A Church Plant on the South Side
Living Hope Baptist Church sits along State Highway 6 in the southern part of College Station, Texas, just minutes from the heart of Bryan-College Station. For more than twenty-five years it has been a fixture in that corridor, a church that began with a small group of believers praying about reaching the unchurched and grew into a multi-generational congregation with ministries for preschoolers, students, adults, and seniors.
The church's vision is short enough to memorize: "Be a disciple... Make disciples... Be the church... To the glory of God." The staff and members describe themselves as gospel-centered, intergenerational, and authentic, and they are quick to note that they do not expect perfection from visitors. "We aren't perfect people and don't expect you to be, either," the church writes.
From Rock Prairie Elementary to Highway 6
The story of Living Hope begins in 1996, when a group of believers at First Baptist Church of College Station began praying about starting a new church in the southern part of the city. Their goal was to reach unchurched people in the growing neighborhoods south of Texas A&M University.
Those prayers turned into gatherings. Living Hope held its first worship services at Rock Prairie Elementary School in September 1997, and Butch Smith became the church's first pastor in February 1998. In January 2002 the congregation moved into the building on State Highway 6 where it still meets today.
Living Hope's vision for multiplication did not stop at its own walls. In 2009 the church helped plant two daughter congregations: Living Hope Bryan and New Life Baptist Church in College Station. The three churches remain independent, but they share a common desire to tell others about Jesus and to see the gospel spread from Bryan-College Station to the ends of the earth.
In July 2018 the church called Alan Pittman as its second pastor. He has led the congregation in refining the strategies that help Living Hope live out its mission.
Sunday Mornings at 10:30
The heartbeat of the week is the Sunday morning worship service at 10:30 AM. The church gathers as a family and focuses on the gospel through preaching, teaching, singing, praying, and celebrating baptism and the Lord's Supper. The service runs until about 11:45 AM and is livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.
An Equipping Class hour runs before worship at 9:00 AM during the fall and spring semesters. Classes meet for roughly ten to twelve weeks at a time, and offerings stretch from kindergarten through adults. Childcare is available for children from birth through age five (not yet in kindergarten).
Children are well cared for during the worship service. Preschoolers from birth through age five may be checked into the preschool area before the service begins. Children in kindergarten through second grade may stay with their parents or be checked in at the tables in the atrium; they are dismissed after the children's chat to their own leaders. The same option is offered to third through sixth graders in a ministry called Fusion. Students in seventh through twelfth grade are invited to remain in the main worship service.
Hope Groups: Discipleship in Living Rooms
The church is convinced that disciples are not made in rows but in circles. Hope Groups are the small-group communities where most of the church's discipleship happens. The groups meet throughout the week, in homes and around the Brazos Valley, and are designed to be a close community of believers who pray together, fellowship together, and walk alongside one another as they apply the Bible to daily life.
"Community is the context for discipleship," the church teaches. "We don't follow Jesus in isolation. Rather, we were made to be in relationship with God and each other. We don't go to church. We ARE the church." Members are asked to prioritize participation in a Hope Group, and new groups open for sign-ups each year.
Three Classes for Every Member
Alongside Hope Groups, Living Hope runs three core Equipping Classes that the elders ask every member to take. Each class is rooted in a specific passage of Scripture and is designed to build on the others.
Christian Story traces the storyline of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, helping believers see how the entire Old and New Testaments point to Christ and to salvation in him. Christian Belief steps into theology in an accessible way, inviting members to ask questions about the doctrines of the faith without fear. Christian Formation is built around David Mathis's Habits of Grace and considers the spiritual disciplines that mark the life of a Christian, with practical suggestions for building those habits into everyday routines.
Together the three classes are intended to help believers of every stage clearly understand and share the gospel.
Children, Students, and a Wednesday Night Table
Living Hope invests heavily in the next generation. Preschoolers are cared for during the service by a team coordinated by a dedicated preschool coordinator. During the school year, children from age three through sixth grade are invited to Awana on Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 6:30 PM, a time filled with Bible verse memorization, games, and teaching.
