Tucked into a five-and-a-half-acre property at 8200 Flintridge Road on the west side of Little Rock, Oak Park Baptist Church has anchored its corner of Pulaski County since 1976. What began as a small group of families who bought the land under the name Northview Baptist Church grew into a Southern Baptist-rooted congregation that, today, fills a worship center and a 14,000-square-foot family life center known as the Davis Center. The church's stated purpose is to bring glory to God by making disciples of Jesus Christ, and everything from its blended music to its packed Wednesday night calendar is built around that single aim.
Sunday Mornings at Oak Park
The weekly rhythm at Oak Park centers on Sunday morning. Sunday School meets at 10:00 a.m. with classes for every age, followed by morning worship at 11:00 a.m. in the Worship Center. The service pairs a praise and worship band with a blend of traditional and contemporary music, and a choir and handbell ensemble add their part during the Easter and Christmas seasons. Parents with younger children can drop them at Children's Church at 11:00 a.m., where kids from newborn through fifth grade hear a Bible lesson, sing, snack, and work on a craft or game in a classroom cleaned between meetings. Outside entries are locked during services and only reopened when the service ends, part of the church's safety protocols for children.
Wednesday Nights for the Whole Family
Wednesday is the busiest night of the week. At 6:30 p.m. a shared meal draws everyone to the Davis Center, where children gather for the Twelve Weeks of Fall program - a weekly mix of a Bible lesson, music, gym time, and an activity tied to the lesson - while middle and high school students head to the Youth Room for their own gathering. At 7:00 p.m. adults move into Bible study, and the youth group for grades 6 through 12 kicks off in the Youth Room of the Davis Center. The Youth Ministry's stated goal is to help teens build a mature, lasting relationship with Christ and the church, and its Wednesday format balances Bible teaching with small-group conversation so students can talk through the lesson together.
The Oak Park Student Ministry
The student ministry, branded OPSM, reaches infants through fourth grade in one arm and grades 6 through 12 in another. Its three-word mission is to help students Expand their knowledge of God's Word, Employ its truths in daily life, and Engage others with the gospel. Beyond Wednesday nights, OPSM students meet for Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. in the Youth Room of the Davis Center, where lessons are shaped around the issues teenagers are working through. Each year the group travels to the SOAR Conference, a multi-session event for students in grades 6 through 12 hosted at the Embassy Suites in San Marcos, Texas, and spends a week at Budd Creek Baptist Church Camp near Greer's Ferry, Arkansas, alongside other BMA of Arkansas churches. The student ministry also runs monthly outreach events aimed at the surrounding community.
Children's Ministry
Oak Park's Children's Ministry introduces kids to Jesus through dedicated teachers and age-appropriate classes from newborn through fifth grade. Children's Church on Sunday mornings includes worship songs, a Biblical lesson, snack time, and a craft or game, while the Wednesday night program layers in music, gym games, and a hands-on activity tied to that evening's lesson. A meal is provided each Wednesday for children attending. Annual highlights include the Easter Egg Hunt, Church Camp, Trunk or Treat, a Back to School Bash, and pool parties during the warmer months. The Parent Ministry partners with families using resources drawn from the Orange curriculum that the children's Wednesday night program follows.
Music and Worship
Music is treated as a ministry of its own at Oak Park, not a backdrop. Morning worship pairs a praise and worship band with choral and traditional elements. A seasonal choir performs at Easter and Christmas, and anyone who wants to sing is welcome to join. A handbell ensemble performs during the Easter and Christmas services as well. The Music and Worship Ministry invites people to use their talents - vocal, choral, or instrumental - in any of those settings.
Golden Ager Ministry
Adults 55 and older have their own ministry called the Golden Agers, directed by Patricia Douglas. The focus is fellowship. A Lunch Bunch heads out to area restaurants one Thursday a month, and the fourth Thursday of each month brings a day trip somewhere within driving distance - museums, Imax theaters, dinner theaters, and state parks all make the rotation. At least twice a year the group gathers in the Fellowship Hall for a potluck and a musical program. A Ladies Bible Study, led by Jan Hodges, meets at 1:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
A Building Shaped by the Congregation's Story
The Oak Park property has been rebuilt at least once. A 1982 tornado destroyed the original church building; members rebuilt it and added a fellowship hall, paying off the debt quickly. As the church grew, the leadership hired part-time music and youth directors, then a full-time minister for both roles: Jim Turner joined the staff in 1991. The position grew large enough that a separate full-time youth director was added in 2000 when Jeff Herring came on staff. By the early 2000s the church had outgrown its space, and in 2003 the congregation voted by faith to build a $1.7 million, 14,000-square-foot Family Life Center on an additional half-acre purchased behind the worship center with the support of Jerry and Shirley Davis. The Davis Center, completed in September 2004, now houses the fellowship hall, kitchen, game room, gym and stage area, music room, and youth room - much of it reservable through the church's Event Reservation Form.
