Rooted in Fall Creek Highway, Reaching Across Generations
Acton Baptist Church gathers on a stretch of Fall Creek Highway in Granbury, Texas, with a simple banner that reads: Encounter Christ. Engage Others. The phrase is more than a tagline. It is the lens through which a Southern Baptist congregation has organized its Sunday services, midweek Bible studies, children's ministry, youth program, foster-care wraparound, and mission partnerships for years. Under the leadership of Pastor Mark Roath, who has served as senior pastor for nearly thirteen years, the church describes itself as rooted in truth, shaped by community, driven by discipleship, and known by love.
Members and visitors find their way into the building through two Sunday morning services, a Wednesday night calendar that runs from nursery through senior adults, and a year-round rhythm of mission trips and Bible reading plans. Whether someone walks in wearing a suit or a t-shirt, the church asks only that they come as they are. The mix of generations in the pews, the color-coded check-in stations in the children's wing, and the wooden signs marking each room all point to a congregation that has organized itself around the goal of helping every age group take a next step in faith.
Sunday Mornings: Blended Worship, Modern Worship, and Sunday School for Every Age
Sunday is the heart of the week at Acton Baptist. Two services run in parallel with an hour of Sunday school for every age, including children and youth.
At 9:00 a.m., the Blended Worship service opens the day. An orchestra and choir lead the congregation in a blend of praise songs and traditional hymns before Pastor Mark steps into the pulpit to preach from the passage God has laid on his heart. At the same hour, Sunday school classes meet in rooms throughout the building for in-depth Bible study.
A short Community Time at 10:10 a.m. gives worshipers from both services a chance to greet one another and find their seats for the next gathering. Then, at 10:30 a.m., the Modern Worship service begins. A worship team leads contemporary songs that center on the heart of God and the congregation's response to His love, and Pastor Mark preaches the same message delivered in the first service, challenging the gathered church to apply God's Word through the week. Sunday school classes run alongside this second service as well.
Adults who prefer a different time slot can choose from a wide range of Sunday school classes. At 9:00 a.m., classes include 1828 for young adults ages 18 to 28 in Room 212, Parents with Kids in Room 201 using The Gospel Project (the same curriculum their children use), Parents with Teens in Room 205, and Young Couples in Room 207. At 10:30 a.m., options include Parents with Kids in Room 207, Adult 1 (Bible Studies for Life) in Room 212, Adult 2 (Explore the Bible) in Room 210, Ladies 1 in Room 217, Adult 3-Agape in Room 202, Adult 4-Berean in Room 203, Adult 5-Explore the Bible in the Fellowship Hall, Ladies 2 in Room 208, Ladies 3 in Room 106, and Men's class in Room 100. Many of these classes intentionally coordinate their curriculum with the age-group lessons happening down the hall so that families can keep the same conversation going around the dinner table.
Wednesday Night: Family Night Around the Table
Wednesday is the night the church calls Family Night. The evening begins with a church-wide dinner at 5:00 p.m., giving everyone a chance to eat together before scattering into age-appropriate ministry. Volunteers sign up to cook, and the church encourages families to register for meals by Tuesday at noon so the kitchen team can plan accordingly.
At 6:00 p.m., AWANA clubs launch for children from birth through fifth grade. Preschoolers join Puggles (two-year-olds) and Cubbies (three to five), while elementary children gather as Sparks (kindergarten through second grade), Sparks (first through third grade), and T&T (fourth and fifth grade). Across every age group, AWANA uses Scripture memory, games, puppet shows, music, and hands-on activities to teach the foundational truths of the Bible.
At the same hour, students in grades six through twelve gather for Momentum, the youth worship service. The goal of the evening is not hype but direction: students worship together, study Scripture, build friendships, and ask honest questions in a room designed for them.
Adults make their way to one of several Bible studies at 6:15 p.m. Re|Engage is a marriage enrichment study for couples at any stage. Recovering Redemption explores how the gospel meets brokenness with grace. The Way of Wisdom is a women's Bible study on living wisely in a world full of competing voices. Pastor Mark leads a weekly verse-by-verse study, currently walking through the Gospel of Luke, with a parallel study in the Book of Isaiah. Other adult electives include Deep Discipleship, which explores Christian story, belief, and formation, and The Parables of Jesus, which examines the stories Jesus used to teach about the kingdom. Wednesday night runs from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for children.
