A Church Plant on the Northwest Side
Leon Valley Baptist Church began in 1984 as a mission of Town East Baptist Church, planted to serve the growing neighborhoods on the northwest side of San Antonio. Four decades later, the congregation still gathers at 7990 Grissom Road, with the same conviction that has guided the body since its first service: that the Bible is God's word, that Jesus is to be proclaimed, and that the church exists to present Christ to the world. The mission has not changed. The scope has.
Today the church family is a blend of generations, languages, and backgrounds, gathered around a blended worship service that pairs traditional hymns with contemporary songs, and around clear, verse-by-verse teaching from the Bible by Senior Pastor Steve Burkholder. The church's motto is: Presenting Christ to the World, Ministering to San Antonio, Texas since 1984.
Three Languages Under One Roof
Few churches in the city carry on weekly ministry in three languages at the same address. Leon Valley Baptist Church does. English and Spanish Bible study meet together at 9:30 on Sunday mornings. The English worship service and the Spanish-language service both begin at 10:30. A separate Deaf Bible class is also held at 9:30 on Sundays, and American Sign Language interpreting is provided at the 10:30 English worship service, the 6:30 evening service, and the 7:00 Wednesday night service. The church describes itself as one united body, with services in English, ASL, and Spanish so that God can use the congregation to reach even more of San Antonio for Christ.
The church sits on a single campus, with a main auditorium, classrooms, a gym, and a school building behind the gym that houses children's classes. Visitor parking is reserved near the main entrance, with overflow parking in the rear. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the main phone line is answered by the church office during those hours.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like
Visitors walking in on a Sunday can expect a relaxed, friendly environment. Greeters meet guests at the door and direct them to the auditorium, classrooms, or nurseries, and a Welcome Center holds printed information for anyone with questions. The church explicitly tells first-timers to wear whatever feels right. Dressy, business, or casual attire all fit comfortably in the same room.
The 10:30 a.m. English worship service blends traditional hymns with contemporary songs and is followed by a clear, practical message from the Bible. A second gathering takes place Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. for worship and fellowship around God's word, with Pastor Steve preaching and teaching directly from the text. Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. provide a midweek Bible study service. Recent Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening sermons are uploaded to the church's YouTube channel within a day or two, and the services are also livestreamed.
Children from Nursery Through Junior Camp
The Children's Ministry exists to glorify God in all that it does while discipling children through weekly and yearly activities. Each piece is built around teaching the truth found in the Bible and helping children learn how to respond in faith.
Supervised nurseries are available during every service for children from newborn through three years old, in a clean, well-prepared environment that frees parents to worship and receive teaching in confidence. Children's Church for ages four through fifth grade begins at 10:30 in the sanctuary with parents, so that kids participate in the first portion of the worship service. Children are dismissed for their own age-appropriate teaching just before the sermon, gathering in the gym; parents pick them up directly after the morning service. Children's Sunday school classes for ages four through sixth grade meet at 9:30 a.m. in the gym and the rear school building, with parents asked to drop off no earlier than 9:15.
On Wednesday nights at 7:00, Kid's Club offers a safe, fun evening of Bible teaching, snacks, and games. The ministry's stated goal is to teach the truth of biblical accounts and to share God's good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ so that children come to salvation and grow into strong Christian leaders.
Two yearly events round out the year. Vacation Bible School is offered each summer, and Junior Camp takes third through seventh graders to Southland Christian Camp in Ringgold, Louisiana, for a week away from the daily distractions of life. The camp is described as a fun, godly, safe environment designed to help kids grow closer to God.
Youth Ministry for Seventh Through Twelfth Grade
The youth ministry at LVBC works to help teens believe from experience that following Jesus in today's world is both vital and fun. The mix of relevant Bible teaching, encouraging community, and games is intentional. Youth Bible study meets Sunday mornings at 9:30, and Wednesday nights at 7:00 combine games, fellowship, and Bible study. Other activities through the year include summer camp, summer mission trips, winter retreats, and youth rallies.
Highlights and updates are posted on the youth Instagram account at @youth.lvbc, and parents and students can sign up for text reminders by texting @lvbcyg to 81010 through Remind. Questions about the youth ministry are routed to Pastor Steve at the church office.
