Church of the Highlands (Irondale, Alabama)

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Pastor Chris Hodges dreamed of planting a church with a simple goal: help people connect with God in a church without letting structures and programs get in the way. With the help of the Dream Team—34 people committed to seeing this dream become a reality—Church of the Highlands began on February 4, 2001. That first Sunday, over 350 attended at the Fine Arts Center of Mountain Brook High School.

Pastor Chris focused on reaching out to the non-churched community, building relationships through small groups meeting throughout the city. The life-giving message of the Gospel, the passion and joy of Sunday Celebrations, and the simple style of Church of the Highlands brought immediate growth. In its first year, the church grew to 600 in weekly attendance, and 371 people committed their lives to Christ. At the same time, the church helped in the planting of six other churches and gave nearly a quarter of its income to missions.

The church established an office complex in March 2002 and established a second identical service that Easter. In its third year, Church of the Highlands had over 1,400 in weekly attendance and more than 1,600 people attending one of their 85 small groups.

As Church of the Highlands is in its second decade, more than 12,000 people attend the church, and even more participate in the small groups. Church of the Highlands offers contemporary, biblically-driven worship services that are alive with energy and creativity, as well as excellent childcare, exciting children's and student ministries, and dynamic small groups.