On the corner of Michigan and County Road 1
North Dunedin Baptist Church stands at 1595 Michigan Boulevard, on the corner with County Road 1 in Dunedin, Florida. The church describes itself with a single, defining phrase: "Making God's kingdom visible." That phrase shapes everything from the way it plans Sunday mornings to the way it sends people across the street and across the ocean. Its stated mission is to make God's kingdom visible "by loving deeply, teaching Biblically, and reaching boldly." NDBC, as the church is known locally, is a Southern Baptist congregation affiliated with the Suncoast Baptist Association, the Florida Baptist Mission, and the denomination's national mission boards. The church has been a fixture on Michigan Boulevard long enough to have welcomed generations of Dunedin families, and many of the people on staff today grew up in the neighborhood themselves.
Two Sunday services, two different feels
The week at North Dunedin revolves around Sunday morning. Two services are offered, both of them in the main sanctuary and both of them running between fifty and sixty minutes. The nine o'clock service is modern, built around contemporary worship songs that the church describes as theologically rich. The eleven o'clock service is traditional, with hymns lifted by the church choir under the direction of Anne Little. After the music, Senior Pastor Kyle brings a single message at both services, one the church describes as Christ-centered, engaging, encouraging, and relevant to everyday life. Freshly brewed coffee is poured before both services, and friendly greeters wait at the sanctuary doors to help newcomers find their way.
Sunday School classes for every age run in between, at ten o'clock, in rooms across the building. From September through May, the church's midweek calendar adds another rhythm: on Wednesday evenings, kindergarteners through fifth graders gather for "Project Wednesday" from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m., and middle and high schoolers meet at the same time in the student area.
The people who lead the church
Most of the staff grew up in or near Dunedin, which gives the church an unusually deep set of local roots.
Senior Pastor Kyle came to North Dunedin in October 2012 with his wife Mary, three months after they were married. Both are Pinellas County natives. Kyle began as Pastor of Youth and Family, became Pastor of Families and Missions in 2019, and was voted Senior Pastor in April 2024. The couple have three sons, Cohen, Marshall, and Brody.
Brad joined the staff in May 2019 as the church's youth minister. A Florida native, Brad graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor's in religion and has been involved in church ministry most of his life. When he is not with the students, he can be found at local coffee shops, the movie theater, or out on the town with his family. He and his wife Amber have a young daughter, Emery, who is often seen running through the building on Sunday mornings.
Laurie Tarbox was born in Clearwater and moved to Dunedin when she married her husband Rick in 1992. She coordinates the Sunday School and small-group ministry, leads Bible studies and small groups for women, and supports the rest of the church staff. She and Rick often spend weekends in downtown Dunedin enjoying a meal or listening to local music. Anyone interested in joining a group can reach her through laurie@myndbc.com.
David Gosnell oversees the missions ministry. He moved from Nashville to Florida in 1983 and joined NDBC the next spring. He met his wife Mary in the IT department at Nielsen Media Research, and they were married at NDBC in 1987. David has taught Sunday School for fifty years and, after a five-year stint pastoring another local church, returned to NDBC in 2007. The Gosnells have four children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandson, and they enjoy working on their house, traveling to see family, and watching sunsets on Dunedin Causeway.
Chris grew up in Dunedin, attended Dunedin Elementary, Middle, and High School, and was part of the student ministry at NDBC herself. She came back to the church in 2016 and became Children's Director in the summer of 2017. She has spent most of her career teaching children with disabilities for Pinellas County Schools and has three daughters who played college softball.
Anne Little, who joined NDBC in 2005 with her husband David, has been singing in church choirs since she was ten. She worked for many years as a hospice nurse before retiring and took over as the choir director in 2022. She also sings with the Dunedin Community Chorus, enjoys Bible study, and loves building memories with her grandchildren.
Simply Loved: the children's wing
Childcare and children's programming are central to the life of the church. Care is offered during both Sunday services and during the ten o'clock Sunday School hour, covering babies through fifth grade. The children's ministry uses the "Simply Loved" curriculum, a program built around memorable Bible points, engaging video, interactive lessons, and hands-on activities, all designed to help children experience being simply loved by Jesus. The ministry aims to guide children through the entirety of Scripture by focusing on the key parts in each book and helping them discover God's story of love. Every volunteer who serves with children has passed a background check.
On Wednesday nights during the school year, kindergarten through fifth graders return for Project Wednesday from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. The program continues the Simply Loved teaching and adds games, memory verses, theme nights, music, and other activities. Anyone wanting more information about the children's ministry or Project Wednesday can write to children@myndbc.com.
A student ministry for the hard questions
The student ministry is aimed at middle and high schoolers, with adult leaders who are committed to walking alongside them. Students meet for Sunday School at ten o'clock each Sunday morning and again on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 p.m. The student area is intentionally laid back, a place where teenagers are invited to ask the difficult questions about faith, life, and what comes next. Brad and his team lead the ministry.
