Live Oak Baptist Church sits at 4565 Live Oak Church Road on the south side of Crestview, Florida, in Okaloosa County's panhandle. The name on the mailbox matches the address, and the church has been a steady presence there for generations of families who drive in from Crestview, Baker, Holt, and the surrounding communities. Pastor Jerry Nelson describes the congregation as "a body of believers made up of people from different backgrounds and stories joined together because of the gospel of Jesus Christ." That diverse, gospel-centered identity shapes everything the church does - from expository preaching on Sunday mornings to handing out more than two hundred food boxes a week to neighbors in need, and from feeding kids at Vacation Bible School to sending support across the Atlantic to Uganda.
Sunday Mornings at 9:00
The Sunday week begins with Morning Worship at 9:00 AM, ending around 10:15 AM. The service is built around prayer, preaching, and giving, with music the church describes as "built around Biblical themes that are timeless." From the pulpit, members and visitors hear expository preaching that works carefully through a passage of Scripture rather than chasing the pastor's latest ideas. The focus of each sermon is the point of the biblical text being addressed, aiming at transforming lives to be more like Jesus Christ. Recent sermon series have included walks through Hebrews 10 ("Once For ALL"), the Parable of the Creditor and the Two Debtors in Luke 7, the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4 ("Sowing the Seeds of Faith"), the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23, and studies on spiritual freedom from Titus 2 and on being salt and light from Matthew 5. Pastors Jerry Nelson and Logan Nosset share the preaching duties.
At 10:15 AM, after the benediction, Bible study groups and Sunday school classes for all ages meet until 11:30 AM. These mid-morning groups give every member of the household a place to dig into the Word at an age-appropriate level. Greeters at the doors help newcomers find their way, and clean, well-staffed nurseries for infants and toddlers are open throughout the morning so parents can focus on worship and teaching. Older children are welcomed into their own classrooms at the same hour.
Wednesday Nights: Three Groups Under One Roof
Midweek rhythms at Live Oak run through a single 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM window in which three groups meet across the campus:
- Adults gather in Rooms 3 and 4 of Building D for a Bible study led by Pastor Jerry Nelson. The group dives into Scripture together, prays for one another, and encourages members to step from the sidelines into disciple-making. The leaders describe it as a place to "experience amazing growth in your closeness with God and life change."
- Youth (6th through 12th grade) open the doors to the youth room at the back of Building D at 5:30 PM for Wednesday Youth Night (WYN). The night is structured to be a fun, relational place where students can deepen their walk with Christ through games, teaching, and small-group discussion.
- Kids (Pre-K through 5th grade) start in the sanctuary at 6:00 PM for Kid's Choir, then move to the children's wing in Building B for Children in Action (CA), a coed missions-discipleship program that teaches kids about missionaries around the world and invites them to pray, give, and serve.
Nursery care for babies through age three is available throughout the Wednesday evening hour. Because every group has its own dedicated leader and meeting space, families can arrive together at 5:30 PM and split off by age without any hassle.
Over 200 Food Boxes a Week
The LOBC Food Ministry is one of the most visible ministries in the Crestview area. Volunteers distribute more than two hundred food boxes every week to families who are in need, and the ministry runs two distribution windows on the church campus:
- Tuesdays, 9:00 to 10:00 AM, drive-through distribution
- Thursdays, 1:00 to 2:00 PM, walk-up distribution
Boxes are packed with a wide assortment of non-perishable items and given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Each household may pick up one box per week regardless of which day they visit, so the same family can rely on a consistent pickup. The church welcomes donations of non-perishable food to keep the shelves stocked for the next Tuesday and Thursday, and a list of partner organizations supports the effort behind the scenes.
Children's Ministry and the Illumination Station VBS
Children from age four through fifth grade have their own ministry at Live Oak, with a vision of creating "a fun and loving environment for all Children" where they hear and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. Sunday morning classes run alongside adult Bible study at 10:15 AM, and the Wednesday night CA program continues that teaching through the week with hands-on mission projects that have included collecting school supplies for back-to-school backpacks and passing out water at local sporting events.
Each summer the church hosts Vacation Bible School, and the current program is called "Illumination Station" - five evenings of games, hands-on discovery, and catchy worship designed to help children see Jesus as the ultimate source of light and learn to let their light shine in the world. VBS runs from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM each evening, and registration is open for children entering Pre-K through fifth grade. Parents complete a short behavioral support plan form as part of sign-up so the volunteer team can serve every child well. The weekly rhythm of Children's in Action continues the same missions focus year-round.
Wednesday Youth Night and Mission-Focused Summer Camp
Live Oak's youth ministry exists "to deepen understanding of the greatness of our God, and to give encouragement in the pursuit of godliness" among the next generation. Wednesday Youth Night is its weekly anchor, but the ministry extends further. On Sunday mornings at 10:15 AM, students gather in the youth wing for Bible study and discussion. In the summer, the youth typically attend MFuge Youth Summer Camp, a mission-focused experience that opens students' eyes to serving in their own communities and learning "to live life each day on mission." The youth group's overarching purpose is helping students find "their ultimate joy and satisfaction" in Jesus Christ.
