What We're About

OUR MISSION IS TO LEAD UNCHURCHED PEOPLE INTO A GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST

Our BELIEFS

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless, human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

REFERENCES: MATTHEW 1:22-23; JOHN 1:1-5, 14:10-30; HEBREWS 4:14-15; I CORINTHIANS 15:3-4; ROMANS 1:3-4; ACTS L:9-11; I TIMOTHY 6:14-15; TITUS 2:13

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives believers spiritual gifts and empowers them for ministry. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.

REFERENCES: II CORINTHIANS 3:17; JOHN 16:7-13, 14:16-17; ACTS 1:8; I CORINTHIANS 2:12, 3:16; EPHESIANS 1:13, 5:18; GALATIANS 5:25

Our Values

This Means: Christianity is not about adhering to a list of religious rules or lobbying for a political agenda, it’s about building a real relationship with Jesus. Christianity isn’t praying a prayer and then doing whatever you want. It’s choosing to make Jesus the center of your existence and filtering all your decisions and actions through that lens.

That’s Why: No matter what topic we’re talking about, we always end up somewhere in the New Testament asking ourselves, “What would Jesus say or do in this circumstance?” And then try to apply that to our lives.

This Means: A lot of us grew up in environments where success, image, or making money were the goal. Making our mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual health a priority doesn’t happen by accident. It’s something we have to work at. And our community will only be as healthy as we are individually.

That’s Why: We spend a lot of time applying Scripture to our own attitudes, motives, self-talk, and daily habits. We believe changing the world begins by partnering with God to change yourself.

This Means: One of the core teachings of Jesus is to love your neighbor. And by that He meant people who live around you but don’t look, think, dress, vote, or act like you. If the demographic of our church doesn’t reflect the demographic of our community, we’re doing it wrong. We’ve lost the plot.

That’s Why: We seek to include all kinds of people and try to make it easy for anyone to get involved. We look for opportunities to serve in diverse areas of our community. We don’t use insider language, enforce a dress code, or choose sides politically.

This Means: Simply singing songs and listening to an inspiring lecture every week isn’t enough to transform your life. We all need the encouragement and accountability of others to help move us in the right direction. We’re better, smarter, healthier, happier, & more fulfilled when we do life together. We grow more spiritually when we go deep relationally.

That’s Why: We create space and activities for people to stick around after service and get to know each other, encourage people to grab lunch, join a group and/or serving team, and look for excuses to spend time with one another outside of the weekend service.

This Means: We are willing to sacrifice time, effort, energy, and money to honor God and build His kingdom. Often, these sacrifices aren’t a matter of choosing a good thing over a bad thing but choosing the more Christ-like thing over another good thing. We prioritize what God asks us to do over other things we feel like doing.

That’s Why: We invite people to attend weekly, give generously, and serve regularly. It’s not that there aren’t any other good things to do, invest in, or sacrifice for, but there are none better than what God is up to in our community.

This Means: We believe God puts us in environments and around people so we can show them what He’s like. But we’re not just to show them the love of God, but invite them into their own relationship with God. This requires us to invest in the people around us and invite them to experience our spiritual community alongside us.

That’s Why: We teach on topics we know unchurched people around you are interested in. We give out series cards, create social media shareables, and throw themed events and parties to make it easy for you to invite others to join you.

This Means: We believe God gave you a unique personality, talents, and abilities, and His intention is that you use those things to partner with Him to help humanity thrive and flourish. We’re each called to explore who we are and look for ways to leverage our specific strengths to grow God’s kingdom.

That’s Why: We encourage everyone to serve in some capacity (both on campus and out in our community) and attend Rooted as well as Shape (which helps you understand how you’re wired and the ways God might want to make a difference in the world through you).

This Means: Spiritual depth isn’t measured in how much you know, but in how well you serve. There are countless examples of Jesus serving others, and we want to follow in His footsteps. If there’s something difficult that needs to be done, we want to be the types of people who are willing to go first. We don’t want to just communicate expectations; we want to model them. We believe people are more impacted by what they see us do than what they hear us say.

That’s Why: We prioritize demonstrating our faith in practical ways in the real world as opposed to just talking, posting, and debating about it. We actively practice doing the things we think will make the world better where we’re at and with the resources we have right now, instead of waiting for the perfect circumstances to find us or waiting for someone else to lead the way.

Our Story

The story of South Hills began with Chris and Laura Sonksen sensing God calling them to start a new kind of church. They wanted to create space where all people would feel welcome—where regardless of who you are, where you’d been, what you’ve done, or even what you believe about God—you’d be invited in, treated with respect, shown the love of Jesus, and empowered to become a better you.

And so in 1998 Founding Pastors, Chris and Laura Sonksen, boldly stepped out in faith and started the first South Hills Church Campus in Corona, California. And God continues to honor their obedience. Over the years since, South Hills has expanded to over 13 campuses throughout California, the U.S., and around the globe. Collectively we’ve reached thousands with the message of Jesus, watching new life unfold as people move toward Jesus and away from the shackles of shame, addiction, dysfunction, depression, and anxiety.

Over 20 years after planting South Hills, Pastor Chris began sensing it was time for him to enter into a new season. He now leads a ministry called Church Boom which is committed to coaching pastors and rescuing churches. Because of this change, Pastor Chris prayerfully handed the role of Lead Pastor to Moses Camacho, a proven church leader who got his start in ministry right here at South Hills Church over a decade before. Pastor Chris continues as part of the team at South Hills as the Global Pastor, helping to expand the mission of South Hills across the United States. As always, South Hills remains true to its original vision to lead unchurched people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Chris Sonksen

Founding Pastor

"This church has changed our lives around and it is continuing to change it for the better. We never thought we would find so much love in one place and devotion to serve and care for others. God is wonderful and I am blessed that he has brought my husband and I to this place."

Nancy R.
"Ever since Ruth began attending South Hills, she would always speak of how wonderful and how moving the church was. Once I came home from overseas, I began attending and shared the same feelings as her. It has been a wonderful experience being a part of the South Hills family."
Pablo C.
"At South Hills Church, you feel an authentic hospitality when you are greeted in a genuine family atmosphere. The worship experience is vibrant and creates an atmosphere of sanctified spiritual energy where we can celebrate Jesus."
Justin & Debbie H.