22nd Street Baptist Church sits on East 22nd Street in eastern Tucson, a few miles east of the University of Arizona and a short drive from the foothills of the Rincon Mountains. For nearly seven decades the congregation has met at 6620 E. 22nd Street, growing with the neighborhoods around it and now offering ministries for every age from birth through high school. The church's vision is summed up in a single phrase that appears on the worship guide and the lawn banner: Pointing People to Jesus.
A Church on East 22nd Street Since 1957
22nd Street Baptist was founded in 1957, when a small chapel first opened on what was then the eastern edge of Tucson. As the city grew outward, the church grew with it, adding buildings, classrooms, and ministries to keep up with the families moving into the surrounding neighborhoods. Over the years the congregation has been part of starting or supporting nine church plants and has helped launch new ministries to reach the community. In 2015, for example, members helped plant Authentic Life Church at Kolb and I-10, and the church is now exploring a second plant in the Valencia and I-10 corridor.
The church describes its identity in three phrases drawn from two passages in Matthew. Loving God, Loving People, and Making Disciples are the three commitments through which 22nd Street tries to live out its vision. The first comes from the Great Commandment in Matthew 22, where Jesus calls his followers to love God with everything they are and to love their neighbors as themselves. The second comes from the Great Commission in Matthew 28, where Jesus sends his disciples to make more disciples of every nation. The two passages, the church teaches, sum up what every church should be doing.
Sunday Mornings: Worship, Bible Study, and Kids
Sunday is the anchor of the week at 22nd Street. The morning begins at 9:45 AM with Connect Groups, the church's name for its Sunday school classes. Adults meet in classrooms around the campus, students gather in the basement level of the Worship Center, and children meet in the KidZone building. A Welcome Center staffed by friendly greeters stands on the patio and is marked by a big purple banner so first-time guests can find their way. The current rotation of adult Connect Groups covers nearly every stage of life: a class for the mid-60s and up led by Brian Kennedy, one for the 50s to mid-60s led by Pastor Shawn, a group for the mid-20s to 40s led by Victor Salazar, a young adults class for late teens to mid-20s led by Zenen Salazar, a young couples class for nearly-weds, newlyweds, and parents of young children led by Pastor Ashley, and a women's class for women in their mid-20s to 50s led by Karen Spillman.
At 11:00 AM the whole church gathers for the Worship Service in the Worship Center. The service is offered both in person and online, and first-time guests are invited to look for the Welcome Center banner on the patio. Worship at 22nd Street is described as a blend of the most current worship songs and the songs the congregation has loved for decades, with moments that are lively and energetic as well as quiet and reflective. Avery Trisler, the worship leader, puts together services designed to prepare hearts to receive the preaching of God's Word. Messages usually run three to five weeks and cover either books of the Bible or practical topics like parenting, finances, and marriage.
KidZone Children's Church runs at the same time as the Worship Service for children from birth through fifth grade, with check-in at the KidZone building reception room. Children in first through fifth grade who prefer to stay in the Worship Center with their parents can pick up Praise Bags filled with follow-along sermon notes, coloring sheets, crayons, fidget toys, and a snack.
Wednesday Nights: Dinner and Discipleship
Wednesday evenings from August through May are the second rhythm of the week at 22nd Street. A fellowship dinner is served in the Fellowship Hall from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, with a suggested donation of $5.00 for adults and youth in grades 6 through 12 and $3.00 for children from age 3 through fifth grade. Reservations are required by noon the Monday before so the kitchen knows how much food to prepare, and the church also accommodates last-minute cancellations by phone or email.
After dinner, classes and activities run from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Adults gather for discipleship and practical classes that change with the semester. Recent offerings have included Leverage Your Life with Pastor Ashley, a Making a Defense apologetics series with Pastor Kevin, and a sewing class with Connie Miracle. Children in preschool through fifth grade head to the KidZone building for TeamKID, a high-energy ministry from Lifeway that ties Bible stories, Scripture memory, missions, recreation, and refreshments to a single weekly message. Students have their own Wednesday programming as well.
KidZone: From Birth Through Fifth Grade
KidZone is the church's name for everything that happens with children, and it is treated as one of the most important ministries of the church. KidZone Connect Groups meet on Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:45 AM for children from birth through fifth grade, with age-specific lessons and small groups that the leaders call Connect Groups. The mission is to help children become fully devoted followers of Christ by connecting them to God, to His Word, and to Christ-like friendships.
Child safety is taken seriously. Every child is checked in each week and given a printed name tag with a matching parent pickup tag that the family keeps and shows when collecting their child. All teachers and leaders go through mandatory annual child safety training and background checks. Margy Killen, the Children's Ministry Director, oversees the program and answers questions from parents who want to learn more.
On Wednesdays TeamKID meets during the school year from August through May from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. The program is built around small clubs of about 30 children led by a head coach and at least one assistant coach, with noncompetitive games, a Bible story, a memory verse, a missions component, and a closing time. The goal is for children to understand and apply the verse they memorize, not just learn it by rote. Children in first through fifth grade can also pick up Praise Bags during the Sunday Worship Service to help them follow along.
