Vision & values

The Vision

University Heights exists for the sole purpose of making Jesus known. We do this by cultivating people who make Jesus known through the lives we live and the conversations we have. We believe that God has called us to give all of our efforts to raising up leaders who can be sent out in order to replicate a culture of disciple making. In so doing, we are asking God to move us from a church family to a family of churches as we seek to make Jesus known, not only in Huntsville, but to the ends of the earth. The vision of University Heights Baptist Church is to create a community of authentic believers and to witness a city transformed by the life changing reality of the gospel, as people come to know Jesus as their lord and savior.

VALUES

Relationships
We believe in investing in authentic relationships as the lifeblood of the church. UHBC breathes relationships, they are our constant concern. All decisions and directions are guided and interpreted through their effect upon our relationships.
Compassion
We believe in meeting brokenness with kindness, mercy and grace. Because UHBC is highly relational, we feel deeply for the human struggles of others. This compassion challenges our assumptions and propels us into ministry actions.
Personal Growth
We believe in encouraging one another to push forward in faith. All that we do seeks to translate into personal growth for the people of UHBC. While this can be in tension with our desire for compassion, we aim to push one another forward by speaking Biblical truth in love to each other.
Progress
We believe in cultivating and reaching more people to make Jesus known. We desire to reach people who are far from God. We want to grow this body and establish new churches that will reach people. We seek to hold this kingdom building desire in balance with our call to love each other in real relationships.
Truth
We believe in engaging our world through the lens of scripture. UHBC recognizes that only scripture can guide and guard our relationships and compassions so that they don’t lead people away from Jesus. The revelation recorded in the Bible allows us to balance relationships with church progress and compassion with personal growth. Only the Bible reveals the true nature of a relationship with Jesus, His church, and the world.

STRATEGY

UHBC takes the words of Jesus in John 15 seriously. He describes three relationships for every believer: First, an abiding relationship with Him. Second, a loving relationship with each other. And third, a testifying relationship with the world. Therefore, the work we do is best done in smaller groups where we might push each other forward in our faith. Because of this view, small groups will become the primary measure of success in our efforts to cultivate people who make Jesus known.

GOD

Your personal relationship with God is the most important part of your life as a Christian. It's not all there is to being a Christian, but it is at the core. Spending time reading the Bible and praying is not optional for a Christian. Only if you are walking with God daily will you grow up to look more like Jesus and be of any use to the kingdom of God. Find resources for your time with God by visiting our Meet with God page.

CHURCH

Grow in your relationship with the church by worshiping together, joining a small group, and serving others. When it comes to loving one another, we do that best by sacrificing time, energy, and resources for one another. In other words, the best way to love your church is simply to serve your church. Service isn’t optional for Christians. We are told to lay down our lives for one another just as Jesus did for us. Walk alongside others through fellowship by joining a small group here and learn more about what to expect on Sundays for worship here.

WORLD

After you become a Christian, God doesn't simply beam you up to heaven. Rather, he leaves you here with a mission to reach a world that needs him. One of the best ways to reach people who do not know him is to serve them. There are endless ways you can serve. We've collected a short list of ways you can make Jesus known, visit our Serve Out page for more info!