Vacation Bible School and Summer Programming
Summer at Oak Park is built around three anchor events. Vacation Bible School returns each June with a weeknight run from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., beginning with a meal and sign-in at 5:45 p.m. and including games, crafts, and a Bible story lesson. Church Camp draws grades 6 through 12 to Budd Creek for a week of Bible study, recreation, and shared worship with other BMA churches. SOAR, an annual conference for students in grades 6 through 12, takes the group to the Embassy Suites in San Marcos, Texas, for a multi-day experience of worship, teaching, and recreation.
What Oak Park Believes
Oak Park Baptist Church holds to the doctrinal statement of the Baptist Missionary Association of America. The statement affirms one true God revealed in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - equal in every divine perfection. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is described as God's inerrant revelation, written by men moved by the Holy Spirit, and the standard for Christian faith and practice. Creation is the work of God, marriage is defined as the inseparable union of a male and a female, and every human being from conception is described as possessing inherent dignity. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works, and believers are described as eternally secure in Christ. Two ordinances are observed: baptism by immersion for believers, and the Lord's Supper as a memorial of Christ's death. The church recognizes two permanent offices, pastors and deacons, both open to men only, and operates as an autonomous, self-governing local congregation under Christ as its only Head. Civil government is recognized as ordained by God, distinct from the church, and deserving of Christian submission and prayer. The statement also includes an addendum expressing the BMA's premillennial belief in the return of Christ and the two resurrections - one of the righteous at His coming, and one of the wicked at the close of the thousand-year reign.
Leadership in a Season of Transition
Oak Park has navigated several leadership transitions over the past decade. Founding pastor David Harris, who had served since November 1976, died in an automobile accident in January 2013 along with his granddaughter Maci; the church came together under the staff and deacons during the year that followed and called Dr. Gary O'Neal as senior pastor in May 2014. Jeff Herring resigned as Minister of Youth and Children in September 2018, and after Zac Lee's tenure ended in 2021, Jake Tyson stepped into the role at the start of 2022. Jim Turner resigned as worship pastor in July 2025 to be closer to his family, and Gary O'Neal announced his resignation as senior pastor in May 2026, citing health concerns; he retired from the ministry at Oak Park in June 2026. Ken Adams, a member since 2023 who had filled the pulpit regularly during O'Neal's absences, stepped into the role of interim preacher. David McCombs, who had been attending and serving on the worship team alongside interim director Mark Lackey, was called as the new worship pastor in July 2026.
Deacons and Staff Who Steady the Work
Day-to-day operations are carried by a small staff and an active deacon body. Edie Walker serves as secretary and Karen Keathley as treasurer. The deacons are led by Chairman Gene Harris and include David Wylie, Paul Edwards, Mark Lackey, Ben Hooper, Bob Burnside, Tommy Walker, and Chad Harper.
Joining from Anywhere
For those who cannot be in the Worship Center in person, services are livestreamed through Facebook, YouTube, and Sermoncloud, and the sermon archive holds more than a decade of messages - including the most recent series from David Harris on the book of Joshua, the Sermon on the Mount, the prophet Isaiah, the Epistle to the Ephesians, and the Epistle of Jude. Giving is available online, and offerings can also be placed in the offering box during the Sunday morning service or mailed to the church's Flintridge Road address. A Plan Your Visit form on the church's site lets first-time guests share their name, contact information, and expected visit date so the staff can be ready when they arrive.
Five decades after a small group bought five and a half acres on Flintridge Road, Oak Park Baptist Church continues to gather in much the same place - in buildings rebuilt after a tornado, expanded by a family life center, and filled each week by Sunday school classes, a blended worship service, and a Wednesday program that brings children, students, and adults to the table together. The name on the sign has not changed. The call to make disciples has not either.