At 1115 Carterville Road in Petal, Mississippi, Carterville Baptist Church has marked a century of ministry. Founded in 1926, it is known for blended worship, discipleship built around shared meals and small groups, ministries that place children, students, and college adults inside church life, and practical care through recovery, benevolence, and mission partnerships. Its goal is to love God and love people.
A Century on Carterville Road
In April 1926, twelve names were placed on the charter to form Carterville Baptist Church. The founders bought land that July with plans to build, and the original members walked miles selling chickens to help pay for the vision they believed God had given them. The original white church building was completed in 1932. In 1969, Leland Hogan was called as pastor, beginning a long tenure during which the church grew in membership and added staff. A new sanctuary was built in the 1990s, followed by a new Fellowship Hall in the early 2000s.
Dr. Ben Skipper became pastor in 2015 after serving Carterville for eight years as student minister and associate pastor. The leadership team includes Jeremy Stroo, college and missions pastor; Corey Jenkins, student pastor; Brick Sager, discipleship and membership pastor; Shawn Hampton, recovery pastor; Shay Smith, recovery associate; Jill Fortenberry, preschool minister; Pam Pickle, children's minister; and Brandon Hardin, worship pastor. Penny Barr directs Carterville Christian School.
Carterville's welcome is intentionally broad. It seeks to be a place for people who are new to town, looking for a church community, or have been hurt by church. Single adults, married couples, middle school students, and senior adults are all named as part of its intended community. The church also emphasizes serving one another as a practical way to love within the church.
Sunday Worship and a Guided First Visit
The Sunday rhythm centers on Bible study and Sunday School at 9:15 a.m., followed by morning worship at 10:30 a.m. Carterville does not hold a general evening worship service on Sunday.
First-time guests have reserved parking next to the Worship Center. Those arriving before 9:30 a.m. can go to Connection Point in the Reception Hall, follow the signs, and be guided to a Sunday school group by a Guest Experience Volunteer. If they arrive after Sunday school has begun, Connection Points in the Worship Center lobby provide information and directions. Carterville also has a gift for first-time guests.
Those joining from home can watch the morning worship livestream on YouTube. Carterville's guidance for worship at home is concrete: finish breakfast, put phones away, and give the family undivided attention. An interactive Kids' Worship Sheet gives children questions to follow during the service.
Children's and preschool workers include volunteers and paid staff who complete background checks, while security monitoring is available in each classroom.
Wednesday Around the Family Meal
Wednesday begins with a 5 p.m. Family Meal, followed by Cafe classes at 6 p.m. and College Ministry at 7:30 p.m. The home-cooked meal is open to everyone, and preregistration is required by 8 a.m. on Tuesday before each Wednesday meal. After dinner, adults move into classes while children and students gather in their own ministries.
Carterville Cafe is the Wednesday night Bible study experience for adults of all ages. It includes groups for women, men, and co-ed participation, as well as the worship choir. These groups are part of Carterville's discipleship strategy called "9 Ways to Follow Jesus." The women's studies are topical, normally run for six to eight weeks, and are sometimes mixed with stand-alone study weeks.
Student Connect Night begins at 5 p.m. with pizza and socializing in the game room. From 6 to 7:15 p.m., students gather in the Fellowship Hall for grade- and gender-based small groups, worship led by the student worship team, and Scripture study.
College Ministry meets at 7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall for a meal, Scripture reading, and conversation about life. Serving opportunities include Guest Experience, Children's Ministry, Student Ministry, College Ministry, Preschool Extended Care, the media team, choir, Sunday school or Cafe leadership, and Hope Chapel.
Growing Like Jesus Across Generations
Carterville Christian School
Carterville Christian School is a faith-based preschool ministry for two-, three-, and four-year-olds. It operates Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Its school year runs from mid-August to mid-May, following the Petal School District calendar for holidays, breaks, and inclement weather. Children must turn two, three, or four by September 1 to enroll, and all three-year-olds must be potty trained.
The play-based curriculum builds foundations in language, literacy, and early math while incorporating art, music, and social development. Bible stories, songs, and daily interactions help children discover God's love and extend that love to others. The school seeks to nurture children's intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual growth.
Preschool and Carterville Kids
Within the church's preschool ministry, Jill Fortenberry leads a Hyfi curriculum designed to teach Scripture in a way that helps preschoolers understand their identity in Christ. Preschoolers can serve in Sunday school, Wednesday nights, extended care, and the Moms' Ministry outreach ministry. A family worship playlist also carries the Wednesday songs home.
Pam Pickle leads Carterville Kids with a friendly smile, a hug, and plenty of fun. The ministry's regular rhythm includes Sunday school at 9:15 a.m., morning worship at 10:30, the Family Meal on Wednesday, and The Gearshift worship service from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Carterville's summer VBS is open to children who have completed pre-K through sixth grade.
Students
Carterville Student Ministry exists to equip students in grades seven through twelve for a lifetime of connecting with God and His church, growing in love for God, and leading people to God through words and actions. Its values are Biblically grounded, committed to community, focused on intergenerational discipleship, partnered with families, oriented toward servant leadership, mission minded, and marked by spiritual ownership.
Sunday morning Grow Groups begin at approximately 9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Groups are organized by grade and gender and use inductive Bible study to help students deepen their understanding and affection for God.
College and Women
College students gather for breakfast and small groups at 9:15 a.m. Sunday in the Chapel. Journey Groups place three to seven students in a church member's home or a coffee shop for topical Bible study and deeper relationships with adults and other students. College students also serve in worship services, groups, and ministry teams.
