A Baptist Church at the Heart of King, North Carolina
First Baptist Church of King stands on Kirby Road in the small town of King in Stokes County, North Carolina, just south of Winston-Salem. The congregation has been part of the life of this community since 1898, growing alongside the town itself, expanding its campus, and adding new ministries as the decades have passed. Today the church is known locally for steady, expository preaching from the pulpit of its worship center, for a generational ministry that cares for everyone from infants in the nursery to senior adults in the Young at Heart group, and for a long-running weekday Child Development Center that serves families throughout the area.
A History That Began in Eleven Members
The church was born on Sunday, January 30, 1898, with eleven charter members. Less than a month later, on February 26, the congregation elected its first pastor, Rev. C. C. Haymore. For the first year or two the small group met in members' homes. On December 15, 1898, the fellowship acquired its first parcel of ground, the same property where the King Outreach Ministry Thrift Shop now operates, and on March 25, 1900, the first church building was finished and the congregation gathered there for its first assembling.
Records from those first years already show a church concerned with the wider work of the gospel. Even as early as 1900 the minutes reflect support of missions, both at home and abroad, and the Sunday School was organized in that same year. As the town of King grew, so did the church. In 1941 the congregation called its first full-time pastor. In 1956 it purchased four acres across the railroad tracks, the property where the present campus sits, and on February 5, 1967, the first services were held in a new worship facility built there. By 1986 the plant had been enlarged with classrooms, offices, and a new fellowship hall. Most recently, on May 16, 2004, the church opened the worship center that the congregation still uses today, and it continues to update and improve its facilities so that the mission and ministry of the church can thrive.
The Baptist Faith and Message 2000
First Baptist King openly affirms the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the statement of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention. The church prints this affirmation in full on its beliefs page, working through the eighteen articles of that confession in order: the Scriptures as the inspired, wholly truthful revelation of God; one true and living God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the special creation of humanity in God's image and the entrance of sin into the race; salvation in its broadest sense as regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification, offered only through personal faith in Jesus Christ; God's purpose of grace in election and the perseverance of the saints; the church as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers under the Lordship of Christ; believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the two ordinances of Christ; the Lord's Day as a Christian institution; the Kingdom of God in both its present and consummated sense; last things, including the personal return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and final judgment; the duty and privilege of evangelism and missions; Christian education as part of the church's work; stewardship of time, talents, and possessions; voluntary cooperation among churches; the Christian's obligation in the social order; peace and war; religious liberty and the separation of church and state; and the family as the foundational institution of human society, defined by marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman.
Around that confession the church has written its own mission and vision. The mission is simply stated: to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ. The vision has four words: to evangelize, disciple, serve, and worship.
Sundays at the Worship Center
The rhythm of the week at First Baptist King is straightforward and family-friendly. Sunday School meets at 9:15 a.m., with classes for everyone from nursery through adults. The morning worship service follows at 10:30 a.m. in the worship center on Kirby Road. Children four years old through kindergarten may go to a Pre/K Worship class at the same hour, but families are also welcomed into the main service together, and a Children's Bulletin is provided so that young worshipers can engage with the sermon at their own level. Live streaming of the morning service is available for those unable to attend in person.
Wednesday Nights at 6:30
Wednesday evenings are a second weekly gathering. At 6:30 p.m. the church holds a Wednesday Night Worship service in tandem with its children's and youth programming, so that an entire family can be on campus at the same hour. The Wednesday studies have walked the congregation through books of the Bible verse by verse, and a recent series worked through the early chapters of Matthew in tandem with the Sunday morning sermons, so that midweek and weekend teaching reinforced one another.
Children's Ministry from Nursery Through Fifth Grade
The Children's Ministry at First Baptist King serves children from birth through fifth grade, and the stated aim is straightforward: to see each child make a decision to follow Jesus Christ, and then to help that child grow in his or her spiritual walk. To that end the church provides a steady diet of teaching, music, and activities rooted in Scripture and centered on prayer, worship, and fellowship.
On Sundays the nursery is open during the worship hour for children from birth through three years. At 9:15 a.m. Sunday School classes are offered for every age from nursery through fifth grade. At 4:00 p.m. the Extreme Praisers Choir gathers children in age four through fifth grade for a time of musical worship. On Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. the Kingdom Kids program meets for children in age four through fifth grade.
Safety is taken seriously. The church uses the KidCheck check-in system; every child receives a sticker and the parent or guardian receives a matching pick-up sticker, so that children are released only to the adult who brought them. Staff and volunteers undergo background reviews and training in the church's values and standards before serving. Parents planning a first visit are encouraged to reach out ahead of time so that the team can welcome them well. Jennifer Wilcox, the Minister of Children, oversees the work and can be reached through the church office.
Youth Group and Wednesday Nights
The youth ministry describes its aim in three words: knowledge, faith, and adoration of Jesus Christ. The group exists to help young people grow in those three things so that they can be Christ's ambassadors wherever the Lord leads them, with a heavy emphasis on the centrality of Scripture and the love and fellowship owed to all who belong to Him. The youth gather on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m., and the group is intentionally welcoming to new friends.
