Who We Are

The River is a church that is on a dynamic journey. We started in 1997 (under the leadership of Pastor Keith Zafren) in suburban Sunnyvale, CA with an initial goal to become a church that was deliberately accessible for a postmodern generation of seekers. Under the leading of the Holy Spirit, we moved our church to urban San Jose in the Spring of 2002, a socio-economically and culturally more diverse neighborhood.

Today, we are a community that is discovering what it means to pursue justice, mercy, and faithfulness in how we relate to what Jesus called “the least of these.” (See Matthew 23:23, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24). Our church family seeks to bridge the great divide between those who enjoy an abundance of resources and those who are most needy.

We gather as an entire church family on Sunday mornings to receive rich teaching and deep worship that is sensitive to the needs of people coming from various places on the spiritual journey spectrum. Through the week, then, those who form the core of our community meet in smaller groups to share life together. Sharing life happens as we study Scripture, pray, pursue inner healing, build healthy relationships and families…really as we do anything that helps our lives be shaped by Jesus.

Ultimately, though, we'd love to just have you come and check us out in person on a Sunday morning, through one of our social events, and/or in one of our small groups. We hope you'd find a welcoming environment and a place of your own among us.