Men's Brotherhood and Women's Ministry
The Live Oak Men's Brotherhood carries the tagline "Disciples Making Disciples. Iron Sharpening Iron," rooted in Proverbs 27:17. The Brotherhood exists to help men "follow Jesus and help other men follow Him" through Bible study, prayer, accountability, mentorship, fellowship, and service. Its stated goal is to develop men who lead their homes well, serve their church faithfully, impact their communities, and intentionally pour what God has placed in them into the next man. The brotherhood meets regularly for events like men's breakfasts and emphasizes multiplication: "Plant the seed. Grow the disciple. Multiply the mission. One man. One disciple. One seed at a time."
The Women's Ministry at Live Oak brings women together "to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and think through practical applications to everyday life." Women's Bible studies and fellowship events run throughout the year, providing a regular rhythm for women to connect with one another and grow deeper in God's word together.
Breaking Ground in Uganda and Beyond
Live Oak Baptist Church is "fully committed to seeing the Gospel spread throughout the world." The flagship global partnership is Breaking Ground, a mission based in Uganda, Africa. In March 2019 the team and their family left Baker, Florida to plant churches, train pastors, and reach a lost world for Jesus Christ in Uganda. After years on the field, the family has returned to Baker to pastor a local church, and Live Oak's members continue to stand behind Breaking Ground's work planting churches and training pastors.
Closer to home, the church participates each year in Operation Christmas Child, packing shoebox gifts through Samaritan's Purse to demonstrate God's love in tangible ways to children around the world. The Children in Action group also takes part in "Christmas in August," a missions project supporting North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionaries through learning, prayer, and gathering supplies to further their work.
What Live Oak Baptist Believes
Live Oak's core beliefs begin with the Bible. The church teaches that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments were inspired by the Spirit of God as originally written, making Scripture the final authority in all matters of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:16).
- God. One God, Creator of all, holy, sovereign, and eternal, existing in three equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ. The absolute and essential deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His eternal existence with the Father, in His work of creation, His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, triumphant ascension, mediatorial ministry, and personal return.
- The Holy Spirit. The absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, who convicts of sin, regenerates, indwells, seals, sanctifies, illuminates, and comforts believers; who baptizes believers at conversion into the Body of Christ and bestows gifts sovereignly; and who fills those yielded to Him.
- Mankind. Adam was divinely created in the image of God; by his sin of disobedience he fell, and all his posterity inherited spiritual depravity, making all people guilty before God and subject to physical and spiritual death.
- Salvation. Salvation is by the sovereign grace of God; Christ voluntarily suffered a propitiatory death; justification is by faith alone in the all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; and those whom God has effectually called are divinely preserved and ultimately perfected in His image.
Pastoral Leadership
Pastor Jerry Nelson has served as Live Oak's Senior Pastor since October 2010. Before coming to Crestview he pastored Bluff Springs Baptist Church in Ashford, Alabama. The attributes that best describe him as a pastor are strong preaching, leadership development, and counseling, and he was drawn to Live Oak as a congregation that embraces biblical views and cares deeply about reaching neighbors for Christ. He earned a Bachelor of Theology from Baptist College of Florida in Graceville (1988) and a Master of Arts in Theology from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia. He and his wife Rhonda have been married for over twenty-five years and have three daughters: Hannah, Sarah, and Rachel.
Pastor Logan Nosset joined the staff as Youth and Associate Pastor in May 2022, after serving as a Pastoral Intern at Brookside Baptist Church in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. He graduated in 2021 from Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Pineville, Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry. Pastor Logan has a heart for students and a passion to make a difference for Christ, with a yearning "for the next generation to know and follow God."
Planning a First Visit
Live Oak wants first-time guests to feel welcomed rather than sized up. The atmosphere is described as relaxed and comfortable, with music built around biblical themes that are timeless. Greeters stand at the doors to help newcomers find their way, and the dress code is relaxed: most members wear "something in the range of business casual to casual," and the only expectation is that what you wear is chosen to honor God. Parking is available in the lot adjacent to the church with designated visitor spaces throughout. Clean, well-staffed nurseries for infants and toddlers are open during every service, and children's ministry classes run during the 10:15 AM Bible study hour on Sundays.
Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube (@liveoakbaptistchurch6925) and on Facebook for those who cannot attend in person. A library of recent sermons is available on both platforms, including series such as "When the Harvest Comes," "Mustard Seed Faith," and "A Father's Intercession."
The church office is at 4565 Live Oak Church Road and is open from 8:00 AM to noon, Monday through Friday, with offices along Building C. Visitors and members can reach the office at 850-682-5160 or by email at secretary@liveoakbc.net. Online giving is available through giving.servantkeeper.com/liveoakbc, and gifts can also be mailed directly to the church address.