An Independent Baptist Voice on Scharbauer Drive
Kelview Heights Baptist Church meets at 402 West Scharbauer Drive in Midland, Texas, where it operates as an Independent Baptist congregation. The church's identity is built on a detailed Statement of Faith, a written Church Covenant signed by members, and a steady weekly calendar of Bible classes, worship services, and choirs. Pastoral leadership, expository preaching, and broadcast ministry on local television and radio stations anchor the church's presence across the Permian Basin.
What the Church Believes About God and Scripture
Kelview teaches that there is one living and true God, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth, who exists in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - equal in every divine perfection. The Lord Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, eternally begotten from the Father, conceived by the virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, and lives forever as perfect God and perfect man.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son, the giver of all life and the agent of inspiration and the new birth. The Holy Spirit indwells and sanctifies all believers and restrains sin and Satan. The Holy Bible, Kelview teaches, was written by men divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and is truth without any mixture of error - the only complete and final revelation of God's will to man. The Bible referred to is the collection of sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation.
The Fall, Salvation, and the Church
Kelview teaches that Adam willfully disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into the world, so that all persons are sinners from conception and subject to eternal punishment under the just condemnation of a holy God. Salvation is made free to all in God's grace and must be received by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel.
Salvation, as the church teaches, includes justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is the pardon of sin and the gift of eternal life through faith in the work of Christ on the cross. Sanctification is the believer being set apart to God's purposes, enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Glorification is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
A church, Kelview teaches, is a local assembly of baptized believers under the discipline of the Word of God and the lordship of Christ, led by pastoral leadership and organized to carry out the Great Commission through evangelism, teaching, and the administration of believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, performed under the authority of the local church. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic ceremony commemorating the giving of Christ's body and blood on behalf of believers.
The Church Covenant
Members enter a written Church Covenant in which they solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ. The covenant commits members to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort, to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines, and to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
The covenant calls members to maintain family and private devotions, to religiously educate their children, to seek the salvation of their kindred and acquaintances, and to walk circumspectly in the world. The covenant further affirms the establishment of families based on a monogamous relationship between one man and one woman beginning at marriage, the recognition that children are living human creations of God from the time of conception to be loved and protected, and the understanding that an individual's physical gender is determined by God at the time of conception.
Sunday and Wednesday Rhythms
Sunday morning begins at 9:15 a.m. with Bible classes for all ages, followed by the worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday evening brings children's choirs at 5:45 p.m. and evening services with youth at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday evenings at 6:30 gather Awana clubs, youth, adult classes, and choir together on the same campus. A nursery is available during all scheduled services.
Children and Students
Children's Bible classes for preschool through sixth grade meet every Sunday morning during the worship service hours, with teachers and helpers building relationships and laying spiritual foundations through interactive Bible study and learning activities. AWANA clubs use Bible-centered handbooks and activities to help children begin to build a solid understanding of the basics of Christianity, hear the gospel regularly, and come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Children's choirs are staffed by leaders who share God's love with every child as the children learn music fundamentals and explore musical instruments. Junior high (grades 7-8) and high school (grades 9-12) classes meet Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesday evenings for preteen or student-specific teaching, worship, and discipleship, with other activities arranged on a monthly basis.
Adults, Men, and Women
Adult Bible study classes meet at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings with a variety of classes for members and guests of different ages and life stages, including single adult, married adult, and senior adult offerings. The Men's Ministry works to raise and develop new leaders in the church, to help each man become a man of integrity, and to unite the men in building strong relationships with one another. The Women's Ministry encourages women in spiritual growth, discipleship, enrichment, ministry, and missions through resources, training, enrichment events, and a supporting network.
Worship and Music
Members who serve in the Worship Ministry lead the church in life-changing worship and use music and the arts as tools to glorify God and impact lives. A worship pastor oversees the ministry, and choirs gather for children and adults on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.
Counseling and Support
Biblical counseling is provided by the pastoral staff in areas of competency and is rooted in the truth of Scripture, Christian principles, and the example of Jesus Christ. Counseling services are available to children, adolescents, and adults, both within the church and to the wider community. Premarital counseling is offered one-on-one or as a class using the PREPARE/ENRICH Empowering Couples or I Promise curriculum, helping couples understand what the Bible says about marriage, learn how men and women differ, and develop communication skills.
Mom 2 Mom exists to meet the needs of every mom - urban, suburban, and rural moms, stay-at-home and working moms - through the foundational years of infancy through sixth grade. The group meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month during the school year. GriefShare is a Christ-centered program that helps people apply biblical principles as they deal with the emotions and life stresses following the death of a loved one.
Airwaves and Screen Across the Permian Basin
The Sunday worship service is broadcast on KMID ABC2 at 10:30 a.m. and on KWEL AM 1070 at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday. Recorded sermons are available free online through the church's Vimeo channel and on a podcast, and may be purchased on CD or DVD. Services are also available by livestream.
Independent Baptist Mission Giving
As an Independent Baptist Church, Kelview Heights has the freedom to seek the direction of its missions involvement by individually selecting and supporting missionaries and projects that the pastor sees as the greatest investment in reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Members are challenged to give by faith, above their regular giving, for the purpose of supporting these missions efforts. Regular reports are shared with Bible classes from individual missionaries about their ministries.
The Pastoral Team
Jeff Franklin serves as Senior Pastor. Keith Hamilton leads the Cornerstone ministry and Young Adults. Blaze Lehrman directs Student Ministry. Daryl Berry oversees Children's Ministry. Will Hobbs leads the Men's Ministry and Foundation Ministry. Sam Catalano oversees the Homebuilders ministry. Robert Reed serves as Worship Pastor.