3 Best Churches in Birmingham, AL

“Church of the Highlands is sharing life through community, which is part of their design, but meaningful relationships aren’t always easy to find. Their hope is to give you a place where you can experience a fresh, enjoyable connection to God and a community of people. Church of the Highlands focuses on helping every person live the full life for which God created all of them. Their Growth Track is designed to help them take steps in the important process of discovering their purpose, and there are opportunities to attend weekly at every Highlands location. They hope to connect every person to a chance to live out their calling by using their gifts and talents to serve others in the church and the community.”

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“Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is committed to Evangelizing the Sinner, Exalting the Savior, and Equipping the Saints. The church was organized 1873 as the First Colored Baptist Church of Birmingham. The vision is to have a Bible-centric ministry that will Reach, Rebuild, and Reproduce disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit. Their mission is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to encourage the cultivation of a personal relationship with Him. Initially, the congregation worshiped in a small construction on the corner of 12th Street North and 4th Avenue and later moved to Third Avenue North between 19th and 20th Streets. The present church was finished in 1911. They modified Romanesque and Byzantine design; it features twin towers with pointed domes, a cupola over the sanctuary accessible by a wide stairway, and a large basement auditorium with several rooms along the east and west sides.”

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“The Cathedral of Saint Paul is broadly considered a handsome example of the American variation of the neo-gothic style. The church's main entrance has a central statue of Christ above the doors. The baptismal font stands at the entrance of the church, serving as a reminder to those entering that Baptism is the gateway to faith and the life of the Church. Upon entry, individuals dip their hands in the Holy Water and mark themselves anew with the sign of the Cross, the symbol of their baptism. Their Gothic architecture is philosophically Christian in its determined verticality; the gothic structure pulls the eye to heaven and inspires the mind to lofty thoughts. The church's strong contrast of color on the Cathedral’s exterior, with the native red brick and white limestone of the walls, and the polychromatic banding in the slate roof show the taste of the international gothic revival of the 1870s. The main entrance has a central statue of Christ above the doors. There are two confessionals: one located immediately to the left upon entering through the central doors to the nave and one down the right aisle, near the statue of Saint Joseph.”

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