Being Changed by God to Love Like Jesus
For decades, Golf Course Road Church of Christ has met on the west side of Midland, Texas, around a single, plain motto: "being changed by God to love like Jesus." The phrase shapes everything the church does, from the Sunday morning worship assembly to short-term mission trips to Honduras, Kenya, and Zambia. The congregation belongs to the Churches of Christ tradition and traces its vision to the Bible's teaching that transformation into the image of Christ is slow, difficult, and lifelong.
That long view is the reason the leaders describe their work around four "formation zones" - Knowledge, Community, Christian Practices, and Mission. They are not programs or steps to climb. They are the dynamics through which the Spirit is believed to shape his people, and the lens through which every ministry is evaluated.
Sundays on Golf Course Road
Two weekly gatherings anchor the life of the church. Bible classes for all ages begin at 9:00 AM, and the worship service begins at 10:15 AM and is usually finished before 11:30. The building sits at 3500 West Golf Course Road, and the easiest entrance is on the south side, through the courtyard and rotunda. Visitors are greeted at the door and given a small gift, and greeters point first-timers to the children's check-in, to a Bible class suited to their age, or to the worship center.
Parking is available on every side of the building, with the south lot on Golf Course Road being the most convenient. Specially marked spaces up close to the building are reserved for honored guests, first-time families included.
The Sunday Worship Service
The Sunday morning assembly blends old and new. The congregation sings a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary praise songs. There are Scripture readings and prayers, a weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, a roughly 25-minute sermon, and a collection. Guests are not expected to give.
Dress is entirely up to the visitor - more than half the members wear blue jeans on a typical Sunday. The community gathered here is intergenerational and economically varied: doctors and lawyers sitting next to blue-collar workers, business owners and executives worshiping alongside roughnecks, lifelong Church of Christ-ers sharing communion with people who have never been part of any church. Some sit in the front row and sing every word; others stand quietly in the back and watch. Both are welcome.
Services are livestreamed online for those who cannot attend in person.
Core Beliefs
The church's core beliefs follow the mainstream of Christian orthodoxy, with baptism by immersion as a defining practice of faith:
- God. One God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the source of all creation and the one in whom human beings find their eternal destiny.
- Jesus. The eternal Son, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for human sin, and is alive today.
- Holy Spirit. A comforter and guide who empowers and indwells every born-again believer.
- Bible. The inspired word of God, telling the redemption story and guiding holy living and faith in Christ.
- Heaven and Hell. Christ will return and judge all people; believers will be welcomed into God's presence, unbelievers separated from it.
- Sin. All have sinned and need Christ.
- Salvation. The free gift of God through Jesus' death and resurrection, received by grace through faith. Repentance and baptism by immersion are part of the response, symbolizing sharing in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection and the washing away of sin.
Cooperation Across Midland
GCR is part of a long-running partnership with three other downtown Midland churches known as 4Midland. Together with First Baptist, First Presbyterian, and First Methodist, the church shares a community Ash Wednesday service each Lent and a Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service each Holy Week. Members see it as a working picture of Jesus' prayer that his followers be one, and a reminder that God's work in the city is bigger than any single congregation.
Children: GCR|Kids
Children's ministry is centered in GCR|Kids and is led by Children's Minister Kristin Rampton and Associate Children's Minister Ashlee Hill. On Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM, classes are offered for every age from nursery through elementary. A fully staffed nursery is available during both class and worship hours, and children's worship is offered for three-year-olds through kindergarten.
GCR|Kids also runs the church's Vacation Bible School each summer. Recent themes have included Kingdom Quest, where children journey through Bible worlds and discover that Jesus is the Light who leads them into God's Kingdom. VBS is open to children who are four years old through completed fourth grade.
Families can sign up for GCR|Kids emails to stay informed about class moves, the annual Daddy & Daughter Dance, Pizza & Pajamas mother-son nights, and other family events across the year.
Students: GCR|Youth and The MIX
Middle school and high school students are part of GCR|Youth, led by two youth ministers, J.E. Bundy and Jadyn Martinez. On Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM, classes meet in the Teen Room upstairs in the Family Center and focus on Bible study and discussion.
On Wednesday evenings during the school year, GCR|Youth hosts The MIX in the Family Center. The name says it all: a mix of ages, schools, and backgrounds who encourage one another, sing together, and pursue being changed by God. The MIX runs from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Promotion Sunday each year moves students up into their new grade-level classes and welcomes a fresh wave of teens into the ministry.
Adults: GCR|Merge, MidWeek, and Sisterhood
GCR|Merge is the church's ministry for young adults, helping college-age and early-career members connect to the wider life of the congregation.
MidWeek is a six-Wednesday seasonal study for adults. The Gathering Space opens at 5:30 PM for those who bring their own dinners (iced tea and water are provided), classes begin at 6:30 PM, and dessert is served in the Gathering Space at 7:30 PM. Recent MidWeek courses have included a six-week discussion around Tim and Kathy Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage," led by Senior Minister Allan Stanglin, and a parallel class on being changed by God, led by Spiritual Transformation Minister Jim Tuttle.
GCR|Sisterhood is the women's ministry, with regular events such as a Fall Kickoff, an End-of-Year Celebration, R.E.A.L. (Relationships, Encouragement, Authenticity, Love) nights hosted in members' homes, and monthly "Refresh" gatherings for an evening drop-in of prayer, worship, and connection. Sons & Daughters is the parallel ministry for older adults, with intergenerational events such as The Groovy Gala, an evening hosted and served by GCR|Youth for members age 60 and older.