Students in seventh through twelfth grade gather on Wednesday evenings for a ministry called SIX05. Doors open at 5:45 PM for food and hanging out, and from 6:05 to 7:30 PM students learn to study God's Word on their own and apply it to real-life situations. The evening is intentionally built around close Christian friendships, plenty of time for games, and a pickup at 7:45 PM.
On Wednesday mornings, a smaller group gathers for a weekly prayer time in the Student Center from 7:00 to 8:00 AM, praying for unreached people groups, missionaries, and more laborers for the harvest. On Tuesday evenings, anyone from high schoolers through adults can show up for community volleyball in the gym from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.
Senior adults (age 60 and up) gather for a regular lunch after the church service, a relaxed time of food and fellowship. Periodically the whole church joins together for a Family Celebration and potluck evening, when members share what God is doing in their lives and around the church.
What Living Hope Believes
At the center of the church's teaching is the gospel, the good news of what God has done in Christ. Living Hope summarizes the gospel this way: all people are created in God's image but have sinned and fall short of his glory; because God's standard is perfection, all of us deserve death. Yet from eternity past God ordained that Jesus would come to take our sins upon himself, suffering an agonizing death on the cross. On the third day Jesus rose again, demonstrating his power over sin and death. His death is a substitutionary sacrifice that satisfies the demands of God's holy justice and reveals his love and grace. Jesus Christ is the only way to be made right with God.
The church holds to a classical statement of basic beliefs. There is one true God, existing eternally in three co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross, rose bodily, ascended to heaven, and will return again to reign as King of kings. The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son, pointing people to Christ, sealing believers, and giving gifts for ministry. The Bible is the God-breathed, inspired Word of truth, the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
Salvation is the free gift of God, received by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. Those who repent of sin and trust in Jesus are forgiven and given eternal life, a gift that cannot be lost because it rests on the promises of God. The church practices two ordinances: water baptism by immersion as a public testimony of a believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and the Lord's Supper as a memorial meal of remembrance and renewal until Jesus returns. Those who have received salvation will spend eternity in heaven; those who refuse God's grace will spend eternity separated from him.
Leadership and Staff
Living Hope is led by a team of five elders: Alan Pittman, who also serves as Senior Pastor; Nathan Thomas; Howard Tipton; Jon Seale; and Jacob Justice.
The pastoral staff includes Pastor Alan, who preaches and casts vision for the church; Howard Tipton, who serves as Children and Student Pastor; and Eric Williams, who leads worship. A support staff of an office manager, financial assistant, communications assistant, worship assistant, and preschool coordinator keeps the ministry running day to day.
Giving, Media, and Staying Connected
Giving is available online through Church Center, with ACH (direct deposit from a checking account) the preferred method because the fee is only thirty cents. Debit and credit card gifts are also accepted, with a 2.15% processing fee that donors can choose to cover. Members and regular attenders can also use the Church Center app to track giving and stay current on events.
Sermons are archived on the church's YouTube channel and on a podcast called Living Hope College Station, available on all major streaming platforms. The church also publishes a weekly worship guide online and keeps an events page called the HOPE, where members can find sign-ups, serving opportunities, and the church calendar. A Connection Card is available for online visitors who want to ask questions or share prayer requests.
Membership and Baptism
Church membership at Living Hope is a decision the church takes seriously. Membership Classes are offered for both students in seventh through twelfth grade and adults, covering the history of the church, its vision, its ministries, and the different ways to get involved.
Anyone who has decided to follow Christ is encouraged to take the next step of water baptism by immersion as a public testimony of that decision. The process begins with a conversation with a member of the pastoral staff.
For more than twenty-five years, Living Hope Baptist Church has worked to be a place in south College Station where disciples are made, communities are formed, and the gospel is shared, all for the glory of God.