Children's Ministry: Birth Through Fifth Grade
Children's Ministry at Acton Baptist is led by Children's Pastor Scott Eudaley, who has served the church since 2015 and has been involved in children's ministry across Texas since 1995. He and his team care for kids from birth through fifth grade, with a particular focus on the kids ministry wing called the Children's Castle.
On Sunday mornings, the Nursery welcomes babies through twenty-three months in a teal-green-marked space in the middle of the downstairs area. Computer-generated check-in tags match each child to a parent receipt, and at least two trained, background-checked adults are present in every room. Nursery opens fifteen minutes before services.
AB Preschoolers, ages two through kindergarten, meet in the lime-green treehouse hallway. They participate in worship, storytelling, crafts, and age-appropriate Bible lessons drawn from Lifeway's Gospel Project curriculum.
AB Kids, grades one through five, gather for worship at 9:00 a.m. and move into age-graded Bible study at 10:30 a.m. The check-in desk sits under the yellow lamps at the self-service computers in the Grand Hall. From there, kids head upstairs to the Children's Castle, where Pastor Scott and his team teach the foundational truths of God through Scripture.
On Wednesdays, preschoolers join AWANA Cubbies, where puppet shows, music, and hands-on activities introduce them to the big story of the Bible. Older elementary students meet as Sparks and T&T, memorizing Scripture and engaging with interactive lessons before being picked up from the gym. Family-focused events throughout the year, from summer gatherings to Trunk-n-Treat and a community Easter egg hunt, give families regular chances to connect, grow, and celebrate together.
Parents who want to keep the conversation going at home receive weekly Truth Talks, simple take-home resources designed to help families discuss what their children learned. Safety is a hallmark of the ministry: every volunteer is trained and background-checked, every room has at least two adults, and every allergy or care note is logged into the Realm check-in system.
Youth Ministry: 1828 and Beyond
Youth Pastor Josh Comer, who has been part of the team for three years and has served in student ministry since 2010, leads the youth ministry at Acton Baptist. He holds a Bachelor's in Youth Ministry from Southwest Baptist University and a Master of Divinity from Luther Rice Seminary.
For grades six through twelve, ABYouth offers Life Groups on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the youth room, which sits at the end of the hall marked in blue. The groups use Lifeway's Hyfi curriculum to help students explore how Scripture speaks into school, home, and relationships. After Life Groups, students are dismissed into the 10:30 a.m. worship service in the Worship Center. On Wednesday nights, students gather for Momentum, the youth worship service described above.
The youth ministry also runs the Great Pumpkin Patch, an annual community fundraiser in which every pumpkin sold helps lower the cost of summer camp for the next generation. Proceeds support the students' trip to Fuge Camp at Ridgecrest, North Carolina, where they grow in faith, build friendships, and serve alongside other students.
ABYouth helps parents stay connected through weekly podcasts and practical resources. The 18 by 18 list, eighteen books every teenager should read before their eighteenth birthday, is a popular download for parents and students alike.
Young Adults: 1828 in the Community Commons
Young adults ages 18 to 28 who feel caught between stages find a home in 1828, the church's young adult ministry. The group gathers every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in the Community Commons for shared meals, fireside nights, honest conversations about faith, and study of Scripture. The ministry's three-word vision is Find Your Place, Grow in Faith, Live on Mission.
The 1828 class also meets as a Sunday school group at 9:00 a.m. in Room 212, covering a variety of topics aimed at further discipleship for young adults navigating college, early careers, and the many transitions of their twenties.
Adult Discipleship: A Seven-Five-Two-One Rhythm
Acton Baptist teaches a clear discipleship rhythm called 7 | 5 | 2 | 1: Pray seven days a week, read Scripture five days a week, talk about your faith two days a week, and go share the gospel one day a week. The framework is woven into the Discipleship ministry, which the Associate Pastor of Discipleship, David McClure, oversees.
