A Gospel-Centered Family on Mandy Lane
Iron City Baptist Church gathers on Mandy Lane in Anniston, the seat of Calhoun County in northeast Alabama. The congregation describes itself as "a gospel-centered family that exists to glorify God through joy in Christ," and the language of family shows up everywhere from the homepage to the words of its elders. The church identifies with the 9Marks ministry network and cooperates with the Southern Baptist Convention, affirming the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 along with the Chicago Statements on Biblical Inerrancy and Hermeneutics.
The church organizes its entire life around a simple three-step pathway: Connect, Disciple, Go. Everything from the Sunday morning schedule to the Wednesday night classes to the smaller Discipleship Groups fits somewhere on that pathway. "Our process is simple yet always calling you forward to new steps in our mission," Iron City explains, "no matter how long or short you've been a Christian." The fuller mission statement is "to make maturing and multiplying disciples to the ends of the earth," which Iron City grounds in Matthew 28:19-20, Philippians 1:25, and Acts 1:8.
What Iron City Believes
Iron City's doctrinal commitments are drawn directly from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which the church has adopted in full. The full text is posted on the beliefs page. The core convictions include:
- Scripture. The Bible is divinely inspired, true, and trustworthy in everything it affirms, and is the supreme standard for Christian faith and practice.
- God. One true and living God, eternal in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each fully God, distinct in person but one in being.
- Humanity and salvation. Human beings are made in God's image but fell into sin; salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and encompasses regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
- Election and perseverance. God elects in grace, and all true believers are kept by the power of God and will persevere to the end.
- The church. A New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, with two scriptural offices: pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. The office of pastor is reserved for men as Scripture qualifies.
- Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is by immersion of a believer as an outward testimony to faith, and the Lord's Supper is a memorial of Christ's death.
- The Kingdom and Last Things. The Kingdom includes God's reign over all and the realm entered by faith in Christ; Christ will return personally and visibly, the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all people in righteousness.
- Marriage and family. Marriage is the covenant union of one man and one woman, and the family is the foundational institution of human society.
- Religious liberty. God alone is Lord of the conscience, and the church should be free from state interference.
The Sunday Rhythm: Connection Groups and Worship
Sunday at Iron City follows a steady weekly pattern. Connection Groups meet at 9 AM, with classes available for every age and stage of life. The worship service begins at 10:30 AM and is offered in person, livestreamed on YouTube, and archived on-demand through the church's video page.
The Connection Group lineup at 9 AM is broad. On the second floor, Vern Mason leads a class for ages 18-24, Keith Wilson for ages 20-30, Shan Young for ages 25-35, and Jamie Dorroh for ages 25-35 with a sermon-based, discussion-oriented approach. Several classes serve adults 35 and older, including Jason Chilton (topical studies), Justin Moore (Gospel Project), and Joseph Morris (a mix of books of the Bible and other discipleship resources). Older adults have multiple options too: Russell Blanton and Tony Snider on the second floor, John Hall and John Smyton on the first floor. Lori Measles leads a women's class on the first floor that welcomes women of all ages. The 10:30 AM hour also includes Connection Groups, so families can choose the hour that fits best.
The curriculum across these groups is varied. Many use the Gospel Project, others draw on LifeWay materials, some work through books of the Bible, and a few are sermon-based. Most groups combine teacher-led teaching with open discussion. Nursery, preschool, and children's ministries run alongside both adult services.
Wednesday Nights: Semesters of Growth
Wednesday evenings at 6 PM are reserved for a slate of semester-based classes that meet on the Iron City campus. The semesters typically run from February to April and from September to November. Each session lasts about an hour and a half.
Wednesday classes are billed as the most diverse offering of teaching times in the church's rhythm, designed to fill in "the gaps we may find in our Christian lives." Recent offerings have included parallel men's and women's inductive Bible studies on the book of Acts - the men's study taught by Jamie Dorroh and Thomas Ingalsbe, the women's study led by Dana Ingalsbe, Connie Champion, and Meredith Dorroh. Both groups work through the same material in single-gender settings on the same teaching schedule.
