Shoreline's story began in 1986 with a young, newlywed couple fresh off of the mission field. It was then that Rob and Laura Koke accepted the call of God on their lives and planted Gospel Mission Church in their home at 13210 Greybull Trail in Austin, Texas. The first member of the church was a traveling salesman who happened to knock on the door of the "church" and was promptly invited to join. He did! Soon, the tiny congregation moved to a doctor's waiting room and changed the name of the church to Christian Faith Center. This is where a guitar player showed up and the first worship team was born. It wasn't long before the church ran out of room and the congregation moved to a ballroom in the Holiday Inn at 183 and MoPac. It was here that the real core of the church began to grow. This location wasn't ideal, because the services kept getting bumped into the Bobby Socks Disco. The search began for a more permanent home.

Christian Faith Center found an old Presbyterian Church just off the corner of Burnet and Koenig that was for rent. The problem was it was too expensive. Sensing that God was in it, the church took a risk, negotiated a six month lease, and emptied the checkbook to pay for it. It worked (even though the air conditioner didn't). The church grew! At Koenig, the church began to rapidly grow and develop. A youth ministry was born. A worship leader was hired. A children's ministry took shape. And the church grew! After five years and after adding multiple services the church found itself once again in need of a bigger home.

When the church renovated an old grocery store at the corner of Parkfield and Rundberg in 1993 almost five hundred people called Christian Faith Center their home. The new building was spacious and the church continued to expand rapidly. It was at Parkfield that the ministry of the church began to be well defined. The vision was solidified. Home Groups became a major focus. A drama ministry was born. Concerts were hosted. The church's growth accelerated rapidly to nearly two thousand people. Once again a new home was needed. This time a permanent home. A bigger home for a growing family...

When the church moved into its new five thousand seat sanctuary in 1998 a new name was chosen: Shoreline Christian Center. At this campus Shoreline has become a beacon of hope to the city of Austin. Here the church has grown world-class children's and youth ministries, hosted major Christian concerts, international Christian authors, evangelists and pastors, and emphasized social outreach. Shoreline has been recognized as one of America's fastest growing churches, and yet it has managed to retain the warmth, heart, passion and joy that was sparked in Pastor Rob and Laura's living room in 1986.