Where Boiling Springs and Inman Meet on Sugar Ridge Road
Lake Bowen Baptist Church sits right where Boiling Springs and Inman come together, just off Highway 9 in northern Spartanburg County. The address is 404 Sugar Ridge Road, Inman, South Carolina, and from that single campus the church runs three Sunday morning services, a full discipleship program for every age group, a child development center, and a missions network that reaches from the Upstate to the ends of the earth. What unifies everything the church does is a simple three-word rhythm the staff refers to as the "3D" vision: Deliver the Gospel, Disciple the Christian, Deploy the Christ Follower.
Visitors are invited to join a service at 8:00, 9:30, or 11:00 on Sunday mornings. A livestream of the most recent service is available on the church's YouTube channel, and a mobile app puts the calendar, sign-ups, giving, and sermon media in one place.
From Rock Hill Baptist Church to Lake Bowen Baptist Church
The congregation's roots reach back to October 27, 1922, when it was organized under the name Rock Hill Baptist Church. The church was incorporated on January 9, 1976, and at some point along the way the name was changed to Lake Bowen Baptist Church to reflect its setting near Lake Bowen in the northern part of the county. The church is located in Spartanburg County and is associated with the Spartanburg County Baptist Network, the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.
More than a century of ministry has not dulled the church's appetite for change. A building project currently underway on the Sugar Ridge Road campus is creating dedicated buildings for Lake Bowen Kids and Lake Bowen Students, along with a renovated front foyer, additional parking, and added storage. A building fund and a volunteer signup for construction help are available through the church's giving platform.
The 3D Vision That Shapes Everything
The 3D vision, Deliver, Disciple, Deploy, is more than a motto. It appears in the church's constitution and by-laws and in nearly every ministry description. Deliver the gospel means sharing the good news of salvation personally and beyond the church's walls. Disciple the Christian refers to the ongoing work of teaching believers to walk with Christ through D Groups, Bible study, and Christian community. Deploy the Christ Follower is the outward step of sending equipped believers into service, missions, and ministry wherever God calls them.
Senior Pastor Brad Atkins and the rest of the staff have organized the entire congregation around that framework. Every ministry, from preschool to senior adults, is built to plug people into one of those three movements.
Four Values Rooted in Scripture
The church summarizes what it means to live out the 3D vision in four values, each anchored to a cluster of Bible passages:
- Living a Life of Worship. Drawing from Romans 12:1, John 4:23-24, Ephesians 5:18-20, and Psalm 150, the church teaches that worship is the whole-life response of a believer to God.
- Living a Life in Biblical Community. Ephesians 4:1-6, Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:42-47, Colossians 3:16, Romans 12:10, and James 5:13-16 shape the church's understanding that Christians grow together, not alone.
- Living a Life of Service. Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:11-13, Mark 10:45, and 1 Peter 4:10 frame service as the natural outflow of grace.
- Living a Life on Mission. Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 give the church its marching orders for taking the gospel to the Upstate, to South Carolina, to the United States, and to the world.
Sunday Mornings: Three Identical Services
Sunday morning at Lake Bowen Baptist is built around three identical worship services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 a.m. The triple-service format lets families pick the time that fits their week, and it gives the discipleship groups, called D Groups, room to meet at the same hours in adjacent rooms.
The most recent Sunday's service is livestreamed on YouTube, so anyone who cannot attend in person can still follow along. Recordings, sermon audio, and a weekly podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, extend the teaching beyond the Sunday window.
D Groups: Discipleship in Small Communities
Discipleship Groups, or D Groups, are the small-group engine behind the "Disciple" half of the 3D vision. The groups meet on Sundays at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 alongside the three morning worship services, and additional D Groups @ Home meet on various weeknights in neighborhoods around the area. A separate launch track lets friends start a new D Group @ Home together.
The church describes D Groups as a place for authentic community (Acts 2:44-47), deepened faith through Bible study, teaching from dedicated leaders who love Scripture, and opportunities to serve together in church events and community mission projects. A Connection Desk in the main foyer is staffed by the host team to point newcomers to the right room. Associate Pastor of Discipleship Dwayne Morris oversees the program.
Lake Bowen Kids, Students, and the Next Generation
The church invests heavily in the next generation. Jason Hope serves as Associate Pastor of Children, Michelle Grigg is the Nursery Coordinator, and Taylor Brock directs the Preschool & ELC (Early Learning Center), which functions as the church's child development center. The current construction project is creating a dedicated building for Lake Bowen Kids along with renovated early-learning spaces.
