The driver who crashed head first into a church hall in a taxi fled from the scene.
Police are now appealing for any witnesses who saw the collision at the Old Schoolroom , part of the All Saints Parish Church in Cleadon , South Tyneside .
At around 2am on Sunday, police received a report a vehicle had gone through a wall of the church building.
They have now confirmed that those inside the car ran off before officers arrived.
Attempts to find them are ongoing.
No-one was injured but substantial damage has been caused to the building and Sunderland Road remains closed to traffic while structural engineers assess the safety of the building.
A huge hole into the building has been left with collapsed bricks spilling out onto the street.
The road has been fenced off to cars and pedestrians while there are fears that the building has become unsafe and maintenance work is now being carried out.
The collision , involving a black taxi, happened just a few hours after a church event had finished to celebrate the 150th anniversary of All Saints.
The car has been recovered from the scene.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "Inquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the collision and officers would like to hear from any witnesses to the incident, or drivers who may have dashcam footage.
"Anybody with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 64 310319 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
A message on the All Saints Parish Church Facebook page read: "We are feeling very thankful that this didn't happen a few hours earlier as we were having pie and peas at the ceilidh, amazingly no one was seriously injured."
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