First Baptist Church of Jenks gathers at 11701 S. Elm St. in Jenks, Oklahoma. Lead Pastor Cody Brumley describes the church as "a Word-driven family with joyful worship and deep relationships that live on mission together," and its mission is to step into its unique role in God's story by bringing the grace of Jesus into everyday life. Three services fill Sunday mornings: a classic service with traditional hymns and choir at 8:00 a.m., then modern worship with the band at 9:45 and 11:00. Around those services sit small groups and D Groups for adults, ministries for children from preschool through sixth grade and for middle and high school students, a community preschool, free English classes, and mission partners in Jenks, Tulsa and Kenya.
Hymns and Choir at 8:00, a Worship Band at 9:45 and 11:00
First Baptist Jenks offers two worship styles on Sunday. The 8:00 a.m. Classic Worship Service is built around traditional hymns and choir, while the 9:45 and 11:00 a.m. services feature the worship band and modern music styles. Music, production and storytelling are gathered into the Engage Team, whose purpose is to create intentional environments for people to engage with Jesus, and worship opportunities are open to anyone who wants to serve on it. The current service and previous messages can be watched on the church's YouTube channel.
Students in grades 7 through 12 shape Sunday around the 9:45 service, worshiping together before walking to the Gym for small groups at 11:00 with an adult leader.
Your First Sunday: Guest Parking, Dress and the Children's Floor
Guests are asked to stop by the Information Desk in the lobby, where a team of dedicated volunteers works to make the visit comfortable. The church has specific parking spots close to the door for guests, and families who need to drop someone off before parking can use the covered entrance on the west side of the building. Clothing is informal: members and guests wear anything from sandals and shorts to dresses or shirts and a tie.
Children are welcomed in several places rather than one room. The youngest children are on the main level, elementary school children are on the second floor, and middle and high school students are also on the main level, and the welcome area points each family to the right spot. Plan a visit lays out these details in advance.
Wednesday evenings extend the same rhythm. Dinner is served from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. for $7 per adult and $5 per child age 11 and under, with a maximum family cost of $30. Classes and groups for kids, students and adults run from 6:00 to 7:40 p.m.
Starting Point, Small Groups and a Discipleship Pathway
Growth is organized as a pathway that begins with a relationship with God and leads to a place of closeness with him and a sense of his purpose. The first step, Discover, is attending a Sunday morning to learn the church's vision and values. The second, Starting Point, is a two-week class offered each month where people can ask questions about the church and hear where they fit into God's story; the class covers the church's story, its beliefs, its mission and the discipleship pathway. The third step, Commit, is a membership form, and membership is by baptism, statement or letter, with a pastor contacting those who submit it directly.
Adults have three primary ways to grow from there. Small Groups meet on Sunday mornings for the most part, with groups for young adults, young professionals, couples, men, women, empty nesters, senior adults and some intergenerational groups. D Groups are smaller, made up of three to five same-gender people who meet weekly to read the Bible, pray and help one another follow Jesus in everyday life. Serve Teams gather on Sunday mornings for family ministry, guest services, worship and production, and other areas of service.
Southern Baptist Beliefs Held Close
First Baptist Jenks adheres to the beliefs of the Southern Baptist Convention. Briefly stated, there is one living and true God, revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the Holy Bible is divinely inspired, true and trustworthy, with Christ at its center; salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and includes regeneration, justification, sanctification and glorification; and every person of every race possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
The church describes itself as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers associated by covenant, observing baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the ordinances of Christ, and governed by his laws through democratic processes, with pastors and deacons as its scriptural officers. It holds that evangelism and missions are the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ, that Christians are responsible for stewardship of time, talents and material possessions, and that the church should provide for the orphaned, needy, abused, aged, helpless and sick while opposing racism, greed, selfishness and sexual immorality. It affirms religious liberty, holding that church and state should be separate, and describes the family as the foundational institution of human society.
