The roots of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) stretch back to 1960 when CCDA Founder, John Perkins (along with his wife, Vera Mae) relocated their family to the struggling community of Mendenhall, Mississippi to work with the people there. The Perkinses devoted thirty-five years to living out the principles of Christian Community Development in Mississippi and California, leaving behind ministries and churches that are now headed by indigenous Christian leaders.
In 1989, Dr. Perkins called together a group of Christian leaders from across America who were bonded by one significant commitment, expressing the love of Jesus in America's poor communities. Not at arm's length, but at the grassroots level. An association was formed, and CCDA held its first annual conference in Chicago in 1989.