Adults: Growing Together in the Word
The Adult Ministry at LVBC is built around a simple conviction: that the church should provide opportunities for adults to grow in faith, to find their place of mission, and to build community. The structure includes weekly Bible studies, men's and ladies' conferences and fellowships, a missions conference, and Faith Bible Institute. Recreation is woven in as well, with pickleball, basketball, and volleyball nights. Active ministry teams include Worship Ministries, Media Ministries, Hospitality Ministries, Community Outreach, and the Spanish Ministry, giving adults regular, hands-on ways to use their gifts.
Personal counseling is available when needed, and smaller group Bible studies and fellowships give room for the kind of close prayer and accountability that a Sunday morning alone cannot carry. The church's stated posture is that through Scripture, theological reflection, communal discernment, exploring gifts, prayer, and developing spiritual friendships, the congregation seeks to transform itself and its community with the love of God made known in Jesus.
The Deaf Ministry Since 1998
The Deaf Ministry was established in 1998 with the help of missionary Jon Barr of Silent Word Ministries. The church invites Deaf people to come worship God in their own language. On Sunday mornings, the Deaf Bible class gathers at 9:30, and American Sign Language interpreting is available at the 10:30 Sunday service, the 6:30 Sunday evening service, and the 7:00 Wednesday evening service. The ministry is contacted directly at lvbcdeaf@yahoo.com.
Iglesia Bautista Leon Valley and the Spanish Ministry
The Spanish ministry is one of the newer chapters in the church's story. Spanish Pastor Bob (Roberto) Yoder moved to San Antonio in October of 2021, and on November 7, 2021, he held the first service entirely in Spanish at LVBC. The timing was deliberate. San Antonio has a large Hispanic and Latino population, and many in that community were looking for a church service in their own language. The goal of the Spanish ministry is not only worship, but also preparation: Sunday school is used to help new believers grow as disciples of Christ and to equip them for ministry.
The Spanish Sunday morning service begins at 10:30, and the Spanish Wednesday evening service begins at 7:00. Spanish Sunday school meets at 9:30. Pastor Yoder previously served as an assistant pastor at Grace Bible Baptist Church in New Paris, Indiana, and then pastored the Spanish-speaking congregation there for fourteen years. He and his wife Estela were married in Mexico, and their three children have all graduated from West Coast Baptist College. The oldest daughter and her husband are serving as missionaries in Ireland; the middle daughter works in her local church and does marketing for ministries; the youngest and his wife are on full-time staff at a church in Michigan.
Men's prayer meetings are also offered in Spanish each Friday at 7:00 p.m., and a Spanish Sunday school hour prepares believers for ministry after they come to faith. As Pastor Yoder puts it, Christ unites us so we serve Him together.
A Heart for the Nations
Missions are woven into the identity of Leon Valley Baptist Church. The congregation currently supports more than ninety individual missionaries and mission organizations around the world, sending out $240,000 per year in monthly missionary support. The church's policy is that one hundred percent of every dollar given to missions goes to the mission field; not a single cent is kept for anything else. Special offerings above and beyond regular giving can be designated to any of the missionaries or missionary ministries, as the Lord leads.
The missions philosophy is summarized in three sentences the church repeats often: We face a humanity that is too precious to neglect. We know a remedy for the ills of the world too wonderful to withhold. We have a Christ who is too glorious to hide. We have an adventure that is too thrilling to miss.
Several specific partnerships shape that giving. The church is involved with Manna Worldwide, a ministry that provides feeding centers, orphanages, schools, and medical clinics for children around the world. LVBC supports a feeding center in Tinca, Romania, a village marked by poverty and an inadequate school system, and participates in an orphanage in Guatemala. The church also partners with Dare For More Ministries, an organization dedicated to reaching neglected women, helping transform lives by providing resources and pointing women toward a relationship with Christ. Missionaries are channeled through the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE), Baptist International Missions Inc. (BIMI), Baptist Mid-Missions, Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI), and the Central Missionary Clearing House, along with several smaller mission groups.
Reaching Out Beyond the Building
Outreach at LVBC is structured around the conviction that the church should use whatever means possible to reach the community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The current outreach portfolio includes Flea Market Evangelism, Prison Ministry, Neighborhood Outreach, Downtown Evangelism, and a ministry called Caleb's Kin. People interested in joining any of these efforts are encouraged to contact the church office.
The Upward Soccer League is another way the church meets the surrounding community. Open to boys and girls in kindergarten through third grade, the league provides one practice and one game each week, team devotions, equal playing time, and an emphasis on healthy competition and friendship.
