Founded in 1961 along Highway 31, the road that has carried our community for generations.
Our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This is the mission of the United Methodist Church, and it is ours here at Spanish Fort. Disciple is a word for a follower. We follow Jesus, and as we do, the world begins to be transformed by His love.
Our vision: to be a home connecting all people through worship, service, fellowship, and discipleship, guided by Christ's love. This vision was discerned by our Vision Team after months of listening, prayer, surveys, and conversation across the congregation, and it has shaped our planning ever since.
Spanish Fort United Methodist Church was founded in 1961 on Highway 31, and we have been worshiping on this hill ever since. The founding members built a sanctuary and welcomed their neighbors as Spanish Fort grew from a quiet stretch of pinewoods into one of the fastest-growing communities on the Gulf Coast.
The last few years have opened a new chapter in that story. More than 130 new members have joined since 2024, and the Community Dinner and the Thrift Store have opened their doors at the West Campus. New leaders now serve our children and youth, and we believe God is not finished with this church.
“We want to be a home for anyone in Spanish Fort who is looking for one.”
REV. DR. WOODS LISENBY, SENIOR PASTOR
We are part of the United Methodist Church, the denomination that traces its roots to John and Charles Wesley in eighteenth-century England.
We preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that the good news of his life, death, and resurrection is the news the world most needs to hear.
We celebrate two sacraments. Baptism is the sign of God's grace, given once and for life. Holy Communion is the regular feast of grace, and all who would receive Jesus are welcome at his table.
We do not stand alone. We are connected to United Methodist congregations, universities, hospitals, missionaries, and disaster relief teams around the world through the Alabama-West Florida Conference.
The Methodist tradition holds a particular vision of God's grace. Prevenient grace is the grace that comes before: God is already at work in your life before you ever think to look for him. Justifying grace is the grace that pardons: when we trust Jesus and turn to him, our sins are forgiven and the relationship is restored. Sanctifying grace is the grace that transforms: the Holy Spirit goes on working in us, shaping us toward the love that fills the heart of God.
The Methodist genius is to hold all three together. We do not earn the love. We receive the love. And then we let the love do its slow, patient work in us.
Our staff team carries the daily work of the church. Reach any of them through the church office at 251.626.1334 or margie@spanishfortumc.org.
A church is more than its organizational chart, but a healthy church needs a healthy organization. Spanish Fort UMC operates within the long-tested polity of the United Methodist Church. The decisions in our congregation are made equally by the laity and the clergy.
The executive body of the Charge Conference. Coordinates all committee work. Open to the whole church.
Stewards of the church's property, buildings, insurance, and physical assets. Open to anyone.
Oversees the budget, the offerings, and financial controls. Open to anyone.
Oversees staff hiring, supervision, compensation, and personnel matters. Closed except by invitation.
Oversees mission partnerships, mission trips, and service initiatives.
Discerns and recommends the lay leadership of the church for the coming year.
Our budget is funded by the gifts of members and friends, with roughly 70 percent of annual revenue coming from pledged and non-pledged giving. The budget is a public document and available upon request. Full committee rosters are published in the annual Charge Conference packet.
Both addresses sit on the same stretch of Highway 31, separated by a parking lot.
6690 Spanish Fort Blvd., Spanish Fort, AL 36527
Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, Reed Building, and the SFUM Preschool. Both Sunday services meet here, and the Children's Area for Sunday mornings is here too.
6530 Spanish Fort Blvd., Suite D, Spanish Fort, AL 36527
Administrative offices, the Children's Area for Sunday evenings, the youth area, the Community Dinner, and the Thrift Store.
Office: 251.626.1334 · margie@spanishfortumc.org. Our resident Bishop is Bishop Jonathan Holston, and our District Superintendent is Rev. Sheila Bates of the Pensacola District, Alabama-West Florida Conference.
A church is a strange thing to join. You do not become a member of Spanish Fort UMC the way you become a member of a gym or a club. You become part of a household of faith that has been gathering in the name of Jesus for two thousand years. The paperwork is the easy part. The promises matter.
You do not need to be a member to belong here. All are welcome.
Fill out an attendance pad or speak to a pastor after worship.
Offered every week at 10:00 in the Fellowship Hall.
On a Sunday agreed in advance, the pastor reads the membership vows, you answer with your promises, and the church receives you into the family.
If you have been baptized in any Christian tradition, your baptism is honored. If you have not been, the pastor will talk with you about scheduling one. Whether you join tomorrow, in twenty years, or never, the welcome stays open.