I am honored to write this review. I was invited by a friend to come to the church and I had a…read morewonderful time. No need to have the "First Time" jitters because you may feel right at home. I was greeted with smiles and there was available parking and seating. I believe this is a non-denominational church but one thing I know for sure is that they love Jesus Christ our Savior. If you are looking for a local church where your family can worship together, conveniently located in your area, check this church out. One thing I heard while visiting is they have plans and study groups to help many age groups on their Life Growth Track, who doesn't want an extra push in the right direction. Being stable mentally, physically and emotionally is very important and this check spoke about the importance of Healing and letting God into your life to make you whole again. I will return soon and will bring a friend. Check them out, they have services on Sundays at 9am and 11am, and I believe Bible Study during the week. You can look them up like I did on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok to get a feel of the environment. You won't be disappointed, See You There

Saved my life!! Hands down the best church I have better been to. I wouldn't be half the person I…read moream or have the relationship with Jesus that I do without them. They show you what a real relationship with God has to offer you (the best experience of your life!). Everyone here is incredibly friendly & happy. Worship is amazing, the pastors are spot-on, the list goes on and on. I could tell you the thousands ways that they have helped me over the years but the best thing I can tell you is to try this church! They heal the sick, restore broken relationships, and change lives! Best part of Gainesville is this church!!

Been going to this church for more than 20 years. Have visited other churches but this one is the…read moreonly one that I feel like home.

We are so happy to have found this church. It comes highly recommended from numerous family friends…read moreand aqauintances. Their music, whether you watch online or in person is amazing!! Almost like being at a concert. Pastor Mike Patz preaches an amazing sermon. They have an amazing leadership Team. I will update with more photos as this was our first time there.

My family and I relocated to Gainesville 5 years ago from Arizona. We visited this church a few…read moretimes and felt at home quickly. The people are genuinely caring and friendly. This is a Mission minded church who understand God wants all to be saved. All who come here are just sinners saved by Grace and equal in God's eyes. If you are looking for a Church Family this might be the place God is leading you.

From the owner: Don't expect anything contemporary or new-age. We are an independent, fundamental, King James…read moreBible, soul-winning, thriving, family-oriented Baptist church. We would love to get to know you personally at one of our services.

This church has a lot going for it. The people are genuine and follow up with you. I grew up going…read moreto church and have never had such a great experience as here. The kids' program is also excellent. Our daughter loves it, and there are plenty of children her age to play with each age group, and they actually talk and learn about the Bible. In the main service the pastors teach from the Bible and encourage people to grow in their faith.

I have mixed feelings posting this review. On the one hand, the people in this church are among the…read morekindest and most generous you will ever meet. On the other hand, I believe the culture of the church is unhealthy, and let me explain why. I came to VS during a period where I was seeking friendship. I found That VS was a community who were willing to welcome me and get to know me. They assisted in very practical ways, and I found the small group to be a comfortable place. As I started to attend the rather lengthy set of membership trainings, certain positions that the church took began to raise some red flags. They were subtle, but perhaps because I have grown up in the church and attended many different styles of churches, I was able to discern something that seemed off. The pastors for the most part are quite open to offer explanations for the specific practices of their church, and I did not disagree with all of them. Nonetheless, a few things seemed problematic. Firstly, relatively shallow theology and guilt tripping during sermons and team meetings; secondly, an excessive emphasis on tithing but a lack of financial transparency; thirdly an expectation that 'unity' comes about from everyone agreeing on the specific values and beliefs positions of the church with little room for variation (ie uniformity rather than true unity). Lastly, an emphasis on empire building for the church network and its specific ideology. The church has a particular mission, to make disciples and to plant more churches. The making disciples presumably means to bring people in to the church who will ultimately be loyal to it and be relied upon to eventually help in church planting. The leaders of this church will likely spend their time with those they believe are future potential planters. Thus, the church exists to replicate itself, and does not tend to invest in activities that the members may view as valuable. It is a top-down structure where the members are naturally assumed to be followers until such time as the leaders believe they are ready. Obedience to leadership is a high priority for the church, and is stated so in their series class on 'community'. For the leadership, the pastor acts as the head elder and has full authority to appoint other elders, with no voting allowed from church members. This form of governance does not provide true accountability, for many of the reasons laid out in leavingthenetwork.org, who provide some concerning information regarding the culture of this church's network and its leadership. What was particularly difficult was finding that I could no longer stay in this church, and knowing that to leave would threaten the friendships I had. I hope that I can maintain friendships, but I am under no illusions that once former members are out, then they are rarely spoken about again. If that doesn't worry you, perhaps it should. As Christians and a part of the global body of Christ, I have never before had to fear that I would lose friends over going to a different church from them. It simply has never come up before and makes me wonder why this particular community needs to be so exclusive. By all means, try this church out, you'll be well loved if you can accept everything they want you to and don't ask too many questions. If not, I would give this one a pass, at least until such time (I hope) that the network repents of certain practices and recalibrate into something that more truly looks like its mandate to 'love God and love People'.

