Our Story

humble beginnings and life change

Beginnings

FROM 17 TO 6,000 In 1985, 17 people felt called to start a Cedar Park church. They sought the best of both traditional and innovative approaches to ministry and outreach. Their goal was to establish a "balanced ministry;" a Bible-based church that was free from denominational limitations but responsible to work in conjunction with like-minded Bible churches. On January 5, 1986, 75 people attended the first worship service of Hill Country Bible at a local school school.

OUR FRIEND, THE CAVE BEETLE By 1988, the church needed a more permanent home, but with real estate prices,  it would take a miracle. The miracle came through a tiny cave beetle whose habitat was being threatened by  development in NW Austin. When most construction halted thanks to the beetle, prices plummeted and God provided rental space. The "church behind the Dairy Queen" (aka "Hill Country Bible Church") was established!

WELCOME PASTOR TIM In 1988, the church hired Tim Hawks as Lead Pastor. He had a passion to see the local church accomplish great things for God's Kingdom. We committed to become a church that would produce leaders who would represent Jesus in Austin, Cedar Park and beyond.

MIRACULOUSLY DEBT FREE Through a series of miracles over the next several years, God provided us the ability to purchase 30 acres of land here on RR 620. People pledged over $950,000 over a 3.5 year period for the land and construction of the first Worship Center. Against all  odds, more than 105% of the pledges were received by the end of the 3.5 year period, and the land was purchased with cash.

CHURCH PLANTING TAKES ROOT As we experienced blessing as a northwest Austin church, we knew that there were thousands of people throughout the city who were not part of a faith community, and more importantly, not in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The elders determined to follow the first century model. Paul and the other apostles planted strategically located regional churches that would reflect the unique demographic, sociological and cultural make-up of that area. In 1992, the idea for the Association of Hill Country Churches was born.

CONTINUED GROWTH As we moved into the late 90s and the new millennium, God brought more people to us, and we kept asking Him to provide. Each capital campaign in the history of HCBC in Cedar Park and Austin reflects God's faithfulness to us and the sacrificial giving of our community. We continue to be debt free and have invest more in people.

A FAITH-FILLED FUTURE Today HCBC provides a Bible Study for all ages, a Christian Singles Group, Christian College Group, dynamic youth group and a family friendly church to help people grow in faith, wherever they are and wherever they come from.

Our Purpose

The family of believers at HCBC was purpose-driven before it was cool. After Pastor Tim's arrival, the leadership developed our current purpose statement:

Hill Country Bible Church is a family of believers committed to reaching people with the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ.

Many years after that statement was crafted, our commitment to that purpose remains one of the hallmarks of the church. When asked why they were attracted to HCBC, many of our current members will say it was the unwavering dedication to our purpose that drew them in and compelled them to stay.

In conjunction with our purpose statement, the leadership also established this simple, core philosophy of ministry:

1. Who are you?
2. Where are you spiritually?
3. How can I help you take the next step?

This philosophy recognizes that each person, no matter where they are, has a next step to take spiritually and usually needs help taking it. It continues to guide our approach to ministry so that we stay focused on people rather than programs.

Our Vision

As we grew as an Austin church, we experienced a restlessness. A sense that God had a new challenge for us. Our  purpose  still fueled our ministry, but we began to feel pulled toward a more specific vision.

The pull started when we saw God at work in foreign mission fields. As we partnered with missionaries and saw their huge vision for their geographies, we realized that we didn't have a similar vision or passion for  Austin and Cedar Park. The elders began to see what Jesus said in Acts 1:8 in a new light:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We had been making strides in foreign missions for years, but did we have a real strategy to reach our own Jerusalem - Greater Austin and Cedar Park? The elders determined it was time to direct some of our energy and passion a little closer to home.

In 2003, we established a vision that captured the desire that God had placed in our hearts and reflected the call He had issued through His Son 2,000 years ago:

That every man, woman and child in greater Austin has the chance to experience the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ because they hear the gospel from the lips of someone at a Hill Country Bible Church.

This great vision requires a great strategy. In addition to a commitment to personal evangelism, we're committed to physically place missionally-minded people throughout Greater Austin to build new churches and expand good news of Christ.

We opened our Church Plant Training Center in 2004. This residency program provides potential planters a year of intensive discipleship and experiential training with the support and direction of HCBC NW. Our vision is  to plant over 100 churches in the next five years.

The Story Continues

Today, nineteen Austin, Cedar Park and other local churches belong to the Association of Hill Country Bible Churches. Through continued emphasis on church planting, personal evangelism, and partnerships with like-minded people of faith in our community, we come closer each day to accomplishing the vision we've been called to.