A Free Will Baptist Church on Woodlawn Avenue
Just off the heart of Cramerton, North Carolina, the white buildings of Cramerton Church sit on Woodlawn Avenue in Gaston County, where they have anchored this small mill town for more than seventy-five years. The church's self-understanding is plain: it calls itself a place for broken people, a place where everyone has a spot, and a place where the doors will never be closed because of someone's past. Its mission statement distills the same idea into one sentence: to love like Jesus and to help others find and follow Jesus.
The congregation is part of the Free Will Baptist family of believers and belongs to a local, state and national association bound by common beliefs, worship, and mission. Its national fellowship is the National Association of Free Will Baptists, a network of evangelical churches that exists to extend the witness of Christ and to help build his church. Cramerton Church describes itself as one body of believers among many, grateful for the resources and accountability that come from being connected to a larger group of like-minded congregations.
Sunday Mornings at 9:30 and 10:30
Sunday at Cramerton Church begins at 9:30 in the morning, when Life Groups meet. These are the church's Sunday School-style classes, organized by age so that every member of the family has a place to study the Bible and connect with others in the same stage of life. Children have their own classes, students have theirs, and adults can choose from a range of options designed for their season. Information about each class is available at the Connect Center in the back of the main auditorium.
At 10:30 the whole church gathers for the main Sunday worship service in the auditorium. The service is the church's largest weekly gathering and is built around three things: the people of God coming together as a corporate body, Bible teaching from Pastor Josh, and encouragement from one another. Nursery and Kids Church are available during the service for children from birth through fourth grade. The service is also livestreamed on the church's Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.
Wednesday Nights: Prayer, Students, and AWANA
Wednesday night at Cramerton Church is intentionally busy. At 6:30, three things happen at once. In the main auditorium, the lead pastor leads a prayer service that is open to anyone who wants to gather and pray with the church family. In the Big Gym and Preschool Building, AWANA clubs for children kick off, and across the campus the student ministry, called The Well, gathers for its own meeting.
AWANA runs for preschoolers (three and four year olds) in the Preschool Building and for K5 through fifth graders in the Big Gym. A nursery is also available for children from birth through two years old. The program is designed to teach children about God through fun, games, and Scripture memorization.
The Well is the church's weekly teen environment for junior high and high school students. It meets every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., and the doors open early so students can hang out. The format includes a live band, practical Bible teaching, group discussion, and special emphases throughout the year. The point of The Well is for students to develop a relationship with God that leads to a life centered on others through real ministry and service. Strong Christian friendships are a centerpiece of the night, and the program leans into youth culture without abandoning biblical truth.
Kids Church: Loving Kids Like Jesus
The children's ministry at Cramerton Church is built around three truths that they want every child to take with them: God made me, God loves me, and Jesus wants to be my Savior. The ministry's goal is to create a safe and engaging environment where children can sing, dance, and learn about God every week.
Kids Church meets on Sundays at 10:30 in two locations. Preschoolers meet in the Preschool Building, while elementary-age children meet in the Student Center. The children's ministry is led by Children's Pastor Jonathon Cribb, who also teaches Bible at Cramerton Christian Academy and coaches the school's soccer and basketball teams.
Parents who want a place for their children to hear the gospel in a way that fits their stage will find classrooms divided by age, leaders who know the children by name, and a partnership with the church's AWANA midweek program. The children's ministry is also intentional about supporting parents, recognizing that parenting is the hardest job on the planet and that the church wants to walk alongside families as they raise their kids.
The Well: A Place for Students
The Well is more than a Wednesday night program. It is a community designed to help junior high and high school students figure out how to live for Christ in a culture that has abandoned biblical truth. The ministry is led by Family Pastor Marcos Osuna, who joined the Cramerton Church staff in 2021 after thirteen years in youth ministry. Marcos has been heavily involved in regional student events, including Youth Aflame, ULEAD, and the Snowed In Retreat.
At The Well, students find a place to belong, a live band, teaching that is both relevant and rooted in Scripture, and small-group time where they can work through what they are learning. The Well also has its own page on Instagram so students and parents can stay connected throughout the week.
Life Groups and Deeper Groups
Beyond the Sunday morning Life Groups, Cramerton Church also runs what it calls Deeper Groups, which are small gatherings designed to help believers grow in their faith together. Deeper Groups are intentionally intimate, with men and women meeting separately so that everyone can speak openly about sensitive issues in a safe, judgment-free, and caring environment.
There are two basic formats. In the first, group members engage Scripture on their own during the week and come together to discuss what they have learned. In the second, the group uses a Discovery Bible Study methodology, working through a passage of Scripture together in a single meeting and discovering how to apply it. Both options are designed to create strong accountability and a strong support group, and both are open to anyone who wants to grow deeper in their faith. Groups can meet in person or by video.
Bible Engagement and Apologetics
Cramerton Church takes Bible engagement seriously. The church provides several structured paths for engaging Scripture beyond Sunday morning, including life-stage small groups, deeper groups, and a list of recommended resources for personal Bible study. Members are encouraged to take advantage of RightNow Media, Axis, the F-260 Bible Reading Plan, and the CORE Journal.