Contineo: Students in the Basement
Students in sixth through twelfth grade are part of Contineo Student Ministry. The name comes from a Latin word meaning to hold together or connect, a reference to Colossians 1:17, which says that in Christ all things hold together. The ministry's threefold purpose, captured in three words, is to Grow, Gather, and Go. Students grow in unity around God and His Word, gather in Christ-centered community, and go on mission to share the gospel with their peers.
Contineo Connect Groups meet on Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:45 AM in the basement of the Worship Center. In addition, high school boys and girls meet separately in discipleship groups on the first Saturday of every month, usually at a local coffee shop, to talk through the questions they are facing as they move from childhood into adulthood. The summer brings Zona Camp, a week-long evangelistic and discipleship camp for teens held at a college campus each year.
Pastor Kevin oversees the ministry and is the main point of contact for parents and students who have questions.
Connect Groups, Covenant Groups, and Adult Discipleship
Connect Groups are the church's small-group ministry for all ages, and they are the primary way members are knit together during the week. The three-fold purpose is to connect with God and His Word, connect with each other, and connect with the lost. Sunday morning groups use Lifeway's Bible Studies for Life and Explore the Bible curricula, which move through books of the Bible and apply them to real-life issues. Bible Studies for Life is built around real-life topics designed to show how Jesus is the answer to people's greatest needs, while Explore the Bible is a book-by-book study that takes participants deep into the context of God's Word and challenges them to live it out in their own context.
For those who want a smaller and more intense kind of community, 22nd Street offers Covenant Groups. A Covenant Group is a group of two to five people who meet for accountability, vulnerability, and prayer on the foundation of a written set of agreements. The agreements, which the group writes together, are a mix of I will and I will not commitments: members agree to pray for one another every day, to provide accountability when it is needed, to refuse to gossip about one another, and to refuse to hide from one another. The goal is the kind of deep, honest friendship in which members can be fully known and fully loved.
The Discipleship Resources section at 22nd Street catalogs dozens of books organized by topic, from spiritual formation and prayer to marriage, parenting, finance, and Christian doctrine. The church also subscribes to RightNow Media, a streaming library of Bible teaching and family content that members can access for free, and points to the Practicing the Way online platform for spiritual formation.
Women on Mission
Women On Mission meets every Monday morning from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. The group studies the lives and ministries of missionaries around the world, studies the Bible together, and works on projects that support local Christian service organizations. The three mission partners the women support most consistently are Arizona Baptist Children's Services, Caring Ministries, and Gospel Rescue Mission, and any woman with a heart for missions is welcome to join.
A Heart for Tucson and the World
22nd Street's missions strategy is built around Acts 1:8, in which Jesus tells his disciples that they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The here of the strategy is Tucson and Southern Arizona. The church partners with Christian Challenge at the University of Arizona, Caring Ministries, Gospel Rescue Mission, Tucson Refugee Ministry, and Worship Catalyst, and it has been part of planting new churches aimed at reaching people in the communities where they live.
The everywhere of the strategy is the global church. Working with the International Mission Board, the congregation has identified an unreached people group in South Asia and is sending teams over each year. The vision is that every believer at 22nd Street will be a missionary of some kind, whether that means going across the street, across the country, or across the world.
What 22nd Street Believes
The doctrinal statement of 22nd Street Baptist Church is organized around three guiding principles. In essential beliefs, the church seeks unity. In non-essential beliefs, it grants liberty. In all beliefs, it aims for clarity. The essential beliefs cover the Bible as God's written revelation, inspired by the Holy Spirit and free from error; God as Creator and ruler of the universe, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Jesus Christ as the Son of God who lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of all, rose again on the third day, and will return as King of Kings; the Holy Spirit as equal with the Father and the Son, who lives in every Christian and gives power for living; and humanity as the special creation of God, made in His image, marred by sin, and destined either for eternal life with God or eternal separation from Him.
Salvation is a gift received by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and the believer is kept secure in that salvation by the grace and power of God. The church also teaches that God creates each person as male or female, that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, that sexual intimacy is reserved for marriage, and that every form of sexual immorality is sinful. All human life is described as sacred, from conception through natural death, and every person is to be treated with compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity.
Generosity, Resources, and Staying Connected
Giving to 22nd Street is possible in several ways. Members and guests can give online through the church's Church Center account, set up recurring gifts through the Church Center mobile app on Apple or Android, give by cash or check using the envelopes in the worship guides on Sunday morning, mail a check to the church address, or set up a recurring check through their bank's online bill pay system. The Discipleship Resources section recommends books on dozens of subjects, and the sermon archive and livestream are available online.
For visitors who are just beginning to ask questions about Jesus, looking for a Sunday school class, or hoping to find a smaller circle of brothers and sisters to walk with, 22nd Street Baptist Church invites them to come as they are and be part of a community that has been pointing people to Jesus on the east side of Tucson since 1957. Give online.