Pastor David, who holds a B.A. from U.T. Permian Basin and two degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (a Master of Arts in Christian Education and a Master of Divinity), guides adult discipleship, men's and women's ministries, and missions. With twenty-seven years of ministry experience, he is passionate about training church members to actively carry out the work of the church.
Beyond Sunday school, adults can grow through Bible reading plans available as free downloads, including the One Story That Leads to Jesus annual reading plan from BibleProject, blended, chronological, historical, beginning-to-end, and Old-and-New-Testament plans.
Men's and Women's Ministry
The Men's Ministry gathers men around weekly Bible study, helping them dig into Scripture and learn practical ways to live out their faith. Casual, welcoming events throughout the year give men space to invite friends who might not yet call Acton Baptist home. The heart of the ministry is community, a circle of brothers who encourage, challenge, and stand with one another.
The Women's Ministry offers weekly Bible studies and invitational events designed to help women grow in faith, build genuine friendships, and feel known. The Way of Wisdom study on Wednesday nights is one of several ongoing offerings for women who want to deepen their walk with Christ.
Marriage Ministry: Re|Engage
Couples looking for a stronger, more Christ-centered marriage find a place in Re|Engage, a marriage enrichment study that meets on Wednesday nights. Re|Engage is designed for couples at every stage, whether the marriage is healthy, struggling, or somewhere in between. Through biblical teaching, small-group discussion, and honest conversation, participants learn practical tools and pursue healing and deeper connection.
Legacy: Senior Adult Ministry
The Legacy Ministry, designed for senior adults, celebrates the wisdom, strength, and faithfulness of the church's older generation. Members participate in Bible study, prayer, and discussion while investing in the next generation through mentoring, leadership training, and the Legacy Grandparenting initiative. In partnership with Legacy Coalition, the church equips and encourages grandparents to be intentional spiritual influences in the lives of their grandchildren. The ministry emphasizes that this season of life is a chance to serve, share experience, and leave a lasting spiritual legacy.
Missions: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth
Missions at Acton Baptist flows from the church's identity as a community sent by Jesus into the world. The church organizes its mission efforts around the biblical pattern of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Locally, the church partners with the Brazos Pregnancy Center, Joseph's Locker, the Good News Club at Acton Elementary, and First Priority Clubs at Acton Middle School and Granbury High School. Through the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention, the church supports the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board, joining Southern Baptist churches across North America and around the world in church planting, disaster relief, and gospel-centered ministry. A partnership with Lorne Denetclaw and his family supports church planting among the Navajo Nation in Crownpoint, New Mexico.
Each year, Acton Baptist sends teams on mission trips. Recent and upcoming trips include a week in Rock Springs, New Mexico, in July and a trip to Vilnius, Lithuania, in late July and early August. Resources for trip participants include Council of 3 forms, fundraising guides, and packing lists for both domestic and international travel.
Foster and Adopt: AB Wraparound
Acton Baptist Church calls foster and adoptive ministry one of its most distinctive commitments. The AB Wraparound Ministry exists to surround foster families with practical, relational, and hands-on support so they can focus on loving the children entrusted to them.
Wraparound teams of ten to twelve adults commit to specific forms of care: laundry support, errand support, meal support once a month, and relief care so foster parents can enjoy a date night. Every potential volunteer attends a training session, fills out a volunteer application, provides references, completes MinistrySafe training, and passes a background check before serving.
The ministry also runs Foster Together, a weekly support gathering where foster parents find honest conversation, prayer, and encouragement from other parents who have been there. Chosen Ones meets temporary needs such as diapers, food, clothing, and spiritual counseling for foster and adoptive families. Through Our Community Our Kids, a division of ACH Child and Family Services, the church helps families explore foster care and adoption as part of a broader continuum of services for children in the Texas foster care system.
Prayer Ministry
Prayer is woven through everything at Acton Baptist. Each Tuesday, the staff team prays over every prayer request submitted to the church, and a dedicated prayer team lifts those requests throughout the week. Worshipers can fill out prayer cards found in the seat in front of them and drop them in any offering box on Sundays, or they can submit requests online anytime. The church also publishes a weekly prayer guide that anyone can receive by email. Encountering Christ, a daily podcast from Pastor Mark, walks through Scripture and explores the truths of the Christian faith, encouraging listeners to keep their prayer lives rooted in God's Word.
