First Baptist Church Oloh gathers on Oloh Church Road in Sumrall, Mississippi, and names its own priorities in three phrases: Christ Centered, Truth Driven, Mission Minded. The church's mission is to glorify Christ by making joyful disciples who love God and love neighbor. That focus shows up in an intergenerational worship service built on verse-by-verse teaching, a carefully run children's ministry, and a member-driven congregation that keeps the gospel and the word of God at the center of both church life and daily life.
Three Words and Five Values
FBC Oloh states its mission in a single sentence: "FBC Oloh exists to glorify Christ by making joyful disciples, who love God and love neighbor." Five values explain how the congregation puts that mission into practice.
- Gospel-centered Living. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the center of everything the church does, changing relationships, motives, and lifestyles.
- Bible-focused Discipleship. Growth is rooted in the word of God, so discipleship at every level keeps the Bible at its heart.
- Intergenerational Worship. The gospel binds people together and frees them to release differences and stylistic preferences for the sake of unity.
- Meaningful Membership. Belonging to a church means more than having a name on a roll. Members share one another's burdens and the mutual responsibility of ministry.
- A Missionary Mindset. Everyone is living in a mission field, with a calling to live the life of a missionary in their neighborhoods and in the workplace.
Those values are not abstract. The missionary posture reappears in the youth ministry's mission projects and in the deacon assigned to benevolence, and meaningful membership is described in practical terms of service and accountability.
Sunday School at 9, Worship at 10
Sunday mornings begin with Sunday School at 9:00 am and run until 9:50 am, followed by the worship service at 10:00 am. The church calls the congregation the Oloh family and says it would love to welcome visitors to any of its gatherings. First-time attendees are told they do not need to dress any particular way and that they will find people they can relate to. The church also invites people to stay after the service, because the congregation usually spends that time talking and getting to know one another.
The teaching carries the weight. Preaching and teaching root deeply in Scripture and are taught expository and verse by verse, so people can pull God's truth from God's text. The aim is to connect the congregation with what God means for people to hear.
Music Without a Single Style
FBC Oloh does not confine its music to one vein. The church embraces the best of many styles for the sake of pointing hearts to Jesus, and the goal is multiple generations singing alongside one another and worshiping together, setting aside styles and preferences for the sake of unity. What matters most is the lyrics and the declarations being made about God.
The same intergenerational conviction shapes the treatment of children. The church believes parents can disciple their children by modeling behavior in corporate worship, that children are capable of participating in and comprehending the songs, Scripture, and sermons, and that the faith of a child can spur on faith in adults. Families are encouraged to sing God's word and study God's word together regularly, which is why children stay with the adults for the main worship gathering.
Wednesday Nights for Every Generation
Children, youth, and adults all meet for Bible study on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The children's gathering includes nursery care from birth through Pre-K, while kindergarten through fifth graders study God's word through song, crafts, stories, drama, and games. Students in sixth through twelfth grade gather for what the church describes as a fun environment where they can be encouraged in their faith mid-week, singing songs, playing goofy games, studying books of the Bible, and working through topical studies related to youth culture. Adult small groups also meet on various days throughout the week.
Check-In, Background Checks, and Learning for Young Children
Childcare is provided for children from birth through Pre-K during the 10 am worship service, and nursery care for ages 0 to 4 is provided for all Sunday and Wednesday gatherings. The church describes the atmosphere as family-like and says the goal is to display the love of Christ to children while partnering with parents in the discipleship of children.
Safety is handled deliberately. All volunteers have passed a background check and take part in yearly ongoing training. Check-in opens 15 minutes before the worship gathering begins, and a security tag system is used for check-in and pick-up. Every child from birth through fifth grade must be checked in before entering a classroom, and the Kids Check-In station is located in the Gathering Hall. First-time families give the parent or legal guardian's information, the children's names and birthdates, an address, a phone number, and any special instructions for each child so the secure check-in system can be maintained.
Children in Worship is a specific part of the Sunday morning service. The church addresses children from time to time during worship and places sermon notes at each entrance to help children follow along. Sunday School classes for Pre-K through fifth grade gather in groups to study Scripture using The Gospel Project curriculum.
