Green Valley Church sits on Patton Chapel Road in Hoover, Alabama, just outside Birmingham, in a setting the church itself describes as a relaxed and creative place where every name has a story and every story matters to God. The congregation identifies with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and reaches across the Birmingham metro area through weekend worship, life groups, preschool through high school ministries, and a small portfolio of on-campus outreach ministries. In 2026 the church publicly named Jeff Keith as its new Lead Pastor after a season-long search, beginning a new chapter for a body that has spent more than a decade building its identity around three rhythms: worshiping together, circling up, and serving.
Sunday Mornings on Patton Chapel Road
The weekly rhythm at Green Valley centers on two Sunday blocks. Sunday Groups meet at 9:15 AM across the campus, and a single combined Worship Service gathers at 10:30 AM in the Worship Center. Guest parking is reserved directly in front of the Worship Center, and a greeter team welcomes each car as it arrives. The church is intentional about creating a low-pressure environment for first-time visitors, promising that no one will be singled out, asked to stand, or solicited for money. Dress is casual across the board, and the worship style is described as relaxed, friendly, and musically upbeat - the atmosphere the staff calls "a creative, fun, and challenging presentation of God's truth."
Worship services are also livestreamed through a dedicated Watch Live page, and recent sermons are archived on Vimeo and shared through the church's podcast feed on Apple Podcasts. For those who cannot attend the 10:30 AM gathering, the live and on-demand options make the same teaching accessible any day of the week.
A House for Every Stage of Childhood
Green Valley places a heavy emphasis on the years before adulthood. Three distinct ministries serve children from birth through twelfth grade, and each one runs alongside the 9:15 AM Sunday Groups and the 10:30 AM worship hour.
GV Preschool (Birth through 4K)
Preschool ministry is led by Amy Phifer, who has served as Preschool Minister since April 2012. The preschool program reinforces three foundational truths each month - God loves me, God made me, and Jesus wants to be my friend forever - and wraps each lesson into a simple bottom line that parents can echo at home. Each week parents receive a Parent Cue card designed to continue the conversation during the week. Rooms are open fifteen minutes before scheduled services, and a priority parking area for first-time guests is set just outside the kids building off Tammassee Lane.
Security is built into every layer of the program. Children in birth through 4K are checked in through a system that issues matching parent-and-child security labels, and the kids building remains locked whenever children are present. Staff and volunteers are required to pass a background check and complete training on safety policies. Parents are asked to remain on campus while their children are in care, and clear sick-child guidelines cover conditions from fever and pink eye to chickenpox and strep throat. Two extra rooms are available for parents with infants or toddlers: a Nursing Mom's Room with gliders, a changing station, and an audio broadcast of the worship service, and a Family Room with comfortable seating, toys, and a livestream of the service for parents who want to stay with their children rather than use the nursery.
GV Kids (Kindergarten through 5th Grade)
GV Kids, led by Interim Kids Ministry Director Lyndsey Baxley, gathers at 9:15 AM in a high-energy large group environment followed by small group circles. The teaching goal is for every child to walk away remembering three takeaways: I need to make the wise choice, I can trust God no matter what, and I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Like the preschool wing, GV Kids uses matching security labels, locked doors, and constant camera monitoring, and parents are notified by text message if the team ever needs to reach them during a service.
GV Students (6th through 12th Grade)
Student ministry is led by Colton Taylor, who joined the staff as Student Pastor in February 2023. Sunday morning groups for middle and high school students meet from 9:15 to 10:15 AM in the CFLC - the church's gym - and include a large group teaching time followed by small group conversations with adult leaders, plus breakfast each week. A second weekly gathering, simply called Student Gathering, runs from 5:30 to 7:30 PM every Sunday night in the same gym, offering students a space to hang out, build friendships, and study God's Word together. Students and parents can stay in the loop through the group's Facebook and Instagram pages, a weekly parent email, and a text keyword (GVSTUDENTS to 97000).
Life Groups and Sunday Adult Groups
The adult ministry of Green Valley is built on the idea that life change happens when people move out of rows and into circles. Two complementary structures make that possible.
Life Groups are the church's primary small-group strategy. They meet on various nights of the week in homes, coffee shops, and venues across the city as well as on campus. Groups typically gather 10 to 16 people who share an interest or a stage of life, and the goal is intentional relationships centered on Jesus. A Fall Life Groups kick-off launches each autumn, sign-ups are open through the Church Center platform, and the church provides childcare for groups that meet every other Sunday night from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Dinner is available for children from preschool through 5th grade at $5 per child and $20 maximum per family for each meeting week. Anyone can browse open groups, request help finding one, or apply to host a group of their own.
Sunday Groups are the parallel 9:15 AM offering for those who prefer to be on campus. The current list includes a College group, a Young Professionals group, classes for adults and couples in their 20s through 50s, a Single Moms group, several women's groups across age ranges, two men's groups for 55 and older, and several adults 55+ classes. Leaders are listed for each room (for example, Tim and Melody Wheat lead the Young Professionals group and Jason Milligan leads the Couples 30s to 40s in room C-205).
What Green Valley Believes
The What We Believe page lays out the church's doctrine in seven short statements, anchored to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
About God: God is the Creator and ruler of the universe, existing eternally in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - infinite in holiness and perfect in all other ways.
About Jesus: Jesus was born of a virgin, fully God and fully man, the one and only Son of God. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of humanity, was resurrected, and ascended to Heaven.
