Mission Vision Values

UBA is an alliance of autonomous self-directing congregations of diverse sizes, ethnicities, and styles of worship practicing basic Baptist beliefs.  While UBA began almost 200 years ago with a geographically based identity, more and more churches identify with the UBA vision summarized in the motto:

Transforming our world from the inside out!

But more than words and slogans, this vision guides a way of life at UBA as we pray for this city as well as plan and budget to accomplish what we believe God is leading us to do.

Our Vision: 

Healthy reproducing congregations cooperating to transform our communities, Houston, and the world

Our Values: 

We value revelation!   Our aggressive pursuit of the movement of God in Harris County is rooted in His initiative. He reveals His activity to us and we desire to join God where He is at work. We do not embrace just any plan, but we give ourselves fully to the plans revealed by Him through His Word. (Proverbs 29:18)

 We value people:  We accept people as they are. We approach them first and primarily on the basis of their needs - not ours. A high level of initiative is taken to establish relationships with other pastors and church leaders. Grace abounds. (II Corinthians 5:16-20, Galatians 6:2-5, Philippians 2:1-4)

We value diversity:  We see our differences as opportunities to experience God more fully. We seek to understand cultural differences and plan our cooperative work on the basis of that understanding. We seek to create a genuinely inclusive, multiethnic association. We value differences in perspective that might be brought through differences in gender and generational views as well as liturgical and worship preferences. (Acts 10:34-35, I Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 4:7-13)

We value cooperation:  We consciously choose to join our hearts, our imaginations and our resources to accomplish the shared challenge of reaching the greater Houston area for Christ. We are intentional in our efforts to build trust. We believe we can and must learn from one another. (Acts 11:22-30)

We value excellence:  We set high standards in everything we do. We make our standards explicit so we can evaluate our progress. We regularly re-evaluate the standards themselves. We make covenants of accountability - with God and with one another because, in order to consistently meet high standards, we need encouragement, support, and challenge from those around us. (Philippians 4:8-9, I Corinthians 10:31)

We value innovation:  We live in a constantly changing, complex environment which presents new challenges for congregations. We believe we must be ever alert to the movement of God. As He moves, we must make adjustments needed to join Him. Therefore, we seek to create an environment where creative thinking and continuous learning are possible. The stability needed to face our challenges is found in our relationship to Jesus Christ rather than in familiarity with a particular method or approach. Risk-taking is encouraged. (Isaiah 43:18-19, Matthew 9:16-17)

We value results:  We are called to the highest life stewardship. The Lord has specific results He wants to produce in and through us. Therefore, continually clarifying the desired end results of our efforts is good stewardship. Intentionality characterizes our work and we are willing to be accountable to one another. We distinguish between the means and the end, and we seek out and use the most effective means for achieving our desired end results. (Luke 19:11-27, John 15:5)