On Beach Drive Since 1979
The Destin Church of Christ gathers on Beach Drive, a few steps from the harbor and the white sand of the Emerald Coast. Forty-eight people attended the first Sunday worship service here on January 28, 1979, meeting at the Destin Community Center. With the help of several other congregations, the members raised the funds for a permanent building, and construction was completed later that year. Today the same Beach Drive address still anchors the congregation: 150 Beach Drive, just a block and a half from the intersection of Beach Drive and Highway 98, where visitors turn north at a traffic light between two gas stations.
The Destin Church of Christ describes itself as a Christ-centered congregation, guided by the Holy Spirit, saved by the blood of Jesus, and under the authority of God the Father. The church teaches and believes the Word of God, and names three things it sees as its role: to seek and save the lost, to praise the Lord, and to do good works in the community and around the world.
What Sunday Morning Sounds Like
Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. begin with a worship service that lasts about an hour. The opening minutes are given over to greeting visitors, who often outnumber the regular members during the tourist season. The music is a cappella, voices only, without instruments, and the words are projected for anyone who wants to sing along or simply listen. Prayers are led by men of the church, and no one in the congregation is asked to do anything in front of the group.
Two practices shape the heart of every gathering. Communion is observed weekly and is open to any follower of Jesus who wants to participate, a quiet moment to reflect on the meaning of Jesus' death. An offering is collected each week; members and regular attenders are invited to give, but guests are told they should feel no pressure to participate. A weekly message from the preaching minister closes the service, drawn from the Bible and applied to everyday life.
When the worship ends, the fellowship hall opens for about fifteen minutes of donuts and coffee before classes begin at 10:30 a.m. Separate adult Bible classes and children's classes meet during this hour.
A nursery is offered during the worship hour for children up to age two, and a "Wee Praise" class gathers three-to-five-year-olds during the message portion of the service.
What to Wear
Because the church draws heavily from a beach community, the dress code is famously relaxed. The Destin Church of Christ expects a mixture of coat-and-tie attire and shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops on any given Sunday. The congregation's advice to first-time visitors is simple: be yourself; the church cares more about your presence than what you are wearing.
Mid-Week Studies and Tuesday Mornings
The Bible study week stretches beyond Sunday. On Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., Adam Dunaway leads a mid-week class that follows the same lessons being preached from the pulpit, allowing the congregation to dig a little deeper into the sermon text in a more conversational setting.
Tuesday mornings begin early. Lynn Henley leads a men's Bible study at 8:00 a.m., and Debra Lentz leads a ladies' Bible study at 10:00 a.m. Both gatherings meet in the multipurpose room at the building.
Shepherds and the Pulpit
Two shepherd couples share the spiritual leadership of the Destin Church of Christ. Adam and Lisa Dunaway met in the Nashville area and were brought to Destin by the U.S. Air Force in 1997; Adam retired from the Air Force in 2020 and became an elder in 2025. John and Janice Brockman grew up in Texas, met and married more than fifty years ago at Abilene Christian University, and have joined the Destin congregation to worship and serve with this church family. Gary and Rhonda Coburn now make their home in the area as well; Gary is originally from Prattville, Alabama, and Rhonda is a local from nearby Niceville, Florida. Gary has been the preaching minister here since December 2020.
Home Groups Across the Emerald Coast
Home groups are the church's main mid-week small-group strategy, and five groups currently meet from Santa Rosa Beach east to Fort Walton Beach. The Nice/Destin group gathers on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.; the Traveler's group meets at the building once a month after Bible class; the All In group serves young adults at varied times; the Santa Rosa Beach group meets on Sundays at 5:30 p.m.; and the Fort Walton Beach group meets on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. Anyone, member or not, is welcome to join a group, and the church encourages first-timers to ask anyone wearing a name tag about which group might be the best fit. New groups are started as the church grows, with prospective leaders invited to meet with one of the elders.
Missions in Mexico, India, and the Backyard
Two mission fields shape the church's overseas work. The City of Children, a home for orphaned and needy children in Ensenada, Mexico, has been a labor of love since 1972, founded by Earl Farmer and Christians from California. The Destin Church of Christ sends teams to serve meals, give gifts, build, and simply be present with the children, with the gospel and the love of Jesus at the center of every visit. The church's youth ministry has historically raised funds for an annual Mexico Mission Trip in late June, with everything from a fundraising luncheon to "Power of 100" envelopes helping send the team.
India is also a mission field the Destin Church of Christ supports, with the specifics of the partnership handled through the elders and missions team.
The Garden, the Food Table, and VBS
Closer to home, a Garden Ministry uses the church's outdoor spaces as a ministry of presence. Volunteers meet on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon to tend flower beds and container gardens along Beach Drive. Gardeners stop to talk with people passing by, ask how they can pray, and invite them to services. No gardening experience is required, and there is a particular call for help each winter when the cool-season flowers go in.
The food distribution program supplies weekly groceries to families in need. A donation box on the oak counter in the multipurpose room keeps the shelves stocked with spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, canned vegetables, and canned tuna, and the program runs as long as donations keep coming in.
Vacation Bible School rounds out the year for children, and a regular calendar of family events keeps the wider congregation visible in the neighborhood. Trunk or Treat in late October, a Blessing Bag Giveaway in November, an areawide singing, a Week of Blessings that prays over local government, first responders, and the marketplace, an Easter Egg Hunt with hotdog cookout, a community Christmas party, and Back-to-School Luaus and Bashes all appear on the church's calendar in rotation.
Christianity Class and The Story
For those new to the Bible or considering baptism, a Christianity Class is offered as a guided study through the basics of the Christian faith. The class meets one-on-one or in small groups at the building and is staffed by members of the congregation who walk students through the central claims of Christianity, the confession of faith, and the meaning of baptism.
The Story, an abridged, chronological Bible edited by Randy Frazee and Max Lucado, has been used as a sweep-through curriculum in recent years. The 31-chapter book condenses Scripture into a single narrative, and the church pairs each chapter with a Sunday sermon, a Wednesday Bible class, and a printable class handout so that the whole congregation moves through the Bible together. The reading is meant to send people to the Bible itself; it is not a replacement.
Livestream, Bulletins, and Giving
Sunday worship, mid-week classes, and the Sunday Bible hour are livestreamed on YouTube under the Destin AV channel, with separate playlists for sermons and adult Bible classes. The full video archive of services goes back several years and is available for anyone who wants to revisit a message or catch up after missing a Sunday.
Weekly bulletins are published in print and as PDFs online. Online giving is available through the church's MyVanco page, and a recurring calendar of church events, community events, and a sound-booth volunteer schedule are kept current through Google Calendar.
Where to Find the Building
The Destin Church of Christ sits at 150 Beach Drive, one and a half blocks from the intersection of Beach Drive and Highway 98. From the Mid-Bay Bridge, Beach Drive is eight miles west; from the bridge over Crab Island to Fort Walton Beach, it is two miles east. The phone at the building is 850-837-8050, and visitors can also write to destincofc@gmail.com. Guests are invited to come as they are, stay for coffee and donuts, and join whatever class fits.