A Church on Leesville Road
Beulah Baptist Church sits on Leesville Road on the western edge of Lynchburg, Virginia, where a steady stream of families, students from nearby Liberty University, and longtime neighbors gather under one roof for the same reason: to hear the Gospel taught plainly and to walk with one another through every season of life. The congregation's stated mission is to reach the unsaved with the Gospel, develop God's people to Christ-like maturity, equip them for ministry in the church and mission in the world, and encourage one another through prayer and fellowship, in order to magnify God's Name.
Sunday morning at Beulah follows a rhythm that has become a fixture for many in the area. Sunday School gathers at 9:45 AM, and the main worship service follows at 11:00 AM. Kids programming is available during both hours, so parents can attend class and worship without having to arrange care for younger children. Visitors are invited to contact the church office ahead of time or simply stop by at 528 Leesville Road to be welcomed in.
What Beulah Believes
The church's beliefs are aligned with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the confessional statement of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the congregation teaches all eighteen articles of that confession without revision. The Bible is held to be God's Word written by men divinely inspired, totally true and trustworthy, with God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter.
Beulah affirms one living and true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father reigns with providential care over His creation. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, who honored the divine law through personal obedience and made provision for the redemption of men through His substitutionary death on the cross. He was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God as the one Mediator between God and man, fully God and fully man. The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures, illuminates truth, convicts of sin, calls men to the Savior, and at the moment of regeneration baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ.
The congregation holds that man was created in God's image but fell into sin through free choice, and that salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, including regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification, with no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ. Beulah practices two ordinances: believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is described as an act of obedience following faith, symbolizing death to sin and resurrection to newness of life in Christ Jesus.
A New Testament church, in Beulah's understanding, is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, governed through the Lordship of Christ by democratic processes. Its two scriptural offices are pastor/elder/overseer and deacon, with the office of pastor limited to men as qualified by Scripture. The church also affirms the sanctity of marriage as the uniting of one man and one woman for a lifetime, the preciousness of children from the moment of conception, and the call of every Christian to oppose racism, greed, selfishness, sexual immorality, and the disregard of human life, while caring for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick.
Sundays at 9:45 and 11
Two Sunday gatherings shape the life of the church. Sunday School meets at 9:45 AM and is the front door for most of the adult, youth, and children's ministry work of the week. The Young Adult Sunday school class meets at 9:45 in the fellowship hall, where college students, young professionals, singles, married couples, and young families study together. Older adults gather in the Married Life community at the same hour, and the Student Ministry meets in the third floor of the Education Building for its own time of Bible study.
At 11:00 AM the congregation comes together for the main worship service. The music ministry describes congregational singing as a unique moment in the life of the church when the whole body rejoices, confesses, and reminds itself of the truth with one voice. Worship is led by Music Director Danny Kerr and the church's team of musicians and vocalists, and visitors who would like to serve in that ministry can write to music@beulahsbc.org to be connected.
Wednesdays Around the Education Building
Wednesday nights at Beulah are built around the Education Building. Awana meets at 6:30 PM, filling the children's area with games, lessons, and scripture memorization designed to plant the Word of God deep in the hearts of kids from the earliest school years through fifth grade. Pre-registration is offered online ahead of each new season so families can sign children up in advance.
On the same night, on the third floor of the Education Building, the Student Ministry gathers at 6:30 PM. The students spend time together having fun, then are walked through books of the Bible verse by verse. Throughout the year the students also take part in service projects, retreats such as Snowbird in the winter and Summer Days in the warmer months, and a steady rhythm of social events meant to build friendships and stretch faith.
From the Nursery to Fifth Grade
Beulah's children's ministry is described as a place for kids from birth through fifth grade, with programming that runs from Sunday morning through the entire week. On Sunday mornings the nursery cares for the youngest children while older kids attend graded Sunday school. On Wednesday nights Awana carries the children's ministry forward with an emphasis on scripture memorization, games, and engaging lessons.
Vacation Bible School is part of the children's calendar as well, and registration is offered online each year so families can plan ahead. The overall mission of the children's work is to partner with parents in training up children in the Word of Christ, and the church holds to that purpose from the nursery room through the Awana round and the closing day of VBS.
Students on the Third Floor
The student ministry exists to help students take their next step in their relationship with Christ, whether that first step is toward Christ or a deeper commitment to follow Him. The ministry meets in two regular weekly slots: Sunday morning at 9:45 AM and Wednesday night at 6:30 PM, both on the third floor of the Education Building.
