On Skyline Drive in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Hillcrest Baptist Church has set its sign against a single mission statement: "Leading People to Follow Jesus." Three shorter phrases - Loving God, Serving Together, Loving People - frame the life of the church and show up in the language used to describe everything from the Sunday gathering to a Saturday yard sale that raises money for missions. The church identifies with the Southern Baptist Convention and teaches the confession of faith summarized in the Baptist Faith and Message.
Sundays on Skyline Drive
Worship is held on Sundays at 9:00 and 10:30 AM at 920 Skyline Drive. Both services include congregational singing, prayer, and a sermon; the two hours give families and shift workers a chance to pick the time that fits. A staffed nursery is open during both hours, and Sunday School classes for every life stage run alongside or as part of the morning. Adults meet for two hours of classes at 9:00 and 10:30 AM; the Bible Studies for Life young adult class gathers at 9:00 in Room 204; students meet in "the Station" for Sunday School at 9:00 AM.
The church describes itself as "a biblically grounded, Christ-centered community led by God-called servant leaders," and a banner reads, "You Are Welcome Here!" Parking is available on site, and the address is convenient for anyone navigating the Skyline Drive corridor of Hopkinsville. Visitors are invited to use the Plan A Visit option to let the staff know they are coming.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
If Sunday is the front door, Wednesday is the kitchen. Hillcrest offers a family meal from 4:30 to 5:30 PM, and at 6:00 PM the rest of the building opens up for classes and ministry that run until 7:15 PM. Children move into their age-graded programs from nursery through fifth grade, while students gather for Summit, a midweek time of community, encouragement, and Bible study. Adults head into the study of their choice.
Five Wednesday adult classes are listed for the season. Brenda Ross facilitates an ongoing ladies' Bible study in Room 202/203. Suzanne Hardison leads a verse-by-verse study of James for women in Room 215. Pastor Joe Bufford teaches an eight-week co-ed study called "Experiencing God in Everyday Life" in Room 205. Webb Ross facilitates the men's ongoing Bible study, also in Room 205. Jeremy Wyatt leads a co-ed study of the Gospel of Luke in Room 209. The same room changes from class to class as the hour turns over, and a new participant is welcome to walk in any week without registering.
Pastor Joe Bufford
Hillcrest has been led since February 2013 by Dr. Joe Bufford. A native of Georgia, Bufford holds a B.S. from Atlanta Christian College, an M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been in ministry since 1991 and previously pastored three churches in Georgia. He serves as a pro staff leader with BuckVentures TV on the Outdoor Channel and The Woodsman on the Sportsman Channel and is the publisher of The Outdoorsman Devotional, 365 Days with God (2026). He has spoken at outdoor banquets and men's events across the country since 2005, spent nine years as a law enforcement chaplain, and enjoys big game and waterfowl hunting with his Labrador, along with golf and running. He and his wife Nicole, married in 1994, have three children, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren; both of their sons serve in law enforcement.
The Bible-Centered Confession
The Statement of Faith, set out across eighteen articles, is a clear window into how Hillcrest teaches. The Bible is described as "a perfect treasure of divine instruction" with God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth "without any mixture of error" for its matter. God is one being in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and the confession of Christ runs from the virgin birth through the substitutionary death, the bodily resurrection, the ascension, and the promised return in glory to judge the world.
Salvation, in the statement, "involves the redemption of the whole man" and is "offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour," with regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification named as its parts. A New Testament church is "an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers" whose two scriptural offices are pastor/elder/overseer and deacon; the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. Christian baptism is by immersion; the Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance; and marriage is "the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime." The article on the family was amended on June 14, 2023, by action of the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention, and the church's proposed Constitution and Bylaws are available as a PDF for members who want to read the operating rules of the church.
HillcrestKids and the Station
Children's ministry is structured by age and runs all three weekly touchpoints. On Sunday at 9:00 AM there is nursery care for birth through 2 years and Sunday School for 3 year olds and up. On Sunday at 10:30 AM the nursery extends through age 3, JR Jam gathers 4s, 5s, and kindergartners, and Blast Worship meets on the first through third Sundays of the month for first through fifth graders. Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:15 PM are split by grades - nursery, Puggles (2-3), Cubbies (3-5), Sparks (K-2), and T&T (3rd-5th). All volunteers are background checked and interviewed before serving in HillcrestKids, and the welcome line reads: "Safe. Fun. Biblical. Every week."
Students, Young Adults, and the Kingdom's Collective
The student ministry gathers both Sundays at 9:00 AM and Wednesdays at 6:00 PM for Summit, a time of community, encouragement, and Bible study held "in the Station" - the room the student ministry calls home on the Hillcrest campus.
Young adults, defined as ages 18 to 35, meet Sundays at 9:00 AM in Room 204 for Bible Studies for Life, a discussion-based class for married and single adults alike. On the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM, also in the Station, the Kingdom's Collective gathers. The Collective is described as "a collaborative movement of believers in Jesus Christ" whose mission is to "speak the truth in love, grow more to be like Christ, join together in unity with like-minded believers from different churches to glorify the same King of Kings."
Adults Midweek: Titus 2 Women, Men, and Happy Hearts
Beyond the Wednesday night classes, the women's ministry gathers under the title Titus 2 Women's Ministry for ongoing Bible study and discipleship. The men's ministry runs an ongoing verse-by-verse study of the New Testament five verses at a time, with quarterly men's breakfasts hosted alongside other area churches. The senior ministry, Happy Hearts, is for adults 55 and up and meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM for an activity and a meal together.
Music, Worship, and the Production Booth
The worship ministry is split into three teams. The Worship Team leads the congregation in song with instruments and vocals, the description inviting singers to "use your gifts to glorify Him." The Choir rounds out the musical offering in the services. The Production Team runs sound, lighting, and media from the booth so the rest of the congregation can worship without distraction. The combined work of these teams is what is meant when the worship description says the church is committed to "dynamic worship, inspiring hearts to lift up God through song" alongside "spirit-filled, powerful worship."
Missions: Hopkinsville to Africa
Missions at Hillcrest is divided into three buckets: local, Kentucky and beyond, and partner organizations. The local list includes "Being the Church" days, "Experiencing God" outreach, visits to nursing and VA homes, free oil changes, and mission yard sales. The Kentucky and beyond list names short-term trips to Texas, Brazil, Alaska, Staten Island, and Africa. The partner list names Alpha, the Joy Closet, the Salvation Army, Grace & Mercy, Impact Ministries, and the McNeil family. The mission description frames all of this in a single sentence: "Being the Church is just one of the ways we give back to those in need."
Generosity, Giving, and Church Online
Giving at Hillcrest is offered in three ways: online, by mail to 920 Skyline Drive, and in person by placing an offering in the giving boxes during a service. The giving description quotes 2 Corinthians 9:7 - "each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." A livestream is available through Church Online, where viewers can watch a live service, follow along with sermon notes, join a live chat, submit a prayer request, and give online. A sermon archive is posted on the church's YouTube channel, and a Plan A Visit option invites first-time guests to let the church know they are coming. The same building, the same mission, and the same confession carry from Skyline Drive out to every screen that joins on Sunday morning.