About Us

About Us...Over the last 80 years, hundreds of ordinary people just like you have sacrificially invested their time and hard-earned money to help build a church where people can experience God in a way that is relevant for their lives and others they encounter. We know that God’s purpose for our lives is to bring us into a relationship with him.

In this sense, God has done a significant work over the last century of uniquely preparing us for the challenges of what's ahead:

• Our mission, values, and core beliefs are Biblical and well-established.
• Our leaders and members are well-trained and released to serve, using their gifts, talents, and abilities.
• Our church culture and atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming.
• Our heart is to serve and reach our community; especially the lost generations:  “Gen X” and “Y.”
• We are not personality-centered. That is, our future growth and success are not dependant upon any one individual.

As we consider the opportunities in the days ahead, as we pray for God's wisdom and guidance, and as we plan with our leaders, we are anticipating the next phase of our church's life to be one where we see thousands of lives impacted by what God is able to do through our family.  We're a far cry from perfect. In fact, we've got a long way to go. If our church family is to really represent Jesus to the world there remains a great deal of work to do. For instance:

• We've been called to help people find Jesus. There are thousands of people in this area that don't know Him. Consequently, we need to continue to reach out in a culturally-sensitive and relational way to share Jesus with others. We believe that we've only seen a glimpse of what God is going to do.
• We've been called to train up people to follow Jesus as true disciples. It's not enough to just turn your life over, we have to teach people how to live a life 100% willing to listen and do what Jesus says. It may sound radical, but it's clear that it's His desire for our lives and the people we've yet to meet.
• We've been called to be worshippers. We know that God longs to be present and be a part of our everyday lives. We also know that He wants us to pursue him and long for his presence. As we worship, we expect him to show up. We try to do this in a way that is culturally current and appealing. We know it's God's desire for more people to experience what a life of worship is all about.
• We've been called to be a place for healing. We need to train up more leaders and continue to develop more effective ways to care for those in need of emotional, spiritual, and physical healing. We are called to help the needy, reach out to the poor, deliver the oppressed, and share God's truth, love, and power.

• We've been called to be a place of racial reconciliation. The Sherrod family is diverse and a family that desires to help bring about racial unity here in Northwest Alabama. God has begun to give us a glimpse of what it means to be a multi-ethnic community of believers. Yet, there is so much more for us to do and experience.
• We've been called to train up people to be released into service. This means that we need to help people understand the spiritual gifts that they have been given and equip them to use those gifts. We know that when this happens people are able to serve in a way that feels natural according to the way they've been designed.
• We've been called to plant churches.  The Biblical principle is that when you give you receive. We know that what we have here is relevant and important for others to experience. The favor we have is meant to be shared with other communities. From the Shoals area;  Connecticut; South Africa; Inner City Mobile, AL; Dhaka, Bangladesh and Glasgow, Scotland; God has allowed us to be a part of His work in these and many other areas.  We pray that God will lead us to all those He plans for us to serve!    
• We've been called to help the poor in our community. We long to have the ability to have a huge impact on the poor. It has been a privilege to help people with our food ministry, yet we believe God wants us to do so much more. We ache to be used to better care for the homeless and oppressed.
• We've been called to be a family. This means that we need to continue to focus on individuals as the church grows bigger. We firmly believe that ministry happens when friendships are built and relationships cultivated. As we continue to grow we will insure that this stays in focus so the people yet to come can experience Jesus through those they encounter.

Where we are going is exciting, yet daunting. We will seek God's face and follow His every lead!