What Acton Baptist Believes
Acton Baptist Church holds to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its statement of belief. The church teaches that all human beings have sinned and fall short of God's perfect standard, and that this sin separates us from Him. Despite our sin, God loves us unconditionally and has provided reconciliation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. After His death, Jesus rose from the dead three days later, demonstrating God's power over sin and death.
Salvation is a gift from God received through faith in Jesus Christ; it cannot be earned through good works or religious rituals. Through faith in Jesus, believers receive the promise of eternal life with God in heaven. The church grounds these teachings in passages from Romans, John, Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, and Luke.
Four values shape how the church lives out these beliefs: Undeniable Truth (never compromising the unfailing truth of God's Word), Determined Discipleship (growing in Christ and encouraging the growth of other believers), Attractional Love (loving others as Christ has loved us), and Authentic Community (pursuing a church that functions according to God's design).
WEE School: Weekday Early Education
Acton Baptist WEE School is a Christian weekday early education program for children ages twelve months through Pre-K4. Open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with Premium Care drop-off beginning at 7:30 a.m., Extended AM Care at 8:00 a.m., and Extended PM Care until 4:00 p.m., the school is led by Director Jordon Pomeroy and Assistant Director Shellie Riggs. Teachers include Kinsey Flaherty, Morgan Huddleston, Naomi Murphy, and Rhonda Muenzler.
The program partners with parents to support both spiritual growth and academic development. Teachers model a Christ-centered life through prayer, service, and active participation in their local churches. Registration for the 2026-2027 school year is open, with a parent handbook and physician's health statement available online.
The Team That Leads the Church
Lead Pastor Mark Roath has been in ministry for twenty-six years and has served at Acton Baptist for nearly thirteen of them. Before entering ministry, he worked in advertising and marketing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from U.T. Permian Basin and two degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Christian Education and a Master of Divinity, through the church's Associate Pastor of Discipleship David McClure, who stepped into the role on January 1, 2022.
Music Ministry is led by Paul Shepler. Sherman and Tammy Aten serve as Staff Evangelists. They have been in full-time itinerant ministry since November 1990, leading worship, preaching at revivals and concerts, and hosting the Three2One Marriage Conference. They minister approximately thirty weeks a year across the United States and in countries including Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Wales, Romania, Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, the Philippines, Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Pakistan, and Turkey. They make Granbury their home and ministry base.
The team also includes Children's Pastor Scott Eudaley, Youth Pastor Josh Comer, Preschool Coordinator and Family Ministries Assistant Wendy Lane, Music and Discipleship Ministries Assistant Elise Humphrey, Ministry Assistant Ashley Beale, Media Director Thad Dorgan, Business Administration and Pastoral Assistant Leslee Toon, Facility Superintendent Bill Stone, Financial Clerk Rita Frith, and WEE School Director Jordon Pomeroy and Assistant Director Shellie Riggs.
Next Steps and Membership
Anyone exploring membership or just curious about the church is invited to Next Steps, a class and luncheon held in the Fellowship Hall. The class covers what Acton Baptist believes, who they are as a church family, and member expectations. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required, with childcare available upon request.
Members have access to ABConnect, the church's online community, through Realm. They can also tap into RightNow Media, a library of online Bible studies and videos available through the church, and stay connected through the church's app.
Plan Your Visit
Visitors can plan a visit by filling out a brief form online. The church will send helpful information about what to expect, where to go, and how they can serve visitors or their families. Sunday services are held at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with services livestreamed on YouTube for those who want to follow along from home. Giving is available online through ABConnect, and the church encourages anyone who feels led to participate.
Whether someone is just starting to explore faith, returning after time away, or looking to go deeper, Acton Baptist offers a place to belong. From the nursery to the Legacy Ministry, from Sunday school to the Great Pumpkin Patch, from Wednesday night dinner to mission trips in Lithuania and New Mexico, the church invites every generation to encounter Christ and engage others with the hope of the gospel.