Leon Valley Christian Academy and Mother's Day Out
Two programs extend the church's ministry to younger families throughout the week. Leon Valley Christian Academy operates on the campus and is listed among the ministries on the church's navigation, and a Mother's Day Out program provides a daytime option for parents of young children. Together they make the campus a place where families spend many of their hours, not just Sundays.
Bridge to Campus with Maranatha Baptist University
For high school graduates and adult learners, the church hosts Maranatha Baptist University's Bridge to Campus program, which lets students begin a Christian college degree close to home. Interactive live classes are streamed by high-definition video conference into the LVBC classroom, with weekday sessions between 7:15 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. Online courses offer additional flexibility. Credits can be applied toward an MBU degree or transferred, and Maranatha Baptist University is regionally accredited through the Higher Learning Commission. Registration is open for the fall semester; inquiries go to Dr. Donald Leaver II, with MBU contact information also available through the church.
What Leon Valley Baptist Believes
The church's statement of faith is published on its site and embedded in its constitution. The Bible is God's word, spoken through chosen human authors, and is to be believed, obeyed, and trusted in all its parts. There is one God, the creator of all things, who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, rose again, and ascended into heaven. Sin has separated humanity from God, and the eternal destination of every person is either heaven or hell, determined by each person's response to Jesus Christ. Salvation is received by repenting of sin, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to His will. Jesus Christ will return at a time known only to God, and this truth demands constant expectancy and motivates godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission. The church is committed to Christ's Great Commission, obediently evangelizing the world, making disciples among all peoples, and bearing witness to the gospel in all that it does.
Pastors and Leadership
Senior Pastor Steve Burkholder served as a church-planting missionary in Tanzania, East Africa, where he started Truth Baptist Church and the TRUTH Center in Katesh. Over twenty-one years in Tanzania he was involved in five church plants, started a Christian school ministry and a Bible institute, trained national pastors, and led a missionary enrichment conference. He and his wife Natalie have been married since 1997 and have three children: Hannah, Caleb, and Sarah.
Assistant Pastor and Minister of Music John W. Dupree retired from the United States Air Force in September 1999 after twenty-five years of military service and joined the pastoral staff that same year. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Bible from Liberty University and an Associate's Degree in Interpreting and Translating from the Community College of the Air Force. He and his wife Arlene and their children Brian and Erica first attended LVBC in December 1993, after a military reassignment from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to Kelly Air Force Base in Texas, and became members in January 1994.
Pastor Emeritus Forrest Jones has made more than twenty-five mission trips to fourteen different countries, with most of the trips going to the Philippines and India, teaching national pastors on the church, homiletics, and pastoral theology. He enjoys the outdoors, particularly deer hunting and fishing, and an occasional round of golf with men of the church and other pastors.
Weekly Rhythm and Special Gatherings
Beyond the regular Sunday and Wednesday services, several smaller gatherings mark the church's calendar. A Men's Prayer Meeting meets each Saturday at 8:00 a.m. in English, with a Spanish men's prayer meeting each Friday at 7:00 p.m. Meeting At The Well gathers on the last Saturday of each month for men. A Ladies Fellowship meets on the first Friday of each month. Sunday evening worship at 6:30 and Wednesday night Bible study at 7:00 round out the week, alongside the youth and children's programming that runs alongside the adult services.
Giving and Getting Connected
Giving is offered online through the Church Center app and through the church's online giving page, and gifts may also be mailed or dropped off at the church office during regular office hours. The Church Center app is available on both iOS and Android. Visitors who want the church to know they are coming can fill out a Connect Card or use the contact form on the website, where a team member will follow up to make sure they receive a warm welcome. Devotionals from the pastors are posted on the church's resources section, and an archive of sermons is available on the Leon Valley Baptist Church YouTube channel for anyone who missed a Sunday.
A Place for the Northwest Side and the Nations
From its first service as a mission plant in 1984 to its present ministry in three languages across a single campus on Grissom Road, Leon Valley Baptist Church has held to a steady conviction: that the Word of God is to be taught clearly, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be presented plainly, and that the church is to be a sending church, both across the street and around the world. Whether a family is looking for an English-speaking congregation with a blended style of worship, a Spanish-speaking church home, or a place where Deaf believers can worship in their own language, the same body gathers on the same property to worship the same Lord. That unity, in three languages, around one Bible and one Savior, is the shape of Leon Valley Baptist Church.