First Baptist Church Skiatook sits at the corner of two stories. The first is the story of a church that traces its origins to September 1912 and has walked with the town of Skiatook, Oklahoma, ever since, moving from a building at Third and A Street in 1917 to a property on Oak Street in 1983 and then adding a second campus on West Rogers Boulevard in 2009. The second is a stated mission in plain English: "We exist to connect people to Jesus - His Truth, His Family, and His Mission." Everything the church does, from the Sunday schedule to the Wednesday night calendar to its missionary partnerships across the world, is meant to serve that sentence, with Sunday Morning Small Groups named as its primary strategy.
A Skiatook Congregation Since 1912
The church was formed around September 1912, and the first building on Third and A Street was dedicated on September 16, 1917. A second building on the same lot was dedicated on July 12, 1959. In February 1983 the congregation moved to Oak and Lombard - the present South Campus, where the church office now sits at 940 W Oak Street - and over the next two decades an educational wing was added on October 29, 1995, followed by the gymnasium in 1998. In 2008 the church acquired an old shopping center nearby, and in August 2009 that property opened as the West Rogers Campus, allowing the church to expand its ministry footprint on the west side of Skiatook.
Two Campuses on the Same Sunday Morning
Skiatook families have come to know the church in two locations. The West Rogers Campus at 825 W Rogers Blvd hosts the Sunday worship services and the median and senior adult small groups. The South Campus at 940 W Oak St houses all children's and student activities, including the youth building, the children's building, the preschool, and the gym, plus the young adult small groups. Campus maps are available at the church to help newcomers navigate the rooms and floors involved in a given Sunday.
What a First-Time Visitor Finds on Sunday
The Sunday rhythm is designed so that someone can plug in at any of three blocks. At 8:00 AM the first worship service begins at the West Rogers Campus. At 9:30 AM, small groups for all ages meet at both campuses, with groups for kids, students, and adults of every life stage. At 11:00 AM the second worship service begins, also at the West Rogers Campus. Each worship service lasts about seventy-five minutes and includes heartfelt worship music and a thought-provoking, engaging sermon from the Bible. Services are also available to stream, and a smartphone or smart-TV app makes recent messages accessible any day of the week.
The church names these Sunday slots its "Gather Time." Visitors are told, "You don't have to be someone you're not, but be prepared for God to move in your life." Coffee is available before and between services, and the Welcome Center is across from the Small Group Wall on the West Rogers Campus.
Small Groups as the Primary Strategy
Small groups are not one program among many at First Skiatook. They are the church's stated strategy for connecting people to Jesus. The rationale is that real change happens through intentional community - Bible study, friendship, support, and service opportunities - rather than through the Sunday hour alone. Adult groups are arranged by stage of life and meet at both campuses and off campus. The current line-up includes Young Adult groups (Weygandt, Breeding, Kennedy, Lloyd, Neighbors), a College & Career group (McQuay), Median Adult groups (Davenport, Maddoux, Tindell, Harrison), Women's groups (Paslay, Trego, Hoffman, Rozell, Edwards, Friendship), Men's groups (Robinson, Coody, Trego), and one off-campus group (Weed) that meets on Wednesday evenings. The Small Group Wall in the West Rogers Campus lobby lists leaders, room numbers, and contact information for every group.
First Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
First Kids is the church's ministry to children from birth through fifth grade and is built around three words: KNOW God personally, GROW in their faith, and GO into their world and share the Gospel. Sundays begin with small groups at 9:30 AM for babies through fifth grade, with check-in at the South Campus Children's Building. During the 11:00 AM worship service, Preschool Worship is offered for babies through K5 and Elementary Worship for first through fifth graders, again with check-in at the FirstKids welcome desk using Realm. Wednesday nights add another layer: BluePrint, a midweek program for K3 through fifth grade that runs from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and uses The Gospel Project curriculum, alongside games, Bible skill-building, and a reward system called First Kids Kash that children can spend at the BluePrint Store. BluePrint follows the Skiatook Public School calendar, so it runs from September through May. The preschool side is directed by Sheree Jordan, and the elementary side by Janae Jordan. Children with special needs are welcomed, with trained and screened volunteers in every classroom.