Youth Ministry for Sixth Through Twelfth Grade
The youth ministry exists to support parents and the community in the discipleship of teenagers. The church's reasoning is direct: teenagers face many challenges in today's culture and are bombarded with false teaching through a variety of means, so they need healthy relationships with other godly, caring adults who offer another voice, teaching and living out the gospel before them.
On Sunday mornings at 9:00 am, students gather in small group Bible study using The Gospel Project curriculum. On Wednesdays at 6:30 pm, they sing, play games, study books of the Bible together, and work through topical studies tied to youth culture. Throughout the year, the ministry sets aside time for fellowships, camps, retreats, and mission projects to create margin for relationship building with Jesus and one another and to live out the life of Christ together. The stated aim is that a graduation celebration could also become a sending out of missionaries and ministers to universities and the workforce.
Small Groups and Meaningful Membership
FBC Oloh holds church membership in high regard because it believes the Bible does as well, and it understands serving the church as a key part of sanctification. Four requirements shape the process. Applicants must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, because one must be born again to be a member of the church. They must have professed faith in Christ through believer's baptism by immersion, which the church reads in the Gospels as following a profession of faith, with the water symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Applicants must complete the Prospective Members class, which covers the history, vision, beliefs, and core values of FBC Oloh. Finally, each applicant meets individually with one of the pastors, shares a written faith story of how and when they began following Jesus, hears the pastor's testimony, and asks any remaining questions.
Applicants are recommended by the pastors and accepted by a vote of the members present at a regularly scheduled Members Meeting. Adult small groups meet on various days throughout the week and extend the same emphasis on shared life and mutual responsibility of ministry.
What FBC Oloh Believes
FBC Oloh holds The Southern Baptist Faith and Message (2000) as its expanded doctrinal statement, and its summary of belief follows that confession. Scripture is affirmed as divinely inspired, a perfect treasure of divine instruction, totally true and trustworthy, and the supreme standard for human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions. God is affirmed as one and only one living and true God, Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is affirmed as the eternal Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, without sin, who died on the cross for redemption, was raised from the dead, and now stands exalted as the one mediator between God and humanity. The Holy Spirit is affirmed as fully divine, inspiring Scripture, illuminating truth, convicting of sin, and empowering the church for worship, evangelism, and service.
Human beings are described as the special creation of God, made in his image, with every person possessing full dignity and worthy of respect and Christian love. Salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and it is traced through regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification, with no salvation apart from personal faith in Christ. A New Testament church is defined as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ and operating under the lordship of Christ through democratic processes, with pastors and deacons as its scriptural officers. The first day of the week is affirmed as the Lord's Day, and Christ is affirmed to return personally and visibly in glory, raising the dead and judging all people in righteousness. The family is affirmed as the foundational institution of human society, with marriage understood as the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.
The People Who Serve at FBC Oloh
The staff includes Andy Baker as lead pastor, Tim Walker as pastor for families, David Bryan as director of music ministries, Jamie Richards as kids' ministry director, Joshua Sullivan as pastoral assistant, and John Marc Strebeck as ministry intern. The elders are Andy Baker, Brian Clark, Justin Russell, Josh Thompson, and Tim Walker. Nine deacons carry specific assignments: Chad Anderson in finances, Danny Aultman and Gary Lafollette in building and grounds, Paul Blackwell in safety and security, Randy Broussard in benevolence, Alton Cade in ordinances, Adam Prine in technology, Bubba Smith in fellowships, and Stephen Sylvest in Sunday service.
That combination of a preaching team, a pastor for families, dedicated music and children's ministry staff, and deacons assigned to particular areas of church life reflects the congregation's own definition of meaningful membership: shared burdens and mutual responsibility of ministry.
The Oloh Family in Sumrall
Recent sermons are available through the church's YouTube channel and through its podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Updates run through the church's Facebook and Instagram accounts, and giving is available online. FBC Oloh continues to gather at 36 Oloh Church Road in Sumrall, with Sunday School at 9:00 am, worship at 10:00 am, and Wednesday Bible studies for children, youth, and adults at 6:30 pm.