We are uniting people church in Durham.
Mission & Vision:
Mission: To UNITE people with God, to be UNITED with one another, to be one UNITED church.
Vision: We preach, teach, and execute the Great Commission, trusting God to shape what we see through the eyes of faith. We are mission-driven and Spirit-led to serve Durham and the surrounding cities with opportunities that form disciples.
Why we exist:
We value the heart of every non-believer and believer, cultivating a family-oriented, community culture.
We are united through Christ as one body, strengthening one another in love.
We value worship and the transformation that takes place through worship: songs, praise, prayer, and other expressions.
What Makes Up Different?
The Pop-Up Rhythm
We believe the church should be where the people are. While we gather at our primary "home" location most of the year, we take our mission on the road from March through October.
A Service Time That Fits Your Life
We’ve traded the traditional 10:30 a.m. slot for Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Why 2:00 p.m.? We want to be the home for the "Sunday workers," our medical staff, first responders, and service industry professionals who keep our community running while others are at brunch.
The Experience: A focused 75–90 minute service that respects your time while filling your cup.
A Culture of Worship
Our worship isn't a warm-up; it’s the main event. We maintain a high-engagement ethos where the music prepares the heart to receive the message immediately. If you’re looking for a "come as you are, leave changed" atmosphere, this is it.
Radical Unity in Diversity
"Uniting People" isn't just our name; it’s our mandate. We are intentionally multi-ethnic and multi-generational.
Representation: You’ll see it in our leadership, hear it in our music, and feel it in our visuals.
Real Talk: Our teaching and small groups tackle the tough stuff—finding unity across race, politics, and economics through the lens of Christ.
Meet Our Planting Pastor
Ezekiel Taylor is the Planting Pastor of Uniting People Church and a Durham native who has spent years serving the local church through leadership development, teaching, and community-focused ministry. His heart has always been shaped by one simple question: What would church look like if it truly met people where they are?
Ezekiel’s journey in ministry exposed him to both the beauty and the brokenness of church culture. He witnessed how faith could transform lives, but also how many people felt unseen, unheard, or pushed to the margins. Over time, he noticed a growing number of people who still believed in God but had quietly stepped away from church because they felt disconnected, judged, or exhausted by religious performance.
That tension became the seed for Uniting People Church.
Uniting People Church was founded out of a deep desire to create a space where people could encounter Jesus without pretense, pressure, or exclusion. A church where faith is lived out authentically, questions are welcomed, and community is built across differences. Not a church focused on gathering people into a building, but one committed to going to the people with humility, love, and purpose.
Ezekiel leads with a pastoral heart rooted in clarity, compassion, and conviction. He believes the church should reflect Christ by uniting hearts, transforming lives, and serving the community with integrity. Outside of ministry, Ezekiel is known for his thoughtful conversations, love for learning, and ability to connect deeply with people from all walks of life.
Uniting People Church exists because Ezekiel believes the church can be different, and more importantly, that it should be.