Church of the Highlands

Church of the Highlands is a non-denominational, Christian multi-site megachurch headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the largest congregation in Alabama with an average of 43,030 attendees every week as of 2018. The senior pastor is Chris Hodges.

Church of the Highlands
Grants Mill Campus
33°30′59.45″N 86°39′20.53″W
LocationBirmingham, Alabama
CountryUnited States
DenominationNon-denominational Christian
Weekly attendance43,030
Websitechurchofthehighlands.com
History
FoundedFebruary 4, 2001
Founder(s)Chris Hodges
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)Chris Hodges

History

The church was founded on February 4, 2001, by Chris Hodges and a core group of 34 people.[1][2] In 2007, it opened its main building, with a 2,400-seat auditorium.[3] The church has opened numerous campuses in the Birmingham area.[4][5] According to a 2018 church census, it claimed a weekly attendance of 43,030 people and 17 campuses in different cities.[6][7] In the "Outreach 100" listing for 2022, Church of the Highlands was ranked second with attendance of more than 60,000 each week; it was ranked first in the previous listing in 2018.[8] As of February 5, 2022, Church of the Highlands listed 25 individual campuses in Alabama and Georgia.[9] Its most recent purpose-built campus is the Woodlawn Campus near Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport. It opened on September 11, 2022.[10]

In 2023, the church opened "The Lodge at Grants Mill" on its main campus in Irondale, Alabama. The lodge functions as a place where pastors can rest according to Hodges. It is part of Hodges's effort to host pastors needing to be "refreshed, rejuvenated and refocused on their calling" during a time when "pastoral burnout is at an all-time high."

Affiliations

Church of the Highlands is affiliated with the Association of Related Churches (ARC). Its pastoral staff are among the founding members of ARC.

Highlands College was founded by Church of the Highlands staff. Students of the college serve on various teams at the church. Highlands College states that they offer, "a unique approach to higher education through a holistic training experience,"[11] and focus on 4 areas of instruction: academic instruction, ministry training, character formation, and spiritual development.[12] In 2023, the college was granted initial accreditation by the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation.[13]

See also

References
  1. GREG GARRISON, Church of the Highlands is largest congregation in Alabama, gadsdentimes.com, USA, February 19, 2011
  2. Sarah Kuper, Relationship Driven: Church of the Highlands Focuses on Relationships as New Campus Opens, otmj.com, USA, March 23, 2016
  3. Al, Church of the Highlands, Alabama's largest, adds new youth auditorium, al.com, USA, October 16, 2010
  4. Kay Campbell, Birmingham's Church of the Highlands to launch Huntsville campus, al.com, USA, December 20, 2013
  5. Jason Morton, Work is under way off Rice Mine Road preparing the site for the new Tuscaloosa campus of Church of the Highlands, tuscaloosanews.com, USA, July 16, 2016
  6. Lifeway research, 2018 Largest Churches in America, outreachmagazine.com, USA, retrieved January 16, 2021
  7. Garrison, Greg (April 3, 2017). "Alabama's largest church adds McCalla branch". al.com. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  8. "2022 Largest Participating Churches". Outreach 100. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  9. "Campuses". Church of the Highlands. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  10. Flynt, Avery; Marsh, Rebekah (March 31, 2023). "Church of the Highlands, Woodlawn Campus". Magic City Religion. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  11. "About | Highlands College". www.highlandscollege.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  12. "Degree Option | Academics | Highlands College". www.highlandscollege.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  13. College, Highlands. "Highlands College Granted Initial Accreditation by the Association for Biblical Higher Education". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved July 10, 2023.
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