FBC Students: Sixth Through Twelfth Grade
Student ministry at First Skiatook is built around two weekly touchpoints. On Sunday mornings, middle school and high school students meet in small groups at 9:30 AM in the youth building on the South Campus, and they join the rest of the church for worship at 8:00 or 11:00 AM at the West Rogers Campus. On Wednesday nights the doors of the South Campus open at 5:45 PM for pizza, open gym, and hangout time. Worship, teaching, and small groups for both middle schoolers and high schoolers begin at 6:30 PM and run until 8:00 PM. Bret Lalli serves as the Student Pastor, and the ministry maintains an active Instagram presence at @fbcskiatookstudents for events and updates. Special events run through the year, including a See You at the Pole morning gathering at the local school flagpole and an evening community rally hosted at the West Rogers Campus.
Celebrate Recovery on Wednesday Nights
First Skiatook hosts Celebrate Recovery every Wednesday night at 6:30 PM on the West Rogers Campus, with dinner and hangout beginning at 5:45 PM and the program beginning at 6:30 PM. Entrance is through the south side back door. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered recovery program for anyone struggling with hurts, habits, or hang-ups, and the church is explicit that it is for far more than alcohol or drug issues: abandonment, abuse, anxiety, codependency, depression, divorce, eating disorders, fear, food addictions, gambling, grief, guilt, pornography, relationship addiction, shame, workaholism, and many other struggles are listed as appropriate reasons to come. Anonymity and confidentiality are stated requirements, and the ministry is for adults eighteen and older. Children of adults attending CR can be checked into BluePrint on the South Campus at the same time.
Adults: Fit & Faithful and the Senior Adult Breakfast
Senior adults at First Skiatook have a ministry of their own. Fit & Faithful meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the West Rogers Campus, combining coffee, Bible study, hymns, and S.A.I.L. Chairobics, a sit-and-stay-fit exercise class. Tuesdays run from 8:00 AM coffee through 8:30 AM Bible study and hymns to a 9:30 AM chairobics class; Thursdays run from 9:00 AM coffee to a 9:30 AM chairobics class. There is also a Senior Adult Breakfast held on the third Wednesday of every month at 8:30 AM in the South Campus gym. The seniors' ministry goes by the name AAA Seniors in Service, recognizing that older adults are not just learners at First Skiatook but also ministers.
J.O.Y. Preschool and Kindergarten
J.O.Y. Preschool and Kindergarten is the church's weekday early-education ministry, directed by Sheree Jordan and operating out of the South Campus at 940 W Oak Street. The program describes its purpose as giving as many children as possible access to a quality Christian early education. Once a year J.O.Y. hosts an art auction called "Boots and Bids," and the proceeds go to a financial assistance program that lets families who could not otherwise afford the tuition enroll their children. More information about enrollment and the program is available at the school's own joy-fbcskiatook.com.
Discipleship Groups for Going Deeper
Beyond Sunday morning small groups, First Skiatook has built a Discipleship Group (DGroup) ministry for people who want a more intentional experience. The premise is simple: discipleship is intentionally growing in a relationship with Jesus and helping others do the same. DGroups create space for deeper relationships and meaningful spiritual growth by spending time in God's Word and holding one another accountable. The church offers a four-week Discipleship Starter Guide that walks a new group through getting to know one another, setting expectations, introducing weekly disciplines, and establishing group commitments. Coaching videos from Replicate Ministries walk leaders through how to start a group, who to invite, and how to lead weekly meetings, and additional resources include a spiritual gifts assessment and a list of spiritual gifts.
Membership: A Two-Step Path
Becoming a covenant member at First Skiatook involves two steps. The first is to meet with a pastor, ask questions, share your story, and hear the pastor's story. The second is to share with the church body during one of the worship services, so that the congregation can celebrate the new covenant membership publicly. The church office phone number is the on-ramp to that first meeting.
