Christ Church came into being in November 1982 when the former Woodley Methodist Church and the former Woodley United Reformed Church united to become a joint church.
The United Reformed Church fellowship, which prior to 1972 was the Woodley Congregational Church worshipped in the Old Chapel in Loddon Bridge Road. The chapel was built in 1834 and was both the first church in Woodley as well as its first school. The Methodist Church in Woodley dates from 1958, worshipping in the Coronation Hall and the former Secondary Modern School (now Rivermead School). The first church on the current site in Crockhamwell Road was built in 1963. It now forms the Church Hall which was notorious for its lack of windows, which were added later. The current area used for Worship was opened in 1982 just two months before the churches were united.
From September 2001 Christ Church will have a single, alternating ministry, with a Methodist Minister - Revd. Mike Hill - who will have other responsibilities within the Reading & Silchester Circuit and the Reading & Oxford District of the United Reformed Church.
When Mike Hill finishes his term of service, Christ Church will proceed to call a URC Minister, who will serve for a specified period.
Christ Church has sought to incorporate the best features of both its parent denominations. As it uses Methodist premises there is a Church Council which acts as managing trustees for the property. The main decision making body of the church is the General Church Meeting which meets quarterly. The day to day management of the church is entrusted to Church Stewards who are elected by the General Church Meeting to serve for a period of three years. The pastoral care of the congregation is shared between the Minister, the Pastoral Elders and Pastoral Group Leaders. There are presently some 12 Pastoral Groups to which members of the fellowship belong. The Pastoral Elders each have care of a number of Pastoral Group Leaders and are available to give help and support in the pastoral care of the congregation.