Kids, Preteens and the Exchange
The children's ministry treats the support of the whole family as the heart of its work and the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ as something to begin early. Preschool and Birth-PreK classes teach at an age-appropriate level through dramatic play, story time and arts and crafts, so preschoolers learn Bible stories and how they relate to life in a fun and safe environment where they feel loved and free to learn and develop.
For elementary-age children, the church uses several learning styles: Bible skills, hands-on service projects, prayer and discipleship, all wrapped up in high-energy activities. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's spiritual growth with study materials and family activities, and the children's ministry keeps families updated by text message. The Exchange, the ministry for fifth and sixth graders, is based on 2 Corinthians 5:17, the call to exchange old ways of life for a new life in Christ. Preteens are intentionally taught discipleship, leadership within ministry, how to share the gospel with their peers, and faith expressed through prayer and action, with parents encouraged to stay involved.
Kids MidWeek is the weekly evening gathering for kindergarten through sixth grade, with Bible skills, fun recreation games and Bible lessons. Doors open at 6:15 and pickup is at 7:40. Preschool programming is available for parents who attend the Midweek prayer service in the main Worship Center or serve in a Next Generation ministry.
Community Preschool: A Christ-Centered and Academic Year
FBC Jenks Community Preschool serves children 9 months to 4 years old, with a school year that runs from September through May. Its curriculum is both Christ-centered and academic, built on weekly themes that cover early math concepts, language development, early literacy, social and emotional development and motor skills. Children learn through purposeful play, small group instruction, whole group lessons and working in learning centers, and each age group is planned by developmental standards and checklists so that children can learn at their own pace.
Biblical curriculum is taught daily to every preschooler. Teachers weave Bible stories and activities into each day, focusing on a new story from the Bible each week, and children pray before meals and talk about God throughout the day. Monthly Bible verses with motions are taught and reinforced in all classes.
Each class has two teachers, and student placement follows each child's birthday. Staff members have experience in early childhood education and participate in monthly professional development training, and many are certified. Tuition is $420 monthly per child with a one-time, non-refundable registration fee of $100, and summer sessions depend on teacher availability. Donna Bryan serves as director of the preschool and Heather Howk as preschool minister.
Students: Worship at 9:45, Small Groups at 11:00, Midweek at 6:30
Student ministry exists, in the church's words, to help students step into their unique role in God's story by bringing the grace of Jesus into everyday life. Middle school students in grades 7 and 8 and high school students in grades 9 through 12 are committed to being known and accepted, taught about Jesus and challenged to grow.
Sunday small groups connect students with peers in the same stage of life and with an adult leader excited to guide them through the middle school and high school years on a biblical foundation, with worship, fun games and a gospel-centered message that helps students navigate life. Midweek is the high-energy evening gathering: doors open at 6:00, the service begins at 6:30 and concludes at 7:30, pairing worship with teaching crafted for the struggles and situations students face. It is described as an easy place for first-time guests to bring friends.
Parents are pointed toward reading on Gospel principles for parenting, shepherding a child's heart and helping teens manage social media, while students are pointed toward reading on following Christ in college and on the weight of a single decision.
Primetime: Serving God, Enjoying Life, Finishing Well
The ministry for adults 55 and older is called Primetime, a name chosen because the church does not view the second half of life as leftover time but as its primetime. Pastor Mark Powell describes a threefold approach: to serve faithfully in God's kingdom, to enjoy life, and to finish well. The ministry keeps a balance, serving throughout the church and in the community, studying God's Word individually and collectively, meeting regularly for games and fellowship, and reaching out through community events and activities. Primetime Bible study meets on Monday mornings with Pastor Mark for a ten-week study, and the group also joins the wider rhythm of men's and women's small groups and D Groups.
Men's Prayer, Women's Studies and a Cardio Class Called REFIT
Men gather for prayer each Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, with directions to park in the east lot and enter through the glass doors by the patio. A women's Bible study meets Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 201, and another meets Tuesday mornings from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m.
REFIT, a cardio-focused workout set to uplifting music, meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. in Adventure Land. The description is plain about who it is for: everyBODY, regardless of age, shape or fitness level.