Women gather every Wednesday in Carterville Cafe to study God's Word through topical Bible studies. The Women's Ministry also regularly hosts conferences and simulcasts that bring women of all ages together for fellowship and spiritual growth.
Hymns and Modern Songs, Together
Carterville defines worship as focusing one's heart, mind, and soul completely on the Lord, rather than treating it only as singing or playing music. Its worship ministry includes the Worship Choir, Worship Team, Worship Band, Children's Choir, and seasonal worship gatherings at Christmas and Easter. Brandon Hardin leads the ministry, and the choir welcomes people at every skill level.
Music is selected to connect with the congregation and lead people into meaningful worship. Familiar hymns contribute their theology and text, while contemporary songs bring freshness. Carterville describes the resulting musical identity as the convergence of those two styles. The music ministry also seeks to represent the whole church, encouraging people of all ages to worship together so grandparents can sing beside their children and grandchildren.
Recovery, Hope and a Place to Begin
Celebrate Recovery meets at 5 p.m. Sunday in the Fellowship Hall, with separate groups for men and women. Carterville launched LifeRecovered in 2017 and became an entity of Celebrate Recovery in 2019. Trained leaders use the Celebrate Recovery curriculum to help people address hurts, habits, and addictions, including struggles with substances, pornography, sex, love, food, money, and technology. The ministry is presented as a safe place where people can share without fear of judgment, and it keeps personal information and stories confidential. Shawn Hampton oversees the recovery ministry.
Hope Chapel is a volunteer-led ministry offered by Carterville's Benevolence Team. It opens its doors to people who need financial, emotional, or spiritual support. Volunteers greet visitors, listen to their needs, and pray with them before the Benevolence Team considers how the church can continue helping. Hope Chapel does not have cash available on hand.
Mission Work Close to Home and Around the World
Carterville wants its missions work to involve hands-on relationships with the people it serves, rather than only sending money. Its local partners include:
- The Lighthouse Rescue Mission provides hope, stability, and new beginnings for homeless children and mothers, meeting physical, spiritual, and emotional needs with food, water, shelter, GED preparation, life skills, and Bible studies.
- Homes of Hope for Children provides Christian homes for children in crisis across Mississippi while addressing their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.
- Eagle's Nest Food Pantry supports University of Southern Mississippi students and staff who are temporarily unable to obtain basic necessities.
- Christian Services brings people together to address poverty and other struggles through support, new patterns, and community.
- Petal Children's Task Force advocates for families, children, and youth in the Petal School District area while coordinating assistance with schools, social services, law enforcement, judicial services, and civic groups.
- Hope Clinic is a crisis pregnancy center offering complimentary and confidential medical services and information so people can make informed decisions.
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes presents a faith-and-athletics challenge to coaches, athletes, and the people they influence.
- Wilderness Refuge Recovery Ministries provides a Christ-centered transitional home for people affected by addiction, with an environment that emphasizes support, accountability, spiritual growth, and personal restoration.
Carterville also partners with church plants in Houston, Indianola, and Chickasaw, along with Baptist Friendship House in New Orleans. The 10/40 Project uses teams to bring the Gospel to communities where poverty and limited Christian resources are major barriers, and Carterville routinely sends teams to serve with it. Global Outreach is another long-standing partner, with Carterville teams serving in Belize and working in medical ministry in Zambia.
Short-term mission trips are another expression of the church's calling to serve both in its community and around the world. Every year, Carterville sends people both far from home and just around the corner to love God and love people.
What Carterville Believes
Carterville's beliefs center on the triune God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal and one God. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, lived a sinless life, died as a sacrifice for sin, rose from the dead, and will return to reign as King. The Holy Spirit makes people aware of their need for Jesus, lives in Christians, and gives spiritual gifts. The Bible is God's Word and the supreme authority for Christian belief and living.
Human beings are created in God's image but are marred by disobedience and sin. Carterville teaches that salvation is God's free gift, received by trusting Jesus Christ rather than through self-improvement or good works. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the church's two ordinances. Baptism is by immersion as a symbolic testimony to participation in Christ's death and resurrection, while the Lord's Supper symbolizes remembrance of Christ's death, fellowship with him, and unity as the body of Christ. Someone need not be a Carterville member to participate in the Lord's Supper, but the person must have accepted Jesus Christ and actively participate in a Christian church.
Joining and Serving the Church Family
Carterville regards membership as an important step in a person's faith journey and as a commitment to a body of believers that can celebrate good times and offer support during difficult ones. Prospective members take three steps:
- Baptism: Members must be baptized by immersion. Those already baptized can skip this step. Baptism outwardly expresses what God is doing in a person's life, but it does not save someone; accepting Jesus does.
- Connecting at Carterville: This membership class gives prospective members an opportunity to learn about Carterville and allows staff to become acquainted with them and understand their connection to the church.
- Church vote: After the first two steps, prospective members are presented to the church for a vote. This can occur during a worship response time, and staff can arrange other options when needed.
A Connect Card gives first- and second-time guests a way to identify themselves, express interest in baptism or membership, request information about ministries, and indicate where they would like to serve. Carterville also offers members free access to RightNow Media's collection of Bible studies for men, women, and children.
Tithes and offerings can be made through online giving. Carterville Baptist Church remains at 1115 Carterville Road in Petal, where Sunday Bible study begins at 9:15 a.m., morning worship begins at 10:30 a.m., and a broad church family gathers through the week for meals, classes, ministry, service, recovery, and care.