In 1981, seven Concord churches (All Saints Episcopal, Central United Methodist, Concord Associate Reformed Presbyterian, First Presbyterian, Forest Hill United Methodist, St. James Catholic, and St. James Lutheran) organized a steering committee to establish a crisis assistance ministry for Cabarrus County.
Later that year the doors of the Cabarrus Cooperative Christian Ministry opened with a handful of volunteers, and a fierce belief in the rightness of its mission. The small office provided financial assistance as well as canned food and clothing, and those in need were received with grace and compassion. As many as 3000 people received assistance during that first year.
Cooperative Christian Ministry has continued to grow each year. In 2018, over 1,500 volunteers delivered services to individuals for direct assistance in some manner of food, housing, or financial assistance through CCM.