For older kids, Dru Reilly and Graham McDonald serve together as Associate Pastors of Students, giving the student ministry a two-pastor leadership team. Joshua McAbee is the College Ministry Resident, anchoring ministry to college-aged young adults. Jadyn Ross works alongside Carson Woodham (Worship Leader) to develop the next generation of worship leaders.
Gracie Bates directs the disabilities ministry, ensuring that children, students, and adults with special needs are welcomed and supported in every part of church life.
Women at the 404
The women's ministry at Lake Bowen Baptist is built around the same biblical community value that shapes the rest of the church. Lena White directs Women's Ministry, and the team runs a calendar of studies and events, a quarterly newsletter, and a Facebook-based community ("LIFT Women's Ministry at the 404") that keeps women connected throughout the week.
The ministry describes itself as a loving and welcoming bunch that gathers around tables, travels together to women's events, and welcomes everyone from young adults to those with gray hair. The central message is that Jesus is the foundation everything else is built on, and that women of every season of life have a place to grow, serve, and share the Lord with others.
Missions: From the Upstate to the Ends of the Earth
Missions is the "Deploy" part of the 3D vision, and the church has built a structured program around it. Annie Laurie Atkins serves as Missions Mobilizer, organizing local, statewide, national, and international outreach through the church's missions center. The church maintains a missions calendar and sign-ups where members can find short-term trips, ongoing partnerships, and prayer commitments.
The church covenant itself makes the outward thrust explicit: members commit to "share the gospel through my words and through my actions to people in the Upstate, throughout South Carolina, the United States and the world." The faith and message statement gives the biblical basis: it is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations.
Pastoral Care, Connections, and a Place to Belong
For people who walk through the doors for the first time, the Connections team, led by Josh Brown, is the front door of the church. Bill Harris serves as Minister of Pastoral Care, walking alongside members through hospital stays, bereavement, and other needs. Mike Thompson serves as Executive Pastor, handling the operational side of the church so the rest of the staff can focus on ministry.
The pastoral staff is rounded out by a creative team, including Shelby Owens (Creative Designer), Tyler McAbee (Creative & Technical Director), Joshua Willingham (Creative Producer), and Keith Weathers (IT & Audio Director), who shepherd the church's media, music production, and online presence.
What the Church Believes
As a Southern Baptist congregation affiliated with the Spartanburg County Baptist Network, the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention, Lake Bowen Baptist Church holds to the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1963 and amended in 2000. The full text is published in the church's Faith and Message statement.
Briefly, the church teaches that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God and the supreme standard for Christian faith and conduct. There is one true and living God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Man was created in God's image but fell into sin, and salvation comes only through personal faith in Christ. The church practices two ordinances: believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. The church understands itself as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, governed under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes, with pastors and deacons as its scriptural officers.
The church also holds to a biblical definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, teaches that pastoral office is reserved for qualified men, and affirms the priesthood and dignity of every believer. Church discipline is practiced when necessary, with the goal of restoration, and members affirm a Membership Covenant Certificate when they join.
Media, App, and Staying Connected
Members and guests stay connected through several channels. The Subsplash-powered Lake Bowen Baptist Church app links to the calendar, event signups, online giving, sermon media, and the Church Center platform. Sermons appear in audio and video form on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. A weekly newsletter and a quarterly women's newsletter keep the broader congregation informed.
A Building Project for the Next Generation
The biggest visible change on the Sugar Ridge Road campus is the building project currently in progress. Dedicated buildings for Lake Bowen Kids and Lake Bowen Students are rising on site, along with a renovated front foyer, additional parking, and extra storage. The church has shared that it had previously been debt-free and is funding the new construction through a dedicated building fund rather than adding to the operating budget. Members and guests can give directly to the project online and volunteer for construction labor through the church's sign-up portal.
Once complete, the new facilities will free up existing classrooms, give the children's and student ministries permanent homes of their own, and make the front entrance easier for first-time guests to navigate. Construction updates, including photos of progress, are shared with the congregation.
Joining the Lake Bowen Family
Anyone interested in making Lake Bowen Baptist Church their church home is invited to attend a Prospective Member's Class, meet with the pastor or his designee to discuss membership matters, and affirm the church's Articles of Faith. Members are received by profession of faith and baptism, by letter from another Baptist church, or by restoration upon a prior conversion experience and baptism by immersion. Active members aged 13 and older may vote in church conferences.
For visitors who are simply curious, the easiest step is to walk in on a Sunday morning at 8:00, 9:30, or 11:00, follow the host at the Connection Desk to a D Group or to worship, and see what a hundred-plus-year-old Southern Baptist family on Sugar Ridge Road looks like in 2026.