The church also recognizes that believers face big questions in today's world. To help, Executive Pastor Ron Davis has founded CORE Apologetics, a ministry designed to help answer big questions in a skeptical world. Anyone with religious doubts, or anyone who knows someone wrestling with doubts, is encouraged to reach out to Ron directly.
Iglesia Hispana Cramerton
In the spring of 2023, Cramerton Church launched Iglesia Hispana Cramerton, a Spanish-speaking ministry designed to reach Hispanic families in the Cramerton area. The ministry is led by Marcos Osuna Sr. and his wife Irma, both of whom moved to Cramerton in the winter of 2022 to begin the work. Since then, God has used them to win people to Christ, reach families for Jesus, and establish a Spanish-speaking congregation as part of the Cramerton Church family.
Iglesia Hispana Cramerton is a full expression of the congregation, not merely a translated service. Marcos Sr. and Irma both hold Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Divinity degrees from Summit Bible College and bring decades of ministry experience between them.
Cramerton Christian Academy
Sharing the Cramerton Church campus is Cramerton Christian Academy, a Christian school that serves families in the Gaston County area. The school is overseen by several members of the church staff, including Worship Pastor Aaron Pendergraft, who leads the school's music programs, and Children's Pastor Jonathon Cribb, who teaches Bible and coaches the soccer and basketball teams. Kristie Baer also serves on the academy's adjunct faculty.
The academy is a separately incorporated Christian school, but its location on the church campus means that students are part of the church family in a real way.
What We Believe
Cramerton Church is unapologetically biblical. Its statement of faith begins with the Bible as the inspired, infallible and inerrant Word of God. The church affirms one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The church confesses that Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God, fully God and fully man, who lived a sinless life, died by Roman crucifixion as a substitutionary atonement for fallen humanity, rose bodily from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven. He will literally, personally and visibly return to this earth to set up his Kingdom and judge all men.
Salvation, the church teaches, is the free and gracious gift of God to all people everywhere. It is made possible through the atoning work of Christ and received by grace through faith alone. Election, in the church's view, is conditioned on personal, saving faith in Christ, and the saved are kept by the power of God.
Cramerton Church practices three ordinances: baptism by immersion for believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the Lord's Supper, which is open to all born-again believers who are present; and feet washing, an ordinance in which the church remembers Christ's example of servanthood by covering one another's feet with water from a basin and drying them with a towel. The church adheres to a premillennial return of Christ and believes in the bodily resurrection of all people, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment.
Starting Point, Baptism, and Getting Involved
For new attenders, Cramerton Church runs Starting Point, a three-week class designed to help newcomers meet other new people, get to know Lead Pastor Josh Baer, and learn what Cramerton Church is all about. The class covers doctrine, ministry philosophy, and the ways that a person can belong to the mission of Christ through this local church.
For those who have decided to follow Jesus and want to be baptized, the church walks each person through a simple process. After meeting with a member of the pastoral team, a date is set. The church offers a safe baptism area, a private place to change, and warm baptism water to make the moment comfortable.
There are many ways to serve at Cramerton Church. The church's volunteer team includes places to serve on the Welcome Team, in the Choir, in the Nursery on Sundays or Wednesdays, in Kids Church, in AWANA, on the Media Team (audio, video, livestream), on the Security Team, with Midweek Meals on Wednesdays, with meals for special events, and with the Hospitality Team, which provides meals for funerals and times of sickness. Anyone interested in serving can sign up through the church's connect page.
The Staff Who Shepherd the Flock
Cramerton Church is led by a team of pastors and ministry leaders who are passionate about Christ and his church. Lead Pastor Josh Baer assumed the pastorate in 2015 after serving as the church's Associate Pastor for ten years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern FWB College, a Master of Ministry and Specialist in Ministry from Bob Jones University, and is currently completing a Doctor of Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Josh and his wife Kristie have three children.
Worship Pastor Aaron Pendergraft joined the team in the summer of 2015 and leads the music departments of both Cramerton Church and Cramerton Christian Academy. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern FWB College and a Master of Worship Studies from Liberty University.
Family Pastor Marcos Osuna joined the staff in 2021 and oversees both family ministry and teen ministry. Children's Pastor Jonathon Cribb joined the staff in 2021 after several summers serving as the church's intern. Kyle Brown, who served Cramerton Church and the academy for more than thirty years before retiring, continues to assist with congregational care and leads the Happy Hearts senior group.
Marcos Osuna Sr. and Irma lead Iglesia Hispana Cramerton, the church's Hispanic ministry, which launched in the spring of 2023 and continues to reach new families for Christ in the Spanish-speaking community.
A Church That Wants You to Belong
Cramerton Church has been helping people deal with the complexities of relationships, parenting, finances, and faith for over seventy-five years. It is a congregation that sees itself as a place for broken people, a grace place, and a church that wants everyone to have a spot. From Sunday morning worship and life groups to Wednesday night AWANA, The Well, prayer meeting, and the Iglesia Hispana Cramerton plant, the rhythms of the week are designed to help people connect with God and with one another. And from its partnership with Cramerton Christian Academy to its many mission efforts near and far, the church continues to invest in the next generation and the world beyond Gaston County.