The teaching walks through various books of the Bible, and the students also share meals, serve in local outreach, and travel together for retreats such as Snowbird and Summer Days. Throughout the year the students serve others, build friendships, and grow in their faith through events, activities, and service opportunities designed for the unique stage of life that middle school and high school bring.
6:26 and the Young Adults
Beulah's Young Adults ministry gathers college students, young professionals, singles, and young families into one community of believers. The hub of the ministry on Sunday morning is the Young Adult Sunday school class at 9:45 in the fellowship hall, where people from college age to families with school aged children can build relationships across the stages of young adulthood.
The college ministry within the wider Young Adults group is called 6:26, and it functions as the gathering point for college aged students who want to dig deeper into faith and friendship. The 6:26 group meets for regular lunches, seasonal social events such as a Christmas party, and ongoing fellowship throughout the school calendar.
Women's, Men's, Married Life, and Senior Adults
Four adult ministries round out the discipleship life of the church. Women's Ministry is dedicated to empowering and encouraging women in their faith through fellowship and teaching, and each Spring and Fall the ministry is in full swing with Bible study and events. Women of all ages are welcome to come together on Tuesday evenings for Bible study and any special events scheduled around it.
Men's Ministry is dedicated to raising up men to be leaders filled with the Spirit, growing in their knowledge and wisdom of the Word. Men gather for a regular men's breakfast with great food and fellowship, and all men are welcome to attend.
Married Life is a community of married and single adults who love to fellowship with and learn from each other. They meet at 9:45 in the fellowship hall alongside the Young Adult class on Sunday mornings.
Senior Adults at Beulah are cherished by the wider congregation, and the church loves learning from them. The senior adults enjoy a monthly luncheon with new guest speakers and music, providing a regular rhythm of fellowship for the more mature members of the body.
Worship Through Song
Music is central to the life of Beulah. The worship ministry describes congregational singing as a unique time in the life of the church, a beautiful opportunity for the whole body to worship God in unity with heart, mind, and strength. The team seeks to lead the congregation to glorify and enjoy God, to edify the believers, and to proclaim truth through song.
Music Director Danny Kerr has been serving in that role since 2025, having previously been a student at Liberty University. Anyone interested in joining the music team can write to music@beulahsbc.org to be connected with the ministry leader.
Becoming a Member, Following Christ in Baptism
Beulah teaches that church membership matters because Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. To become a member, anyone may come forward during the invitation in any of the services and state their desire to join. New members may come by profession of faith and baptism or by transfer of letter from a former church; the church office will contact the previous church so the new member does not need to do anything.
Students who want a lighter connection can become a watchcare member of Beulah while maintaining their membership at their home church, which is often a useful arrangement for college students away at school.
Baptism is described as the first act of obedience after putting trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and as a public way of declaring faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Beulah generally baptizes every three months, and anyone who wants to follow the Lord in believer's baptism is invited to contact one of the pastors or the church office.
Leadership, Teaching, and Reach
Senior Pastor Dennis Hollandsworth has been shepherding Beulah since 2012. He believes in the absolute truth of Scripture and the power of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and he has said he loves pastoring the church and preaching God's Word while mentoring young men who are called to preach. Associate Pastor Bryan Hagley serves alongside him in the day to day ministry of the church, and Music Director Danny Kerr leads the worship and music ministry. Tammy Shafer serves as administrative assistant and is the main point of contact through the church office at office@beulahsbc.org.
The church keeps an active livestream through BeulahTV, with past Sunday services, past Wednesday services, and special services archived on the church's YouTube channel, so anyone who cannot attend in person can follow along with the most recent sermon, currently working through 1 Timothy 1:12-17, titled Thank God For Grace. Giving is available online through Tithe.ly, and those who want to serve in any of the church's ministries are invited to reach out to the church office so the team can connect them with the ministry leader.
Beulah's commitment to education runs through the whole ministry, from the nursery through the senior adults. The teaching and preaching is straight from God's Word, whether or not it is popular or what the world wants to hear, with the Bible as the sole source. The community that gathers on Leesville Road each week, in Sunday School rooms, in the worship center, around Wednesday night Awana circles, and at tables for men's breakfast, women's Bible study, and the monthly senior adult luncheon, is the visible shape of that commitment.