Music and Handbells
Music holds a central place in the life of First Baptist King. The Worship Choir leads the congregation in song once or twice each month. There are no auditions; the choir is open to adults of all ages and to youth in sixth grade and up. The church is also always looking for gifted instrumentalists to serve in the Worship and Praise band. A separate Handbells Ministry shares the congregation's faith in music both inside and outside the walls of the church. The Children's Handbell Group rehearses on Sundays at 5:00 p.m., and the Adult Handbell Group rehearses on Mondays at 6:00 p.m., playing in worship services and out in the community throughout the year.
Young At Heart: The Senior Adult Ministry
The senior adults at First Baptist King are organized as the Young At Heart group, and they are an active bunch. Two Bible study groups anchor the week, one meeting on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and another on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Every other month the group plans an excursion for fun and fellowship. The seniors are also encouraged to find ways to serve, both inside the church and out in the wider community. The driving idea is that senior adulthood is a time to live fully and to honor God in everything.
The Child Development Center
On the same Kirby Road campus, the First Baptist Child Development Center has been caring for children since 2004. The center serves children from six weeks old through twelve years of age with weekday care, an after-school program, and a summer program. The center's foundations are the love of Christ and His teachings, and its stated goal is to nurture each child in a Christian environment where he or she will know they are loved and cared for.
The center is open from 6:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Tuition rates run $190 per week for infants and toddlers, $165 per week for preschoolers, $85 per week for the after-school program, and $130 per week for the summer program, which includes breakfast, lunch, and snack, with an extra $10 charged for daycare on teacher workdays or snow days during the school year. There is an annual registration fee of $75. The director is Colleen Rabenold, with Morgan Adams serving as assistant director. Tours can be scheduled through the center's office.
Pastoral Leadership
Pastor Tim Elliott leads the church. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, who spent most of his life in Kentucky, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, and a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is also a 2018 graduate of the Command and General Staff Officer's College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Over the years he has served as a teacher, youth pastor, minister of education, dean of students, campus minister, logistics coordinator, and senior pastor. His military career spanned both the Naval Reserve and the Army Reserve, including a deployment to Taji, Iraq in 2011 as chaplain for Task Force Flying Tigers and work with the Army Reserve Aviation Command's Suicide Prevention Program. He went on active duty in 2013 through the Army's AGR program and served until his retirement in 2025. He and his wife Amy have four children.
Matthew Mabe joined the staff in July of 2025 as Worship Pastor. He serves part-time alongside his work as production supervisor for TW Garner Foods in Winston-Salem. A graduate of UNC Greensboro in Communication Studies and of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity, he grew up in a farming community outside Asheboro and has served as a worship leader and music director before being ordained as a pastor in 2024. He is accompanied on the ministry team by Jennifer Wilcox, who oversees the children's ministry, and by an administrative staff that includes a Financial Administrator, a Ministry Assistant, and a Music Ministry Assistant.
Weddings, Funerals, and Pastoral Care
Because marriage is a high priority in the life of any Baptist church, First Baptist King offers a wedding request process for couples who wish to marry in the worship center or to have a pastor officiate. The church holds that marriage is a beautiful gift of God that pictures the gospel and His enduring love for the Church, and the pastoral team works with engaged couples through a set of guidelines designed to keep the ceremony at the center of the day.
When a member or family member dies, the church has prepared a clear set of best practices to walk alongside the grieving family. The church asks to be notified, when possible, both before an approaching death and immediately after a death has occurred, so that the pastoral staff can be ready to support the family before a funeral home is contacted. The funeral home, once chosen, serves as the de facto director of arrangements, and the church takes direction only from the immediate family so that the wishes of the deceased can be carried out faithfully and without confusion. Pastors are available to meet with the family and to plan a memorial service that reflects the life and faith of the one who has died.
The church also maintains a private prayer and care ministry. Prayer requests submitted through the prayer page are shared only with the leadership and prayer team, and pastoral counseling and care are available through the church office. For privacy reasons the church no longer posts a weekly prayer list online; those who wish to be included on the email prayer list are asked to contact the church office.
Giving and Staying Connected
Giving at First Baptist King is described as an act of faithful obedience and worship. Visitors and members may give by cash or check in the offering basket at the doors of the worship center, or they may bring their gift to the office Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Online giving is also available, with options for one-time and recurring gifts.
Sunday morning services are livestreamed for those at home, and a library of past sermon series is kept online, including series that have walked through the Sermon on the Mount, the early chapters of Matthew, the book of Genesis, the Wednesday study of Romans, and topical series such as The Basics and The King's Compassion. A Facebook page and a YouTube channel keep the congregation connected through the week, and the church office is open by phone at (336) 983-5252 or by email at info@firstbaptistking.org for anyone who wants to learn more about a Sunday visit, baptism, the Child Development Center, or any other area of ministry.