OUR STORY

Where University Christian Church started

In the late 1960s a group of individuals came together to organize University Christian Church (UCC). Our first worship service was held on September 14, 1969 with 105 in attendance. Since that time, UCC has grown to an average attendance of over 1,000 each weekend.
UCC is a vibrant, independent, elder and staff-led Christian fellowship. We are part of the Restoration Movement which began almost two centuries ago. The goal of this movement is to follow, as closely as possible, the teachings and practices the New Testament sets forth and in so doing eliminate divisions which have developed between churches.
We recognize that not everyone agrees about everything, so we say, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.” We strive for unity where scripture teaches about salvation and forgiveness of sin (essentials): grace, faith, repentance, baptism, and continuing to follow Christ. Some examples of non-essentials include: worship styles, end time beliefs, and church policy.
In a world where there are many denominations, we chose to just be called Christians. Not the only Christians, but by name, Christians only.

Where University Christian Church is going

REACH

October 6, 2019 marked the launch of our three-year strategic plan called REACH — a word that means to stretch out, to extend, to touch or to grasp something. We chose this time frame, because Jesus did His ministry for three years from the time He was baptized until the time He died. The night before His death, Jesus prayed, “I have brought You glory by completing the work You gave Me to do” (john 17:4) Jesus finished everything God set out for Him to do in three years.
What would that look like for us? What IF we only had three years left, and then University Christian Church — for whatever reason — was gone. During those three years, what must be the focus of our attention? What would God want us to accomplish, so that we could say to Him, “We have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave us to do”?

REACH OUT: EVANGELISM

REACH UP: DISCIPLESHIP

REACH IN: LEADERSHIP

We will REACH OUT to the disadvantaged and the lost, meeting them in their world with God’s love and a message of hope, both near and far.

EVANGELISM OBJECTIVES:
  • Research and establish community outreach.
  • Establish and onboard evangelism training.
  • Prayer/fasting focus throughout the whole Church. 
  • Gather and tell stories.

SHARING: Teach and train everyone who call UCC home to tell and share their own faith stories. Encourage openness, brief stories (1 min), passion, and excitement.

REACHING OUT: Develop and use local outreach to find places where UCC can build relationships and evangelize.

TRAINING: We will encourage all of our people, of all ages, to share their own story with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Learn and practice using your personal testimony (story) with confidence and tact as an example of the transforming power of Christ with others. Become comfortable in asking about their story, sharing your story and then sharing God’s story.

RESOURCES: Below are some resources that have been developed to help you!


We will REACH UP to sharpen one another, challenging each believer to become fully devoted followers of Christ, both today and tomorrow.

DISCIPLESHIP OBJECTIVES:
  • Internal study/audit of who, what, when, where discipleship activities, environments and relationships UCC people are engaging in. 
  • Define discipleship — describe the models.
  • Develop clear, easy-to-understand discipleship pathway.
  • Gather and tell stories.

PRAY: We start with the discipline of prayer, encouraging and teaching all ages to utilize the specific tools, such as the prayer wheel, times of fasting, and prayer walking with groups or families.

READ: We will begin specific teaching on how to read this ancient book called the Bible that was written over a period of nearly 1500 years with 40 different authors on three continents. By utilizing lifegroups, we want everyone to understand and apply the Word of God to their daily lives.

GIVE: Our God is an extravagant God who has given us so much — how do we give back to Him? We want to help people discover how important it is to be generous with their time, talents and resources. We want them to understand the biblical concept of tither and giving extra offerings, and how to bring their unique gifts to the church to serve others.

SERVE: Discovering and using your specific talents and spiritual gifts to serve on campus and/or in the community in one or more areas.
We will REACH IN to clarify leadership roles, responsibilities, and expectations through continual audit, assessment, accountability and development of leaders.

LEADERSHIP OBJECTIVES:
  • Clarify leadership roles and responsibilities/expectations.
  • Develop and implement leadership training pathways.
  • Affirm and appreciate existing volunteer leaders.
  • Develop internal audit of the areas needing leaders.gift assessments.
  • Gather and tell stories.
LEADERSHIP ROLES: Our goal is to clarify leadership roles and expectations by utilizing a yearly assessment of all leaders’ beliefs, key experiences, and leadership styles. And emphasis on integrity and accountability will be sought for every new or current ministry at UCC. 
LEADERSHIP PIPELINE: Three domains of leadership have been identified: Leading yourself, leading others, and leading a ministry. Training sessions will be established each year for the next three years to cover each of these domains.

YEAR ONE: Leading yourself: Gifts, talents, and styles discovery. Leading others: Connection and communication. Leading a ministry: The 5 behaviors of a cohesive team.

YEAR TWO: Leading yourself: Growth mindset. Leading others: Feedback and coaching. Leading a ministry: Recruiting and organizational leadership.

YEAR THREE: Leading yourself: Ideal team player. Leading others: Leadership styles. Leading a ministry: Vision and leading change.