Mission Partners in Jenks and Tulsa
Missions at FBC Jenks are divided into local, domestic and international work, and the local partnership is the front door. The church frequently partners with Jenks CarePoint, a collaboration between Jenks Public Schools and local businesses including First Baptist Jenks, First Oklahoma Bank, Yale Cleaners and South Tulsa Baptist. CarePoint provides quality clothing to students and families of Jenks Public Schools, identifies additional areas of need within the community and shares the love and hope found in Christ.
Isaiah 58, In His Service ministers to people in Tulsa who live on the streets, senior adults living alone, single moms, kids and the poor, and First Baptist Jenks partners with it by providing meals, teaching Bible studies, organizing clothing and making donations. John 3:16 Mission is a nonprofit church founded in 1952 that shares the gospel with Tulsa's hungry, homeless and at-risk people while meeting immediate needs for food, shelter, clothing and safety. The Spring, formerly known as Dayspring Villa, is described as Oklahoma's only faith-based certified shelter for victims and their children, serving people whose lives have been affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or human sex trafficking. Hope Is Alive works to change the lives of drug addicts, alcoholics and those who love them.
Two more partners meet daily needs head on. The Jenks Community Food Bank provides food and other necessities to individuals and families in the Jenks Public School district who need temporary assistance, and Bixby Outreach Center helps families dealing with difficult circumstances by assisting with food every 30 days, along with holiday food distribution, backpacks and a Christmas gift shop for families and children.
The church also offers free ESL classes of its own on Monday through Thursday, beginning the Tuesday after Labor Day and following the Jenks school calendar, with a rotating schedule of beginning and advanced classes. Domestic mission trips have carried the church to Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis and Oklahoma City. A Missions Room beside the Gathering Area and Coffee Bar holds photographs of past trips and handmade items available for donation, and the church collects goods for local projects throughout the year. Giving toward missions supports particular trips and projects.
Thirty-One Churches, Four Schools and a Bakery in Kenya
Three full-time missionaries from First Baptist Jenks live in Kenya, Africa: Jess Peek, Janet Peek and Bridgett Lawrence. Since mission work began there in 2011, the team has helped start 31 churches and four schools and launched a Family Preservation Ministry with two working arms. Crown of Beauty gives widows and mothers who have been abandoned by their husbands a safe place to live while they recover and heal; they are discipled and learn a trade such as sewing or baking. The Blessing Bakery gives those women a place to work and practice their baking skills.
A Welcoming, Multigenerational Family
Members describe the church as united in Christ no matter nationality or race, and that welcome shows up in ordinary ways: friendly smiles, waves and handshakes at the door, volunteers at the Information Desk, and teams ready to serve in worship and children's rooms. The church makes room for every generation, with preschool and children's ministry, middle and high school students, adult small groups, D Groups and Primetime for adults 55 and older. Its family and kids ministry also reaches out to foster, adoptive and kinship families, hoping to build relationships, encourage one another, support families in practical ways and create a stronger community around the children involved.
The Team Behind the Ministry
The staff includes Cody Brumley as lead pastor and Drew Wright as executive pastor. Carson Wagner serves as worship pastor, Christian Moore as student pastor, Jacob Jones as discipleship pastor, Jamie Pendleton as missions pastor, Lance Brewer as family and kids pastor, Mark Powell as adults 55+ pastor and facilities, and Ralph Edwards as creative pastor. Donna Bryan directs the Community Preschool and Heather Howk serves as preschool minister. Brittany Lay coordinates next steps, Kristina Wright directs communications, Terri Guthrie coordinates the family team, Joy Niles serves with adults 55 and older, and Ashley Erwin, Chae Page and Tanner Qualls work with students, children and worship.
First Baptist Church of Jenks gathers at 11701 S. Elm St. in Jenks, Oklahoma 74037, with the church office at (918) 299-6323 and contactus@fbcjenks.org. A Word-driven congregation with a classic service and two modern services, discipleship for children and adults at every stage, and mission partners from Jenks to Tulsa to Kenya, it holds to the same aim its pastors name: bringing the grace of Jesus into everyday life.