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Nomadic Beginnings
Woodland Hills Church began as a Baptist General Conference church plant in Woodbury, Minnesota. The first worship service was held in October 1992 at Battle Creek Middle School, and one year later, two weekend services were offered. In January 1995, services moved to Harding High School as the call to minister to the city became clearer. Growth required more space, so Arlington High School became the worship center in May 1997. By 1999, three services were needed to accommodate the increasing number of attendees.
The Search for a Building
In 1998, church leadership realized that while rapid growth was being accommodated in worship services, very little church community had developed. A team developed a mission, vision, and values for the church, and then in January of 1999, the first membership (Covenant Partnership) was formed. A covenant agreement was signed by all who wished to partner in ministry. In May of 1999 the new church constitution was ratified. As the vision became solidified and as the church continued to grow, it became obvious that a permanent site was needed.
The New Vision
To be a community of spiritually empowered people
Who reflect God’s love and advance God’s Kingdom
In St. Paul and the surrounding area
And to the world as the Lord leads
Working hand in hand with other expressions of the body of Christ
Until all have reached fullness in Christ
With this vision, a building search began with a focus on the city of St. Paul. Finding no facilities of sufficient size within the city limits, a building that could be renovated was located just over the St. Paul city line in Maplewood. Formerly a Builder’s Square, a K-Mart property was purchased and renovated, providing 175,000 sq. ft. of space. Resistance had come from several directions, and financing seemed daunting at first, but miraculously the goal was reached and brought Woodland Hills together as a community like never before. Attendance has multiplied since services began in the new building in February of 2001. More importantly, we are walking out the vision by:
Reaching Up: To exalt God’s love through passionate worship and exhortation.
Reaching In: To encourage, edify and equip the body of believers; to build a foundation of prayer for our community; and to equip leaders within our community.
Reaching Out: To empower, evangelize and extend God’s love to the world, and to provide opportunities for our equipped body to reach out to our community. | 