Discipleship Groups: The Next Step
Beyond the larger Connection Groups and the Wednesday classes, Iron City runs smaller Discipleship Groups, or "d-groups." These are gender-specific groups of 3 to 6 people who meet at various times and places for 6 to 24 months at a time. Each group covenants together to spend time in one another's lives, study and memorize Scripture, read books together, live out what they are learning, and make new disciples.
Where Connection Groups are "where our church family becomes friends," d-groups are "where we become the closest of friends." They are designed to follow the Connection step and lead naturally into the Go step, where members begin making disciples themselves.
Baptism and Family Dedication
Iron City practices believers' baptism by immersion. "Baptism is a believer's public demonstration of their identification with Christ and His church," the church teaches. It is not salvation itself, but the outward proclamation of repentance and faith in the gospel, the same way a wedding band is an outward demonstration of marriage. Baptism is a prerequisite for church membership and for participation in the Lord's Supper.
Family Dedication is offered twice a year at Iron City, in the spring and in the fall. Parents publicly commit to raising their children in a Christian home, and the church commits to walk alongside them. Membership at Iron City and completion of the Milestone 1 Class are prerequisites. The Family Pastor follows up with parents after they sign up.
From Anniston to the Nations
Iron City calls the geographic focus of its mission the "Cheaha Valley," the broader region of northeast Alabama around Calhoun and Cleburne counties. Local mission partners include Coosa Valley Youth Services, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and His Hands and Feet Ministries. Nationally, the church partners in Boston. Internationally, Iron City works in Mexico and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), with an interest meeting each fall for the spring mission trip.
The church's larger dream is expansive. Iron City prays and works toward the day when every lost soul would find faith, when wounded people would find a family, when a generation of worshippers would rise up, and when God would raise up pastors, missionaries, and leaders from within the fellowship. The dream, the church says, is "too big for us - but, together with God, it can be realized."
Pastors, Elders, and Staff
Iron City is governed by a team of elders and supported by a ministry staff.
Pastoral Team and Elders:
- Ryan Edwards - Lead Pastor and Church Elder
- Joseph Morris - Executive Pastor and Church Elder
- Andrew Nunnelley - Worship and Discipleship Pastor and Church Elder
- Daniel Nance - Church Elder
- Alan Easterwood - Church Elder
- Tony Snider - Church Elder
- John Hall - Church Elder
- Chris Conner - Church Elder
Ministry Staff:
- Logan Shafer - Middle-School Minister
- Tracy Rouse - Kids Minister
- Brittany Cofield - Preschool and Nursery Minister
Planning a Visit
Iron City is located at 41 Mandy Lane, Anniston, AL 36207. Visitors can reach the church office at (256) 238-1293 or by emailing info@ironcity.org. Sunday Connection Groups begin at 9 AM and the worship service begins at 10:30 AM. Wednesday classes meet at 6 PM during the fall and spring semesters.
Anyone new to the church can fill out a Connect Card on the website to share general information or a prayer request. Those exploring membership or ministry can fill out the "Tell Me More" form to set up a meeting with an elder. The "Plan Your Visit" form is for anyone who wants to know what to expect on a Sunday morning.
Children are welcomed through nursery, preschool, and children's ministries during both adult services and during Connection Group hours.
Livestream, App, and Giving
The Sunday worship service is livestreamed on YouTube and archived for on-demand viewing. Sermon videos are linked from the church's live and on-demand page.
Iron City has a custom mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play, with services, a digital Bible, sermon guides, podcasts, giving, next steps, groups, and events in one place.
Giving can be done online through Pushpay, by texting "give" to (833) 244-3034, or in person during services. The church notes that it is charged about 3 percent on Visa, Mastercard, and Discover transactions.
Iron City also maintains a Church Community Builder member portal for small groups, directory, communication, and engagement, along with a Facebook page and an Instagram account.