For adults wanting a longer, quieter pause, Recharge is a quarterly evening of spiritual formation with childcare available.
Discovery School
Discovery School is a weekday preschool and Mother's Day Out program that operates as an outreach ministry of Golf Course Road Church of Christ. The school aims to serve families with small children in the Permian Basin by offering a warm, loving, Christian atmosphere in which children can develop spiritually, socially, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Classes are taught by experienced teachers, with age-appropriate activities designed to make learning fun.
Baptism Sunday
The church holds an annual Baptism Sunday each May, preceded by a two-part class called "Into the Water: Baptism as God's Transforming Work." Taught by Senior Minister Allan Stanglin in Room 10, the class is open to all ages and backgrounds and is meant to be laid-back and conversational.
Baptism is taught as a gracious gift from God, the moment when a believer is united with Christ's death and resurrection, receives forgiveness of sins, and is given the Holy Spirit. Shorts, shirts, and towels are provided for those being baptized, and any baptized believer may perform the baptism. If no one else is in mind, Allan Stanglin says he would be honored to baptize the candidate himself.
Local Mission Partners
The church encourages every member to give two hours of Christian service each month and partners with several local organizations that serve Midland:
- Family Promise of Midland. Provides shelter, support, and transitional programs for families working to overcome homelessness. The church regularly prepares and serves dinners to families staying at the Family Promise Campus on West Ohio Avenue, and every fall hosts the Harvest Party, a themed trunk-or-treat and games night for families from Family Promise, Midland Fair Havens, SafePlace, and Buckner.
- Mission Agape. Focuses on food insecurity in the Permian Basin. Each summer the church helps with the Back-to-School Blessing, equipping around 1,200 children in Midland, Crane, Pecos, and Upton Counties with backpacks and school supplies.
- Opportunity Tribe. Mentors at-risk students referred by school counselors, with the church helping recruit Fun Club volunteers.
- Emerson Elementary. The church's adopted Title I campus. Members run the Fist Bump Crew on the first and third Monday mornings of each month, greeting students at drop-off with a smile and a fist bump.
Crocktoberfest, a fall crockpot fellowship and mission-month kickoff, brings the whole church family to the Gathering Space for a meal and a shared turn of attention toward what God is doing around the world.
Global Mission Impact
GCR's global partnerships span four continents and reflect decades of sending and supporting workers:
- Mission Lazarus (Honduras). A partnership since 2014; the church sends teams annually to build, lay roads and water lines, volunteer at the medical clinic, and assist with the Christian Leadership Training School near San Marcos de Colon. The church supports two Honduran employees in the program.
- KWO Ministries (Kenya). What began 20 years ago as a grassroots effort by a handful of GCR members now manages sixteen orphanages, supports more than 1,500 children with food, housing, education, and medical care, and runs a Vocational Training Center for those who age out of the program.
- SerCris Training School (Brazil). Born out of GCR's church-planting work in the 1980s, SerCris is a two-year Bible degree program in Campo Grande with 20 students and five church plants to its credit. The church sends teams to encourage and serve the school, including a Texas-themed dinner and practical repair projects.
- Namwianga Mission (Zambia). Missionaries Shepherd and Rhutt Mbumwae and Jason and Cintia Kumalo plant and multiply churches in Zambia's Southern Province and oversee The Haven, an intake orphanage. A medical missions trip is led every July.
- Batam Bible College (Indonesia). GCR has been the organizing partner for 20 years, funding roughly half of the school's operating budget. Graduates have baptized more than 8,500 people and started 55 new congregations.
- India and Nepal. Since 2015, GCR has supported a network of church plants and preachers who teach and baptize at least 2,000 new Christians each year.
The church also partners with the Mission Resource Network, supports Stephen Cavitt's outreach to the Muslim community in Raleigh, and walks alongside Matthias and Rosie West as they make disciples among the traditional Burmese people.
Nexus: Church Planting
GCR has partnered with Nexus for more than two decades, helping more than 80 church leaders plant life-giving, multiplying churches across North America.
Leadership
The church is shepherded by a team of eleven elders who serve the congregation through prayer, teaching, and oversight, alongside a staff of ministers:
- Allan Stanglin, Senior Minister
- Ryan Rampton, Associate Minister
- Cory Legg, Worship Minister
- Jim Tuttle, Spiritual Transformation Minister
- Kristin Rampton, Children's Minister
- Ashlee Hill, Associate Children's Minister
- J.E. Bundy, Youth Minister
- Jadyn Martinez, Youth Minister
The current elders are Eric Augesen, Craig Dawson, Gary Glasscock, Marc McQueen, Brandon Brunson, Mark Helferich, Lan Bundy, Roy Geer, and Jarrod Hutchinson, with Billy Futrell and Eric West on sabbatical for the year. Two members describe the church the way many others feel it: Craig Dawson calls it "a bright light in our Midland community and around the world," and Jarrod Hutchinson says simply, "We love GCR because it feels like home; GCR is our family." Brenda Hopper serves as Senior Administrative Assistant and is the first point of contact at reception@gcrcc.org or (432) 694-8836.