iver Road Church was founded by a small band of dedicated people who saw the need for a church in the rapidly developing suburban area of metropolitan Richmond. It was not founded as a "split-off" from any other congregation.

From the beginning, the founders dreamed of a church that would meet the diverse needs of the people of the community.

The early visitors for the church set as their prime objective the promotion of church consciousness on the part of all who came to make their homes in the area. Accordingly, opportunities offered by all the churches in the community were called to the attention of those families visited. Hence, from its beginning the spirit of River Road has been one of cooperation with other Christian groups in promoting the Kingdom of our Lord.

Early in the experiences of those visiting for the church, it became apparent that there was need for a church where families split on denominational lines could worship together and provide a church home where the children could be brought up in the nurture of the Christian church. This need led to River Road’s "open door" membership policy, opening her doors to those of all Christian evangelical faiths without the requirement of re-baptism.

River Road, in the programs she strives to promote, magnifies those common qualities that make all Christians alike rather than emphasize denominational differences. Christ is exalted above human whims and the interpretation of the meaning of life in light of Christian precepts in contemporary times is the central theme. She dares to innovate and to pioneer.

That the edifice we erect to the glory of God be no less beautiful than our homes has been the guide in the plans for the construction of the church. Even so, it is never forgotten that brick and mortar do not make the church. Rather, the church is the people who seek here to know, love, and serve the Lord. Beauty and dignity in worship lifts the spirit of man. River Road seeks to meet this need.

Though concerned with the needs of those at home, River Road never loses sight of her role and responsibility in ministering to those in other parts of the world.

River Road, a church free of precedents and prejudices, seeks to create a Christian atmosphere of intellectual freedom where ideas and interpretations and even differences of opinion may be expressed and received in the spirit of what is best for the church as a whole, rather than for any individual or group.

River Road has a distinctive administrative organizational plan designed to free the ministerial staff for true pastoral service. The Board of Administration, representing a broad spectrum the congregation, is charged with the administration of the business affairs of the church, thus freeing the Board of Deacons to assist and support the ministerial staff in the pastoral ministry to the church membership and others in the community and in the development and promotion of the church’s total spiritual program.