neighborhood, there are still systemic social issues that plague our streets.