Central Park Baptist Church sits on Westmeade Street SW in Decatur, Alabama, a Southern Baptist congregation in the Tennessee Valley that has built its ministry around three commitments: solid Bible preaching, life-stage discipleship from the nursery through the senior adult years, and a wide-reaching missions footprint that stretches from neighborhoods around Decatur to Uganda, Boston, and western Asia.
Sunday Mornings at Central Park
The church gathers twice on Sunday in a rhythm that begins with Bible study and moves into corporate worship. Sunday School for every age - nursery, children, youth, and adults - meets at 9:15 a.m. The 10:30 a.m. worship service is the central gathering of the week, with preaching from Lead Pastor Matt Haines and congregational music led by the music ministry. Visitors and members are invited into the same room, and the church's stated aim for this hour is to set minds on Scripture and lift hearts in praise through music, teaching, and prayer.
Wednesday Nights: Five Gatherings Under One Roof
Wednesday evenings are one of the most active times at Central Park. At 6:00 p.m. five different groups meet across the campus. The pastor leads a Bible study and prayer meeting. A ladies Bible study runs in another room. CPKids MidWeek invites PreK through sixth graders for an hour of Bible study, activities, recreation, and Scripture memorization. CPStudents, the youth ministry, gathers for its own service of worship and teaching. At 7:15 p.m. the CPBC Choir rehearses for Sunday mornings and seasonal presentations.
The Music Ministry
David Holmes has directed music at Central Park since 1997, and the music ministry's stated purpose is to help every person in the room experience meaningful worship. The team draws on the musical gifts found within the church to lead the congregation in praise, and it blends hymn-shaped reverence with accessible congregational singing. A trained choir anchors special services such as the annual Night of Carols, and musicians and singers who simply want to "make a joyful noise" are welcomed into the rehearsal room.
CPStudents: NextGen Ministries
Central Park's student ministry walks alongside teenagers and college-age young adults, connecting them to Christ and to Scripture and then sending them out to make other disciples. Student Pastor Jaime Early leads the work. High school and college students meet for Sunday morning small groups at 9:45 a.m. in a space called the Outback, gather again on Wednesday nights for the MDWK worship and teaching service, and participate in the Acts 1:8 Initiative - a long-term missions pathway designed to take students from local outreach all the way to the ends of the earth.
CPKids: Preschool Through Sixth Grade
Children from nursery through sixth grade have a complete ministry of their own under Minister of Kids and Communications Whitley Free. Sunday mornings begin at 9:15 with CPKids Sunday School, where the Gospel Project curriculum walks children from age three through sixth grade through how the gospel is woven through every Bible story. During the worship hour, younger children are invited into CPKids Worship Junior (PreK-K) and CPKids Worship (grades 1-3) for a Bible lesson, crafts, and activities. On Wednesday evenings, CPKids MidWeek adds Bible study, hands-on activities, recreation, and Scripture memorization to the week.
Senior Adults: "God Ain't Through with Me Yet"
The senior adult ministry at Central Park is one of the most active in the church. Senior adults gather throughout the year for conferences, day trips, and plays, and they are also a working mission force in their own right: a Senior Adult Choir ministers monthly at nursing homes and retirement facilities around Decatur, and the group is heavily involved in mentoring students at the local high school and elementary schools. Members support one another practically, visit homebound friends, and carry an unofficial motto - "God ain't through with me yet" - into everything they do.
Missions: Local Partners and Global Teams
Central Park supports a broad network of mission partners. Locally the church works with First Priority, Love Packages, Operation Christmas Child, the Neighborhood Christian Center, Sav-A-Life, the Austin High Football Prayer Breakfast, and teacher and staff support at Austin's middle, junior, and high schools. Among its broader ministry partners are the Alabama Baptist Children's Home, Clothe Our Kids, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and One Generation Away. Internationally the church walks alongside five missionary families and couples: Danny and Haingo Pirkle at H2O Church in Cincinnati, Ohio; Olu and Buky Fakeye at New Inspiration Church in Boston; Olara Sunday and Aggrey Ongaya at Christ Central Community Church in Gulu, Uganda; Kris and Julie Mobbs with Reaching and Teaching in Uganda; and Will and Suzanne Edgars serving in western Asia. Members regularly join domestic and international mission trips, and special offerings go through the International and North American Mission Boards.
The CPBC Childcare Center
The church runs its own weekday childcare center, a ministry that serves Decatur-area families while also providing an ongoing connection to the church for many of those families. Director Naomi Griffin leads a staff of lead teachers, assistant teachers, Bible teachers, and floaters who care for children in age-graded classrooms - Ducklings, Chipmunks, Frogs, Bunnies, Turtles, Cubs, Squirrels, Beavers, and Deer. Registration packets and a parent handbook are published for the 2026-2027 school year, and tuition information is available through the church office.
What We Believe
Central Park Baptist Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and holds to the Baptist Faith and Message, the confession of faith through which Southern Baptists summarize their biblical convictions. The church's stated mission is simple: to reach out to the community and beyond with the life-changing message of the gospel, and to help believers grow in faith and in their ability to serve Christ. Practical pathways for that growth include Sunday School classes for couples, men, and women, weekday Bible study groups that meet short- or long-term, mission opportunities locally and globally, preaching and worship centered on Scripture, and a wide range of service opportunities through the church's ministries.
Pastoral Staff and Leadership
Lead Pastor Matt Haines has served Central Park since September 2018, coming from pastorates in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. He holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and his ministry theme verse is Colossians 1:28-29. David Holmes has served as Minister of Music since 1997 and also oversees buildings and grounds. Jaime Early, the Student Pastor, joined the team with a background from Jacksonville State University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is completing an MDiv at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Steve Pirkle, the retired CFO of Decatur Utilities, came on staff in February 2023 as Minister of Administration and Missions. Whitley Free, who began on staff in 2017 as Webmaster and Media Secretary, now serves full time as Minister of Kids and Communications.
Worship, Giving, and Staying Connected
Sunday services and other teaching times are available to watch online, and a podcast of recent messages is carried on Apple Podcasts. Those who want to support the ministry can give online through the church's giving page, with offerings going to fund the ministries of the church, the upkeep of its facilities, and the World Missions Offering that supports work through the International and North American Mission Boards.