c. 2008 Religion News Service

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Birmingham’s Church of the Highlands has been named the fastest-growing church in America by Outreach magazine, a publication for religious leaders that does an annual analysis of church growth.

In the yearlong survey of church attendance ending in spring 2008, Highlands grew by 3,418 from the previous year _ a jump of 72 percent _ to 8,168.

And in the months since, attendance has increased by more than 2,500 at its main campus and three satellite branches, said Pastor Chris Hodges, 45, who founded the church just seven years ago.

Weekly attendance exceeds 10,000, and was 11,670 on Easter.

“It’s about worship, music, child care, creating a breath of fresh air,” Hodges said. “A life-giving experience is what draws people.”

A big factor in becoming the fastest-growing church in the country was the opening last year of a $15 million campus with a 2,400-seat sanctuary next to Interstate 459. The church is planning a 1,000-seat youth auditorium that can serve as an overflow area.

“That’ll give us the ability to grow at the main campus,” Associate Pastor Layne Schranz said. “Our youth group has exploded. We have 500 high school and junior high school students a week.”

The church has been getting a big response from its flashy showing in the magazine rankings, which included churches with weekly attendance of at least 1,000.

“It’s a pretty big deal in the church world,” Schranz said. “Our phone has been ringing off the hook with people asking, `How’d you do that? What can we do?”’

The church offers conferences for 30 to 40 church leaders who want to learn church growth methods or how to start a church.

Some lessons, however, cannot be taught, Schranz said..

“We always make it very clear there is no explanation for the intangible: God has put his hand on this,” Schranz said. “We can’t dismiss the fact Pastor Chris is a phenomenal communicator. That’s a factor. At any of the great megachurches, it rests on the main communicator to a large degree. They have to be a good leader in and out of the pulpit. They have to manage money and growth and have theological depth.”

On Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings at the church, people line up at a coffee shop for free coffee or $2 espressos before and after the service. “It’s all part of creating an environment where people want to be at church,” Hodges said.

Jason Roberts, 32, made his third visit on a recent Wednesday night. “Some churches can be a little bit stiff,” he said. “This is a comforting place.”

Before Wednesday night’s service, Vicki Carmichael sipped coffee and relaxed in a comfortable chair. She and her husband are former Presbyterian elders who wanted something different from traditional church.

“We had heard they had great praise and worship,” Carmichael said. “We wanted it to be laid-back and casual.”

But what kept them coming back were the children’s ministry and the evidence of changed lives. “When your kids love to go to church, you go,” she said. “They love it.”

Highlands stresses mission work, sending youth groups around the world, and has planted 75 churches around the country, with plans to start 50 more next year.

Hodges stresses that local mission work is as important as anywhere else. The church plans a health clinic and mission outreach to help the poor.

In addition to its big worship services, the church has dozens of small groups meeting in homes, parks and schools to focus on prayer and Bible study. Life application lessons are at the center of the studies and services.

“They want to connect with it,” Hodges said. “It doesn’t just apply on Sunday but on Monday, too.”

But Hodges said it’s wrong to assume the church preaches theology light. He emphasizes a conservative, evangelical interpretation of the Bible.

“Your theology needs to be solid,” Hodges said. “But if you ask people why they don’t go to church, it’s never theological.”

The church drew 300 people to its first public worship service on Feb. 4, 2001, at Mountain Brook High School.

Hodges, who grew up in Baton Rouge and was raised Southern Baptist, leans toward Pentecostal theology, but Highlands is independent. He spent 11 years on staff at the 8,000-member Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, La., and seven years at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo. Church of the Highlands is modeled on those.

In addition to the fastest-growing churches, Outreach magazine listed the 100 largest. Church of the Highlands ranked No. 71 on that list. At the top was Lakewood Church in Houston, led by Pastor Joel Osteen, which reported weekly attendance of 43,500.

(Greg Garrison writes for The Birmingham News.)

KRE/DSB END GARRISON

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