Inspirational worship and services. Fantastic community outreach. Best Sunday service I have ever…read moreattended. Great energy and amazing music, as well as thought provoking and educational multimedia presentations on a wide range of important and relevant topics; with in-depth interpretation of Scripture and real world applications. Would highly recommend this church to those who do not like going to church.

From the owner: For way too long churches have been known for what they’re against. We want to be known for what we…read moreare FOR. We are FOR you. Sundays at 9:15 & 11:00

I also emailed asking their current dating theology because I have a feeling it has changed... they…read morewill only discuss over the phone. I just want an answer! They did not allow dating there when I was a teen, has this changed?

Copy and pasted from my google review, Pastor Hector G…read more That was slowly added into over a year. And you respond to this yelp review the morning after. With no response to google review post in years time. The attitude behind your generic response is why I stated I am not asking for forgiveness nor will be giving apologies .......prior. Many do see the church and people for the God people that are lifers and followers, For who they actually are........ Change is desperately needed. Hate and severe other items are neglected, Because there was never then nobody willing to care or hear desperate cries, Because of "authority" and in the God giving entailment self given to guide and tell others lives......... Along with if items did come up, ignored. There was never anyone then to deal with severe issues and why I will not be talking to another deaf ear......still Get to know your people and the issues that are critical and being ignored by people that don't care about others. Pray for yourselves, Before casting stones and praying for those outside the church or long happily distanced. There was never anything to offer to many but control & slander from many still there That time has long passed because your people still do not change after years being there. Good luck pastor. Many see the damage this place and the people in it offer in many angles in different ways .

In my experience, this "church" embodies the essence of prosperity gospel and word of faith…read moredoctrines, lacking both accountability and integrity while preying on vulnerable individuals. The worship experience is more reminiscent of attending a concert than truly worshipping the Lord. It's consistently over-hyped, relying on emotional manipulation rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the service. Instead of authentic spiritual engagement, the emphasis is on putting on a show, creating an illusion of divine presence through orchestrated emotional experiences. The atmosphere mirrors that of a nightclub rather than a sacred space. Having experienced genuine worship elsewhere, I've come to recognize that it doesn't require embellishment for the Holy Spirit to move. In contrast, this church's approach feels contrived and lacking in sincerity. The preaching, though initially captivating, reveals itself as riddled with half-truths upon deeper biblical examination. Rather than centering on the teachings of Jesus, the focus seems predominantly self-serving, emphasizing personal purpose and calling over genuine spiritual growth. Despite 15 years in operation, the congregation remains stagnant, raising questions about the substance and authenticity of the messages delivered. Despite claims of openness to criticism, dissenting voices are often silenced or dismissed by the senior pastor with unchecked authority and a complacent board. It pains me to witness individuals continue to adhere to the misleading rhetoric espoused by the leadership. My hope is that their eyes will be opened to the truth, prompting a swift departure from this detrimental environment. I cannot in good conscience recommend this church, even as a last resort. If it were possible to give a negative rating this place would be the definition of it.

From the owner: Worship Gatherings Sunday:…read more10:00 am English Service Wednesday: 6 pm Prayer Gathering 7:30 pm Life Groups (Children, Youth, Men, Women)

This is Husband's church. (Yes, Boyfriend and I got married. And yes, I'm about to Yelp our…read morewedding.) Me, I'm Jewish. I converted shortly after I finished college. And I generally avoid churches. Just not a big fan of them. But Husband is a big fan of them. This is a very important part of his life and who he is. So, off to church I went. Husband has great taste in churches. It's a very inclusive church. You don't even have to be Christian to join. They did a concert on Al-Jazeera. They do protests against hate groups. They are very community oriented and socially concerned. I went to a couple services. They were nice. Some traditional church stuff and some more new stuff. Lots of singing. Nice messages. We were married by the head minister, Shelly. Sweet woman. I met with her while Husband was at work and we planned the wedding, with him on the phone and us at the church. She also helped me set up the room for the ceremony, which was attended by a full 7 people, if you count me, Husband, and Shelly. It was a very nice and personalized service. They have a very beautiful building, all open and airy and nature filled. It's a great group of people, welcoming to everybody.

Every Sunday as I leave the United Church of Gainesville I am glad that I made the effort to go to…read morechurch. Before I moved to Gainesville in 2012 I was a regular church-attending "mainline" Christian for over 60 years. It wasn't until I began attending UCG that my concept of "church" became one of infinite possibilities for: spiritual growth, secular service, social justice, family values, humor and agape. The Sermon on the Mount is alive and well at UCG.