Purple castles may be settings for Sleeping Beauties, Prince Charmings, and royal balls, but they aren’t traditionally known to house ministry workers, pastors, or Sunday morning worship services.

Tradition, however, has never been a major concern for Woodland Hills Community Church Pastor Ted Cunningham. Leading a church that meets at the purple castle in Branson’s Celebration City theme park isn’t a problem at all. In fact, he said the church’s unusual facility might be one reason tentative non-churchgoers are willing to give Woodland Hills a try.

“I think we attract the crowd familiar with church, but turned off by the traditional setting,” said Cunningham, who has served as Woodland Hills pastor since its 2002 inception. “But if you’re looking for a steeple, we’ve got five of them … they’re just all purple.”

Along with those five steeples, Woodland Hills has five very prominent purposes. When Cunningham and eight other men gathered around a Bob Evans breakfast table in 2002, they knew they wanted to start a purpose driven church. Now, four years later, The Purpose Driven Church is required reading for staff and embracing that Purpose Driven strategy is a priority for the church.

In less than five years, Woodland Hills has grown from merely a breakfast-table dream to a church with more than 1,000 people in Sunday morning worship. Cunningham said the Purpose Driven model has played a major role in attracting the church’s target demographic of young adult to middle-aged unchurched locals in a town better known for its annual influx of senior citizen tourists.

“We have targeted locals, not tourists,” Cunningham explained. “We have reached the 20- to 40-year-old crowd who serves the tourists as theater workers, artists, restaurant and hotel workers.” He also noted that about 45 percent of Woodland Hills’ members have “come to faith or come back to faith” at the church.

“We’ve reached so many who have given up on the church,” he noted.

The Purpose Driven strategy of getting everyone involved in active small groups attracts the attention of people searching for a church committed to action and not appearance, Cunningham said. He added that the three unusual locations in which the church has met – a movie theater, a music theater, and now a theme park – keep the church in the public eye as a dynamic ministry not tied to a structure.

From the moment new members begin C.L.A.S.S. 101 at Woodland Hills they are encouraged to commit to a small group for eight weeks. During those next two months, leaders complete C.L.A.S.S. 201 and, at the end of the time, are asked to commit to an entire year during which they will complete C.L.A.S.S. 301 and 401.

Apparently, that encouragement to commit is working and it’s reaching beyond fulfilling the purpose of fellowship.

Fifty percent of Woodland Hills’ congregation is committed to small groups and even more than that, as much as 60 percent “roll up their sleeves and serve,” according to Cunningham.

Last year, Woodland Hills reached across an ocean to support missionaries in Thailand. When the Louisiana hurricanes brought the need closer to home, the congregation came together to send teams and truckloads of supplies into the Pelican State. Closer still, the church assisted in providing meals and shelter for the 500 Hurricane Katrina evacuees that flooded Branson last fall.

Woodland Hills worthy has a commitment to meeting the needs within the local unchurched community as well as beyond.

Cunningham attributes the surprisingly rapid growth of Woodland Hills to the commitment members and regular attendees have made to invite their neighbors and friends. Since the church began in 2002, it hasn’t participated in any official advertising. Its reputation is entirely word of mouth.

“This church is gonna grow because you brought them,” said Cunningham, explaining that small group leaders stress the importance of local evangelism as part of fulfilling the mission purpose of the church. He credits about 15 percent of the members with being “intentional” in sharing their faith.

As Woodland Hills continues to pursue its purposes through campaigns such as 40 Days of Purpose and the new P.E.A.C.E. program, Cunningham said he expects the community to continue taking notice. He said he hopes that means they keep giving the church a chance.

After all, in the end it’s about bringing people into God’s house … even if it happens to be a purple castle.

All 2006 Church Health Award winner information is correct as of Jan. 1, 2006.