A Going Church for a Coming Lord
Lone Oak Missionary Baptist Church sits on Lone Oak Road on the western edge of Plant City, Florida, where strawberry fields give way to the rolling pastures of eastern Hillsborough County. The congregation has adopted a motto that has shaped its identity for years: "A going church for a coming Lord!" The phrase captures both the church's missionary spirit and its expectation that believers should always be on the move, serving the next person, the next neighborhood, and the next nation with the gospel. Under the pastoral leadership of Kerry D. Beaty, the church continues to function as an independent, self-governing body of scripturally baptized believers who describe themselves not as non-denominational, but as a Missionary Baptist church with deep roots in historic Baptist convictions.
Visitors who step onto the campus at 3505 Lone Oak Road find a multi-generational congregation that runs from nursery-age children to widows and widowers, from college students to retirees, all gathered around the same King James Bible and the same doctrinal commitments. The church's ministry calendar reflects that breadth, with Sunday school classes for every age, three weekly services for gathered worship, mid-week Bible study, and a busy slate of activities that run from the orchestra pit to the fellowship hall.
What the Church Believes
Lone Oak Baptist has published a detailed doctrinal statement that begins with a simple confession: "The Lone Oak Missionary Baptist Church is NOT a Non-Denominational Church!" The church holds that its beliefs and convictions are what make it who it is, even when those convictions separate it from other churches in the area. The congregation commits to the truths "passed down through the ages by other committed and unapologetic followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ," and prefers the King James Version of the Bible as its translation of choice.
The doctrinal statement covers the full scope of historic Baptist belief: the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible; one personal triune God in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Genesis account of creation; the fall of mankind; the virgin birth, sinless humanity, deity, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ; and the bodily, personal, premillennial return of Christ. The church teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, that believers are eternally secure in Christ, and that the church is a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship, independent and self-governing, with no ecclesiastical body exercising authority over it.
Two ordinances are observed: baptism by immersion of penitent believers, and the Lord's Supper as a memorial restricted to the members of the observing church. Two offices are recognized in the New Testament: pastors and deacons, whose qualifications are set out in Titus and 1 Timothy. The church also teaches that marriage, by the Bible's own definition, is the union of one man and one woman.
Sundays at Lone Oak
The Sunday rhythm at Lone Oak is built around three gatherings. Sunday School opens the day at 10:00 a.m. with classes running from nursery age through senior adults. Separate classes are offered for preschool, K through 2nd grade, 3rd through 5th grade, middle school, high school, young adults, couples, ladies, and a combined adults and senior saints class. The pastor teaches a class for members who want to study the Bible systematically through the year.
Morning Worship begins at 11:00 a.m. and features the choir's weekly special, congregational singing accompanied by the orchestra, and expository preaching. Children's Church, designed for preschool through third grade, is offered during this service for younger children who do not yet adapt well to the structured adult service. The evening service follows at 6:00 p.m., rounding out the day with a second opportunity for worship, teaching, and the ordinances of the church.
Wednesdays at Lone Oak
Wednesday nights at Lone Oak are a kind of mid-week hub for the entire church family. The doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the building fills with the sound of small groups going in every direction. The Mid-week Bible Study gathers adults around the Scriptures, while age-targeted ministries run at the same hour for the rest of the family. Treehouse Kids welcomes children up through fifth grade for music, Bible lessons, and games. Rooted Student Ministries gathers students in sixth through twelfth grade to worship, engage, and explore the Word. Momentum, the church's college and career ministry, meets in its own space for students, young professionals, and those early in their careers. Families can arrive together and scatter to their own groups, then regroup for the drive home.
Children and Students
Children's ministry at Lone Oak reaches into both Sunday and Wednesday schedules. Children's Church, taught by youth workers and teens who are described as highly qualified and child-sensitive, walks preschoolers through third graders through Bible truths during the 11:00 a.m. worship hour. The Treehouse Kids program on Wednesday evenings adds music to the mix and opens the door to every child up through fifth grade. Sunday School adds a third layer of weekly discipleship, with classes grouped by age so that teachers can engage each child at his or her level.
For students in sixth through twelfth grade, Rooted Student Ministries meets on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The program is designed to prepare young people for the struggles of the teenage and young adult years by grounding them in the Word of God. Sunday School classes are also available for middle school and high school students at 10:00 a.m.
Momentum: College and Career
Momentum is the church's college and career ministry. The group welcomes students, professionals, and people just starting out in their careers, and meets every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. A Young Adults Sunday school class is also offered every Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. for those whose stage of life does not fit neatly into a traditional adult class. The name says it well: the ministry's stated goal is to give its members the right momentum for life by studying God's Word and applying it at school, at work, and at home.
Adults, Young Adults, and the Sunday School Hour
Beyond Momentum, Lone Oak offers a wide spread of adult and young adult classes on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Ladies, couples, and young adults each have their own dedicated classes, and the pastor leads a class for anyone who wants to study through the Bible systematically across the year. Together these classes give adult members a regular small-group setting within the larger Sunday School hour.
The Senior Saints of Lone Oak
Senior adults are not a forgotten generation at Lone Oak. The Goodtimers, the church's senior adult fellowship, gathers for a monthly luncheon on the third Tuesday of every month at noon in the fellowship hall. Lunch is provided and a guest speaker is featured each month. The Goodtimers also plan an annual trip together for those who want to travel as a group. Within the senior adult ministry sits a smaller group called FRIENDS, which serves widows, widowers, and mature singles. Sunday mornings, the senior saints have a class of their own during the Sunday School hour.
A Heritage of Sacred Music
Music is woven through every part of the life of the church. The orchestra rehearses most Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. and members of all ages are welcome to join. The choir rehearses on Sunday afternoons at 5:00 p.m., then presents a special every Sunday morning during the worship service. Each year the choir works on cantatas for Christmas and Easter that anchor the church's seasonal worship. The music ministry page invites anyone who has been given the gift to add their voice or instrument to the congregation's worship, reflecting the church's conviction that musical talents, when used and shared, are a great addition to public worship.
Missions and the Great Commission
Lone Oak understands ministry as a worldwide enterprise. The church's doctrinal statement describes itself as a local, visible body of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship seeking to carry out the Great Commission as commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ. That conviction shapes a missions program that supports a wide list of missionaries and mission points both financially and prayerfully. The missions ministry page invites members to see the full list of supported works, and the church regularly emphasizes that ministry is not just local but global.
The Church Covenant
Membership at Lone Oak is shaped by a written covenant that members enter into before God and the assembly. The covenant commits believers to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of the church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort, and to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines. Members pledge to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel. They also engage to maintain family and secret devotions, to religiously educate their children, to seek the salvation of their kindred and acquaintances, to walk circumspectly in the world, and to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage. Members further promise to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember one another in prayer, to aid one another in sickness and distress, and to be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation. When members move away, the covenant calls on them to unite as soon as possible with another church where they can carry out the same spirit and the principles of God's Word.
Worshipping from Anywhere
Most of the church's services are livestreamed and archived on its YouTube channel and Facebook page, with an alternate mobile link provided for those who have trouble watching from a phone or tablet. For visitors planning a first visit, regular Sunday gatherings begin with Sunday School at 10:00 a.m., Morning Worship at 11:00 a.m., and an evening service at 6:00 p.m., with Wednesday programming at 7:00 p.m. for the entire family. The church office can be reached at (813) 754-5278, and the pastor, Kerry D. Beaty, is supported in ministry by Levi Mainous, who serves as Youth and Associate Pastor.