Mission & Vision
Love God. Love People. Keep Christ at the Center.
Storyhill Church is a healthy, growing church located in Davidson, NC. We began on August 21, 2011, under the name Lake Forest Davidson, as the first satellite campus of Lake Forest Church (Huntersville, NC). We are forever thankful for the visionary leadership of Lake Forest and the sacrificial commitment of the 50-person Launch Team who helped create this church family. In 2021, with the blessing of Lake Forest, our church “graduated” from a satellite campus to a freestanding local church called Storyhill Church. While our church draws people from various faith backgrounds, including “none,” we find our denominational encouragement and accountability through the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
People will use different words to describe Storyhill, some of which are fit to print: simple, authentic, kingdom-minded, unproduced, big tent, etc. One of our favorites is “greenhouse,” recognizing that (1) we want everyone to grow into Jesus-centered vibrancy and maturity, and (2) some people will then be sent out, with that vibrancy, as catalysts/blessings to other spiritual ecosystems. Storyhill’s unwavering focus is to welcome the cautious, the curious, and the committed – that we might all be transformed by God as we worship together, grow together, and serve together. We measure success in God Stories, i.e., stories of God making more and better disciples of Jesus. We love to know that the cautious are safe, the curious are seeking, and the committed are stretching.
On average, we have around 850 people worshipping together on Sundays (the majority being in-person and some worshiping online). Of that group, over half of them are engaged in “grow together” opportunities (smaller groups, classes, retreats) – and the same is true of “serve together” opportunities (church teams, mission trips, local outreach). Our people are overly busy yet still engaged with the life of the church. We currently worship at the Lake Norman YMCA facility, and we own land on South Main Street in Davidson, forever cementing our commitment to Davidson College students and being walkable from the campus. Over the next few years, we will build a long-term home from which our church can do ministry in this community for generations to come. We anticipate that the eventual move from the Y to the forthcoming church building will bring significant attendance growth for the church, which we need to be emotionally and organizationally prepared.
In summary, the world is complex. Church is complex. So we always come back to these words: Love God. Love people. Keep Christ at the center.
Foundational Practices
Worship Together
Turning toward God in every season.
Grow Together
Connecting with Jesus-centered community.
Serve Together
Engaging in the Holy Spirit’s redemptive mission.
Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, no one should have to walk alone (Gal. 6:2). We believe that God has designed us for true community, not just surface level connection. This is why all our foundational practices include the word “together” as a little reminder that no matter what we are doing, or where we are going, we always have someone to lean on.
In the essentials, Unity. In the nonessentials, Liberty. In all things, Charity.
As you might imagine, some convictions are at the core of our existence. One of those convictions is that every person, including you, is created in God’s image and has unspeakable value and worth. In light of that, whether you share our underlying convictions, we welcome you into our church family and will help you find meaningful involvement.
Collective Callings | Joining with Jesus, we:
Welcome the cautious, the curious, the committed.
Every gathering of our church family aims to be a safe place for people, wherever they are on their spiritual journeys, to learn and grow and change. May our words and actions say, “So long as you don’t have it all together, you’ll fit right in.”
Love full of grace and truth.
Nourished by the Bible, we see God’s extravagant grace poured out on us in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Empowered by his Spirit, we extend mercy – sharing God’s unchanging truth in unconditional love.
Live as ministers of reconciliation.
Rooted in relationship with Jesus, we branch out generously to one more person, eager for the restoration of everyone’s fellowship with God. We partner with ministries, missionaries, and other churches to care for the whole person, in our backyard and beyond.
Journey by doing life together.
Gathered in authentic community, we are shaped by God to love people as they discover and live out their role in God’s story. By not demanding conformity, we are free to know and be known, care and be cared for – joining in the healing and growth that come from revealing brokenness without rejection.
Lead toward more and better disciples.
Keeping a simple focus, we celebrate stories of God making and maturing disciples and leaders. Keeping a Kingdom focus, we invest in starting and strengthening churches, close to home and near colleges like Davidson.