Small groups filling the rest of the week
Beyond the main Sunday morning services, the church runs an extensive lineup of Sunday School classes and small groups, meeting across the building and across the week.
On Sunday morning at ten o'clock, classes are offered for nearly every stage of life: an all-ages class in Room 403, a co-ed class for those sixty-five and older in the same room, a class for fifty-plus singles, widows, and those coming alone in Room 402, a fifty-plus co-ed class in Room 302, a seventy-five-plus class in Room 103, a forty-five-plus class working through "Everyday Revolutionary" by J.D. Greear in Room 405, an all-ages discussion group in Room 303, and a sixty-plus class that begins at 9:45 a.m. in Room 304.
On Monday mornings from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., a men's group walks through "12 Ordinary Men" by John MacArthur in the Fellowship Hall. Tuesday evenings at seven o'clock bring a co-ed group back to the same hall. Wednesday at six o'clock hosts two all-ages Bible studies, in Rooms 303 and 402, plus a video-and-discussion study of "The Beatitudes" by Matt Chandler in Room 302. Thursday mornings at seven o'clock bring another all-ages group to the Fellowship Hall. Laurie Tarbox is the main point of contact for anyone wanting to join.
Senior adults living triumphantly
North Dunedin's senior adult ministry uses the name S.A.L.T., short for Senior Adults Living Triumphantly. The group plans several events each month, including a regular game day and shared lunch, plus seasonal trips and outings that fit the church's broader mission of making God's kingdom visible. Activities are designed to feed both the relationship with God and the friendships among the older members of the congregation. Anyone interested can write to info@myndbc.com.
Men around the table on the third Saturday
The men's ministry centers on a simple rhythm: breakfast together, conversation, and service. On the third Saturday of every month at 8:00 a.m., men from the church meet in the Fellowship Hall for a shared meal. Beyond the food and fellowship, the time is used to talk about how God is at work in North Dunedin and in the wider Dunedin community, and how the men of the church can be involved. The ministry also runs a handyman outreach, offering light repairs and clean-up help to church members who could use a hand. Anyone interested can call the church office.
Missions: next door and around the world
Supporting missions, prayerfully, financially, and with people on the ground, is described as one of NDBC's highest priorities, grounded in the Great Commission of Matthew 28.
Locally, the church partners with CarePortal, which connects the congregation to children and families in need in the surrounding community, a homeless ministry that hands out bags of needed items and Bibles to people on the streets of Dunedin, and a Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility Ministry that visits NDBC members who are homebound or in care. The church also partners with Dunedin Cares, New Life Solutions, and Highpoint Church.
Beyond Dunedin, partners include the Florida Baptist Mission, the Suncoast Baptist Association, the North American Mission Board, the International Mission Board, One More Child, Man Up and Go, Love Packages, and Youth For Christ's Military ministry. Overseas, the church supports two missionary families: Robert Martin, who serves in Japan, and Guy and Elena Key, who serve through Reliant. David Gosnell coordinates the mission program and can be reached at david@myndbc.com.
A historic Baptist confession
The beliefs page of the church carries the full text of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention. The statement walks through the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and trustworthy revelation of God; of the one true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; of humanity as created in God's image and fallen into sin; of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, with its dimensions of regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification; of God's electing grace and the perseverance of the believer; of the church as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, governed by pastors and deacons under the Lordship of Christ and operating through democratic processes; of baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the two ordinances given to the church; of the Lord's Day as a Christian institution of worship; of the Kingdom of God in its present and future forms; of the personal and visible return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and final judgment; of the duty of every believer to share the gospel; of Christian education and stewardship; of voluntary cooperation among churches; of the Christian's call to seek righteousness in society; of peace and religious liberty, with church and state separate; and of the family as God's foundational institution, defined by the lifelong marriage of one man and one woman.
The confession also teaches that the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture, while both men and women are gifted for service in the church. Baptism is described as the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Lord's Supper as a symbolic act of obedience in which members remember the Redeemer's death and anticipate His second coming.
Visiting North Dunedin Baptist Church
The church sits at 1595 Michigan Boulevard, Dunedin, Florida 34698. The phone number is 727-734-3811, the fax is 727-736-5639, and the general inbox is info@myndbc.com. Sunday services are at nine and eleven o'clock in the morning, with Sunday School for all ages at ten and small groups filling the rest of the week.
There is no dress code: most people come in casual clothes, and "Sunday best" is not expected. Newcomers can follow the signs to the sanctuary, where greeters will meet them, and ask a greeter to take them to the children's wing, where a volunteer will help with check-in and walk them to the right classroom. To get connected, the first step is filling out the Connection Card found in the pew racks or at the Welcome Desk, after which a pastor will reach out during the week to share more about the church and to invite newcomers to the next Newcomer's Lunch. Services are also livestreamed on the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person, and giving is available online.