The journey of Mountaintop Community Church . . .

has been a series of defining moments in which God's call has been answered with a faithful response. From the beginning of his call to the ministry, Dr. Bill Elder envisioned a church committed to reaching out to seekers and unchurched people in their own communities.

After 11 years of trying to implement his vision in established churches, Bill and his wife, Linda, attended a conference at Willow Creek Community Church, a seeker-targeted church in suburban Chicago focused on sharing the message of Jesus Christ with seekers and unchurched people. At Willow Creek, Bill and Linda clearly heard God's call to take the next step and start a new church.

This new church began with only 10 people in Bill and Linda's living room, but these 10 were committed to the cause of reaching unchurched people and helping them become joyfully committed members of Christ's family. This new church would be a non-denominational church and the only authoritative tradition would be the Bible.

It would communicate Biblical messages in contemporary mediums, using drama, music, video and movie clips to help people understand and apply Biblical truths to their daily lives.

It would be a church with the built-in freedom to do whatever it takes to share the life-transforming message of Christ with people who haven't really gotten it yet. It would be a church dedicated to partnering with families so that family life could be strengthened and healed. It would be a church willing to fight for the soul of the next generation, one that would present an attractive, creative alternative to what the fallen world offers.

This church, originally known as "Over The Mountain Community Church", soon grew in numbers, maturity and needs, and required a facility capable of meeting those needs. The sacrificial generosity of those early Mountaintop pioneers made such a facility possible, but after just one year the church found itself already bursting at the seams and moved its Sunday services to what is now Berry Middle School.

Soon after, the church purchased land and erected a new building on 7.25 acres in Vestavia Hills. The church soon changed its name to "Mountaintop Community Church" and realized the need for even more room to grow. So, in 1997 the church bought 34 acres on a mountaintop in Vestavia Hills for a new campus.

The long-range plan for the current campus was designed not only to meet the needs of current members and regulars, but also those of people who don't attend Mountaintop yet --people we haven't even met!

The first phase of this plan reached its fruition in April 2001 when Mountaintop moved into a 61,000-square foot building with a 1,700-seat auditorium, atrium, classrooms, and seminar rooms to meet the needs of many, from infants to seniors. Future phases will include a new auditorium, a food court, and the construction of a Family Life Center.

It's been an incredible sixteen years filled with constant change and growth for Mountaintop, and in each defining moment, a grateful church has answered with a faithful response.