A town hall forum at the University of Idaho on Thursday evening provided a platform for the public to directly question leaders associated with Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, as concerns about the rapidly growing congregation continue to surface within the community.
The event, held at the University of Idaho, comes after a live recording of the podcast “Sons of Patriarchy” drew over 250 attendees to the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center in Moscow last Friday. The podcast is dedicated to investigating allegations of abuse within Christ Church and the broader religious movement led by Pastor Doug Wilson.
Christ Church has experienced significant growth in recent years, doubling in size since 2019, fueled by families with larger-than-average numbers of children and what Wilson has described as an influx of residents from more liberal states. The church recently completed a new 1,200-seat hall on Dominion Avenue, though Wilson has indicated that even this new space is already insufficient to accommodate the congregation.
Prior to the town hall, Christ Church clashed with the Moscow community over its opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. Wilson urged his followers to “resist openly” public health measures, leading to protests at City Hall and a subsequent legal battle. A judge ultimately ruled that the city had wrongfully arrested protesters, citing exemptions for religious and protest activities.
The church, founded in the 1990s, is estimated to comprise approximately 10% of Moscow’s total population, with around 2,000 members and affiliated congregations, according to estimates. Wilson, senior pastor of Christ Church, delivered a lecture on the University of Idaho campus in September 2025, focusing on the question of whether a nation can be moral, and drawing from his book “Mere Christendom,” which explores the concept of a Christian society and government.
During the April 11th forum, Wilson stated that the purpose of the event was to foster better relations with the town, saying, “We are part of this town, and we would like to gain along as much as possible.” He acknowledged that members of Christ Church hold “substantive disagreements” with secular worldviews but emphasized a desire to locate common ground and reduce unnecessary friction.
The Collegiate Reformed Fellowship, the campus ministry of Christ Church, has been a recognized student organization at the University of Idaho since 1995, aiming to “teach and exhort young men and women to serve, to witness… and to mature in their Christian Faith,” according to their website. The group holds weekly meetings at Chalmers Hall.
