Our Story

Our Mission

We exist to glorify God and produce fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ who transform the world.

Our Vision

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be a rooted, community church who excels in reaching families with children and teens.

A History of Loving This Community

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For more than 200 years we have been spreading the good news of Jesus. From our humble beginnings in 1820, in a log schoolhouse to our state-of-the-art campuses, we want to help those in a hurting world. That first group of people called themselves the Asbury Society in honor of Francis Asbury, the first Methodist Bishop in America. In 1825 they were chartered as the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church.

In  1921, they bought property near the present-day Arby’s and remodeled an old substation of the Interurban Traction Line. They changed the name to Forestville Community Methodist Episcopal Church.

When that building was too small, the church bought the property at our present main campus site at the corner of Beechmont and Forest and held their first service in the new building on June 15, 1953. We became Anderson Hills United Methodist Church in the 1960's.

In 2018, we launched Fresh Expressions, taking the church to where people are. We hold worship in area breweries, assisted living centers, and homes. Find out more about Fresh Expressions here.

January 1, 2023, we became an independent church and part of The Foundry Network.  We are a church made up of people from all ages and stages of life.  We come from all kinds of faith backgrounds and include people who are brand new to church. You can find out more about our beliefs. Our bylaws.

September 8, 2024. Our Salem Campus became Freedom City Church. A separate church, supported by Anderson Hills Church. The services are led by  Pastor Erik Wilson. There are programs for children on Sunday mornings. Find out more here.