Beliefs: The Baptist Faith and Message 2000
The church's doctrinal statement is the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention. The eighteen articles cover the Scriptures, God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), man, salvation, God's purpose of grace, the church, baptism and the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Day, the Kingdom, last things, evangelism and missions, education, stewardship, cooperation, the Christian and the social order, peace and war, religious liberty, and the family. The article on the church teaches that a New Testament church is "an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel" and that its two scriptural offices are pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. Baptism is taught as the immersion of a believer in water, and the Lord's Supper as a symbolic act of obedience memorializing the death of the Redeemer. The article on the family teaches that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The statement carries a note that it was amended on June 14, 2023, by action of the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention.
Leadership Team
The pastoral team is led by Chad Thompson, who serves as Lead Pastor and preaches on Sunday mornings. Scott Neighbors serves as Executive Pastor, oversees small groups and the Get Involved pipeline, and is the first contact for those exploring membership or service. Bret Lalli serves as Associate Pastor and Student Pastor, leading the middle school and high school ministry. Sheree Jordan directs the preschool ministry (J.O.Y. Preschool and Kindergarten, plus the preschool side of First Kids), and Janae Jordan directs the children's ministry (elementary First Kids and BluePrint). Supporting staff include Kelsey Lloyd as Lead Pastor Ministry Assistant and Media, Martha Hoffman as Financial Ministry Assistant, Jesse Jordan as Facilities Manager, and Danielle Miller on the custodial team.
Searching for a Worship and Leadership Pastor
Outreach: From Skiatook to the Ends of the Earth
The church lives out its stated mission by going as well as gathering. It supports local ministries such as Mobile Missions Tulsa and John 316 Mission and runs Vacation Bible School, a Christmas Workshop, school-assistance projects, and benevolence help for individuals and families in crisis. It also belongs to two layers of cooperative Baptist life: the Washington-Osage Baptist Association (WOBA), a fellowship of thirty-seven Southern Baptist churches in Washington and Osage counties, and the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO), a statewide network of more than 1,800 Southern Baptist congregations. Through the BGCO the church cooperates in disaster relief across the United States and partners internationally with churches in Malawi (Africa) and Leon, Mexico.
As a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, the church also supports the SBC's North American Mission Board and International Mission Board through the Cooperative Program. Members have taken short-term mission trips to Suriname, Honduras, Guatemala, Uganda, Juarez, Taxco, East Asia, Russia, China, the Amazon Basin, South Africa, Colombia, Italy, Belize, Malawi, Latvia, and Chile. In 2023 the church committed to reaching an unreached people group, the Tai Dam of the Mekong River region, and regularly teaches the congregation to pray for them; only about 0.17 percent of the one million Tai Dam identify as Christian.
Giving and Staying Connected
Offering plates are passed at both Sunday services. Online giving is available through the church's Realm database, and a payroll deduction or online-bill-pay route is available for those who prefer to give that way. Gifts can also be mailed or dropped by the office during regular office hours, and the church provides annual giving records for tax purposes. Realm is also the church's database and online directory, where members can register for events, check children in, find a small group, sign up to serve, and view the weekly newsletter.
Weekly Prayer Time and a Church That Prays Together
On Tuesdays at 6:30 AM and on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM, the West Rogers Campus opens for an hour of open prayer for the church, the community, and one another. The weekly prayer time is positioned as a simple, come-as-you-are gathering, and people can pray silently or aloud. It is one of the quietest expressions of the church's mission statement and one of the oldest habits of any Christian congregation.
What to Wear, Where to Park, and How to Plug In
Because the church is mid-sized and stylistically blended, dress at First Skiatook is come-as-you-are; jeans are as common as anything else. Parking is available at both campuses, and the South Campus is the easiest one to find for first-time families because of its location on Oak Street near the church office. A Connect Card is available online, and a What to Expect page walks newcomers through a typical morning. For those who want to go deeper, service opportunities range from small group leadership to hospitality to First Kids volunteers to Mission Skiatoup projects in building, vehicle maintenance, and lawn care.