A Southern Baptist Presence on North Stewart Road
Lincoln Heights Baptist Church sits along North Stewart Road on the north side of Mansfield, Ohio, where it has served as a Southern Baptist congregation for decades. The single-story building is easy to spot from the road, and the primary parking lot and entrance are in the back, a small detail that surprises first-time visitors used to a front-door approach. Inside, the church holds a steady weekly rhythm: Bible study in the morning, gathered worship at eleven, and a midweek service that pulls the congregation back together on Wednesdays.
Pastor Mike Wilson has led the church since July of 2001, when he arrived fresh from Mid-America Theological Seminary. He and his wife Denise have raised their three children, Ethan, Delaney, and Karlie, in the church, and he still preaches each Sunday from the ESV while welcoming worshippers to bring their preferred translation. A team of four deacons, Buford Frazier, Carl Riggenbach, Mark Scheurer, and David Winchester, serve alongside him.
Sunday Mornings at Lincoln Heights
Sunday at LHBC begins at 9:45 a.m. with Small Group Bible Fellowship for all ages, running until 10:45 a.m. Classrooms are filled with children, students, and adults digging into Scripture together, and the children's wing opens its nursery at the same time for newborns and infants. Parents who prefer to keep babies with them are welcome to do so in the worship service.
At 11:00 a.m. the congregation gathers for the main Sunday Morning Worship service. The musical style is deliberately blended: hymns, older chorus songs, and newer contemporary hymnody sit side by side in a single service. Pastor Mike preaches through books of the Bible in a steady, expository manner. The service is livestreamed each Sunday at 11 a.m. for those unable to attend in person, and an archive of past sermons is available on the church's YouTube channel. Children in the children's wing are dismissed partway through for Children's Church, where they sing, memorize Scripture, and study the Bible at their own level.
Wednesday Nights and the Koinonia Students
Wednesday evening worship begins at 7:00 p.m. and draws a smaller, more conversational crowd. It is the second main gathering of the week and gives the church a midweek touchpoint beyond Sunday.
The student ministry, called Koinonia Student Ministry (KSM), meets on the same Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Students in grades 7 through 12 gather for games, fellowship, and a Bible study currently working through a series called Real Life Issues. KSM also meets on Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. to study the Book of James together. The students are treated as part of the church now, not just the church of tomorrow, and that posture shapes how the ministry is run.
Children's Ministry from Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Children's Ministry at LHBC is led by Rhonda Hagy and centers on the same weekly rhythm that anchors the rest of the church. On Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., children gather in small group classes by age. During the 11:00 a.m. worship service, children move to the children's wing for Children's Church, a structured time of Bible teaching, praise songs, Scripture memory, and activities designed for them. The nursery is open from 9:45 a.m. through the end of the worship service for newborns and infants, though families who want to keep their babies close are welcomed into the sanctuary. Throughout the year the children's ministry also hosts special events, with details posted on the church's social media.
Women's Ministry
The women of LHBC gather on Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall for a Women's Bible Study. The stated aim is character, godliness, and deeper fellowship, women encouraging women to grow in their walk with Christ. The ministry also hosts a variety of women's events across the year, and details for those gatherings appear on the church's social media.
Men's Ministry
Men's Ministry is directed by deacon David Winchester and is built around accountability, service, and study. The centerpiece is a monthly Men's Breakfast held at 8:00 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month at Cracker Barrel. The men gather around food, fellowship, and conversation that often carries over into deeper study and prayer. The ministry exists because the church believes that godly men are crucial for strong families and strong churches.
Community Outreach in North Central Ohio
LHBC takes seriously the call to fulfill the Great Commission in its own neighborhood. Two annual events anchor that outreach. Every August the church hosts a free Community Cookout and Block Party at Eastview Elementary School, with food, carnival games, and pony rides open to anyone who shows up. Every October the church hosts Trunk 'n Treat in its own parking lot at 512 North Stewart Road, with candy for trick-or-treaters and hot chocolate and popcorn at the end of the line. Both events are free and built to serve families in the surrounding community.
Affiliations and Beliefs
Lincoln Heights Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist congregation and supports missions at home and abroad through the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention. At the state level it affiliates with the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, and locally it partners with the Buckeye Central Erie Baptist Association, a network of churches in north central Ohio working together to share the gospel and strengthen one another.
The church fully affirms the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000. Above that affirmation, the church holds that Scripture alone guides the theology, ministry, and work of LHBC, and it firmly believes in the inerrancy, infallibility, and authority of the Bible.
What to Expect on a First Visit
Worship begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings and 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, with Small Group Bible Fellowship for all ages running from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. before the Sunday service. The primary parking lot and entrance are in the back of the building. There is no dress code. Most people dress somewhere between business casual and casual, and guests are welcome in anything from jeans to a suit. The pastor preaches from the ESV, but visitors are encouraged to bring whatever translation they prefer. Giving is available online through Tithe.ly for those who wish to support the ministry of the church.