About the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He makes people aware of their need for Jesus Christ, lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation, and empowers believers to glorify God through a holy life and testimony for Christ.
About the Bible: The Bible is God's Word, inspired by God and without error, and the supreme source of truth for Christian belief and practice.
About Salvation: Salvation is God's free gift, received through trust in Jesus. It cannot be earned by self-improvement or good works. Those who accept the gift are made children of God and coheirs with Christ.
About Baptism: Baptism is to take place after salvation by immersion. It does not save the believer but symbolically portrays Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and serves as a public profession of faith.
About Eternal Security: True believers are kept by the grace and power of God and cannot lose their salvation. Eternal security rests on God's keeping, not on the Christian's own effort.
A New Lead Pastor After a Long Search
In the spring of 2026 Green Valley entered a public season of pastoral transition. Jeff James, the congregation's Lead Pastor for fifteen years, resigned in March 2026. A Pastor Search Team composed of Devon Hind (chair), Kate Holmes (vice chair), David George (secretary), Kim Hancock, Lucky Bailey, Bobby Redmond, and Whitney Culpepper led the process, while a parallel Pastor Search Prayer Team organized a 33-hour prayer chain and ongoing prayer gatherings across the church. The team placed the lead pastor opening on the church's Facebook, on the Alabama Baptist and SBC websites, and through relational networks, ultimately receiving 121 resumes.
On August 30, 2026, the Search Team brought forward Jeff Keith as its unanimous recommendation. After Keith preached the morning service, the church moved into a formal church conference and voted by ballot, affirming his nomination by approximately 99 percent. Keith joined the Green Valley staff in September 2026. A graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy (bachelor's) and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (master's), Keith brought more than twenty years of ministry experience from churches in Kentucky, Delaware, Michigan, and now Alabama. He and his wife Sarah have four daughters - Karis, Eliza, Raley, and Leah.
Brandon Yopp continues as the church's Executive Pastor. He joined the Green Valley staff in 2020 after serving at churches in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina, and provides leadership for the Adult Life Groups. Wes Meadows stepped into the role of Interim Worship Pastor in April 2026, leading the music and production volunteers through the transition. Hannah Lalla, who joined as Creative Director in October 2024, oversees the visual and storytelling efforts of the church. Together, this team is shaping the next chapter of ministry at Green Valley.
Next Steps: Salvation, Baptism, and the Next Steps Gathering
Green Valley defines its growth path through a series of named next steps. The first is salvation, the moment a person trusts Jesus with their life. The second is baptism, which the church practices by immersion as a public profession of faith that follows, rather than causes, salvation. Baptism classes and stories are featured on the Baptism page, and a sign-up form connects interested people with a ministry team member.
The third step is the Next Steps Gathering, an introductory class where newcomers hear about the church's passion, purpose, and strategy and learn how to get involved. A fourth step is serving. The Serve page lists nine teams that volunteers can join: Greeter, Tech, Student Volunteer, Hospitality, Worship, Campus Ministry, Media, Children's, and Prayer, plus Preschool Volunteer opportunities. The Tech and Worship teams accept online applications through Google Forms, and the general interest form allows anyone to indicate where they would like to serve.
Refreshing Others: Outreach, Racial Unity, and the Wider World
One of the church's recurring values is to refresh others with acts of kindness. Three on-campus ministries make that concrete: a Food Bank, a Clothes Closet, and a Santa Shop that help meet simple needs with practical love. Volunteers for these ministries are organized under the Campus Ministry Volunteer team.
Green Valley has also been vocal about pursuing racial unity. A 2021 Focus sermon series, preached by then-Pastor Jeff James, was dedicated to that theme and remains available on the church's sermon archive. A Conversation and Message on Race resource sits on the church's homepage as a continuing touchstone for the congregation.
The church's global footprint is small but visible. A Guatemala Mission Trip has been part of the church's calendar, and current and prospective participants are invited to an interest meeting to learn about the next trip. Within the office, Emma Crawford joined as an Office Intern in August 2026 after years of involvement at Green Valley that included a mission trip to Guatemala.
Seasonal and family-focused events round out the year. Harvest Festival, Food Truck Family Night, Men's Night, Baby Dedication Sundays, and a Christmas Refresh collection are typical gatherings on the calendar. The church also maintains a Race of Marriage teaching series and an annual Baby Dedication service for families who want to publicly commit to raising their child in the Christian faith.
How to Give and Stay Connected
Three giving options are offered. Online giving is processed through the church's Realm account, where one-time and recurring gifts can be set up. Gifts can also be mailed to P.O. Box 36638, Hoover, AL 35236, or sent through a bank's automatic bill pay system to the same address.
The church offers several ways to stay in touch between Sundays. A weekly e-letter is delivered through a Constant Contact signup form. The Green Valley Church podcast is available on Apple Podcasts under the name Green Valley Church. The Watch Live page is the home for live and recent video messages, and the Past Messages page archives sermons in a searchable library with more than a hundred entries. Prayer requests and connection cards can be submitted through the Watch Live page under the Connect, Prayer, and Give tabs.
Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The main number is 205-822-2173, with separate lines for the Weekday Preschool at 205-822-6239 and the Life Center at 205-822-2216. Whether a guest is visiting for the first time or a longtime member is looking for the next place to serve, the staff and volunteers at Green Valley are committed to welcoming each one with the same phrase that appears on the church's homepage - come and see.