UNITED CHURCH
2026 VISION
A Call to Deeper Life, Deeper Love, and Deeper Faithfulness
Atlanta is a city in motion. Careers accelerate, neighborhoods change, children grow, and headlines never stop scrolling. In a city shaped by ambition and exhaustion, many people are quietly asking the same question: Is there a way to live that doesn’t wither us from the inside out?
United Church believes the answer is yes.
As we look toward 2026, we sense God inviting our church family into something both ancient and urgent—not louder faith, not busier church, but deeper life. Scripture gives us the language in Psalm 1: a people planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season, whose leaves do not wither.
This vision is not about growth for growth’s sake. It is about becoming the kind of people who can flourish spiritually, relationally, and missionally in the midst of real life.
United Church exists to unite people to Jesus and to each other.
We are a growing, multiethnic congregation rooted in the historic Christian faith and shaped by the cultural richness of Atlanta. Our community is made up largely of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z professionals and families navigating the intersection of faith, work, justice, family, and calling.
We are committed to:
Biblical faithfulness and cultural engagement
Grace and truth held together
Deep discipleship in a distracted world
A church culture marked by joy, hospitality, and courage
Who We Are
Why 2026 Matters
Every church faces the temptation to confuse motion with maturity. More activity does not automatically lead to more faithfulness.
In 2026, United Church is choosing a different path.
Rather than asking, How much can we add? We are asking, How deeply can we be formed? Rather than chasing every moment, we are committing to a clear, prayerful direction.
Our word for the year is DEEPER.
Deeper roots in Scripture. Deeper relationships with one another. Deeper trust in God’s work among us.
What We’re Praying God Will Do Among Us
Form a Rooted People
We believe spiritual depth is cultivated through consistent teaching, prayer, worship, and community. In 2026, our preaching, prayer rhythms, and discipleship pathways are designed to help people move beyond surface faith into lives shaped by God’s Word.
We want to be a church where people are not merely inspired on Sundays, but steadily transformed over time.
Strengthen Families & Households
Atlanta is full of gifted, driven people—but many are tired, anxious, and relationally stretched. We believe the gospel speaks powerfully to marriage, parenting, emotional health, and generational healing.
In 2026, we are intentionally investing in teaching and community spaces that help households grow healthier and more resilient in Christ.
Build Meaningful Community
Faith is personal, but it is never meant to be private. We are committed to expanding small groups and ministry teams so that more people experience belonging, care, and shared mission. Our aim is not simply attendance, but participation—people known by name, walking together toward Jesus.
Develop Faithful Leaders
The future health of the church depends on leaders who are formed in character, clarity, and humility.
Throughout 2026, we are investing in leadership development—equipping volunteers, group leaders, and ministry leaders to shepherd others with wisdom and love. Growth will never outrun our commitment to healthy leadership.
Extend Our Reach with Integrity
We long for Atlanta to know the hope of Jesus—not through hype, but through credibility and compassion.
Our digital presence, community engagement, and Sunday gatherings are all shaped by a simple conviction: the church should be a place where seekers feel welcomed, questions are honoured, and the gospel is proclaimed clearly.
How This Vision Takes Shape
You may notice some tangible expressions of this vision in 2026:
Teaching series designed to alternate between deep formation and clear invitation
Expanded opportunities to serve and lead
Intentional care for children and families
Rhythms of prayer that ground our decisions
A continued commitment to generosity and shared ownership of the mission
Behind the scenes, our leaders are working to ensure that growth is sustainable, volunteers are supported, and decisions are made with prayerful wisdom.
This vision cannot be fulfilled by staff alone. It requires a church family willing to plant itself deeply in Christ.
Wherever you are on your journey—new to faith, returning after a season away, or deeply rooted already—you are invited into this year of deeper life.
Come worship. Join a group. Serve with joy. Pray with expectancy.
Let us become, together, a people whose lives bear fruit that lasts.
“They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” — Psalm 1:3
Deeper roots. Unwithering lives. United in Christ.