New Oakmont minister looks to bring diversity, intimacy to church

After four years on a college campus, Jack Hinnen is glad to be in a place of greater diversity.  

“Being at a church again, I’m excited about having other stages of life being a part of my life,” Hinnen said.

Hinnen started as the pastor of Oakmont United Methodist Church in June after four years as the chaplain at Birmingham-Southern College. He replaced Lawton Higgs Jr., who was the pastor at Oakmont for six years and is now serving at Montevallo First United Methodist Church.

Hinnen also said he wants to bring part of what he learned on the BSC campus with him. 

“One of the great things about being at Birmingham-Southern was I learned the intimacy of being with people all the time,” Hinnen said. “I want the church to be less about Sunday and Wednesday and more about being in community all the time. I think we can see more of each other, and to me that’s exciting.”

Overall, though, he wants to get to know the church before he determines its future direction. He said he has spent much of his first days on the job listening to stories from its members.

Oakmont was started 60 years ago by Dr. Bob Gonia as a plant out of Birmingham-Southern, and some of its founding members are still a part of the church. Almost everyone in the church has lived in West Homewood at some point in their lives, and Hinnen estimates that currently about 75 percent of the church body lives in the neighborhood surrounding the church. It’s fitting that its slogan is “the church in your backyard.”

“Oakmont’s identity is definitely West Homewood,” Hinnen said. “Oakmont reflects the community as it has been, and I think we can do a better job at reaching younger people. I am excited about what can happen here.”

The church averages about 60 people on Sunday mornings, but 120 were there on his first Sunday at the church. Around 200 people are on the roll. Hinnen is the only full-time staff person, but the church has part-time staff for youth, accounting and secretarial work.

Although Hinnen previously served a large congregation at Riverchase United Methodist, he’s no stranger to smaller churches. While he was attending Candler School of Theology at Emory University, he would come back to Alabama on the weekends to preach at small churches in Ashland, Hackneyville and Shady Grove. Before that, he grew up walking to church in his hometown of Dadeville, near Lake Martin. 

“Everyone in the church [there] was connected in amazing ways,” he said. “I feel the same stirrings here.”

Hinnen said he is particularly excited to be in West Homewood, where he sees a lot of diversity that he wants the church to reflect. 

His wife, Cheryl, also a Methodist minister, has mostly lived in Homewood since she attended Samford University. Two years ago the couple bought a home — from Oakmont members and across the street from Oakmont members — near GianMarco’s and zoned for Hall-Kent Elementary. Now he’s just a 10-minute bike ride down Raleigh Avenue from work. Hinnen and his wife enjoy going to the pool with their 10-month-old daughter Macy, hiking at Red Mountain Park with their Lab, spending time at parks and running 5Ks

“I can’t tell you how much I love Homewood,” Hinnen said.