Two Services, One Family on University Drive
Parkway Baptist Church sits at 766 East University Drive in Auburn, Alabama, a short drive from Auburn University. With the motto "Love God. Love Auburn. Love the Nations," the church frames itself as a family where new people can find new life and next steps in Jesus Christ. Parkway is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, and the Tuskegee-Lee Baptist Association, and it holds to the Baptist Faith and Message, 2000.
Sunday Mornings: Traditional and Contemporary Worship
Parkway gathers for worship each weekend through congregational singing and biblical teaching, with two distinct services that share the same pulpit. At 8:30 AM the Adult Choir and Worship Team lead the Traditional Worship Gathering, drawing from a broad scope of traditional hymnody. At 10:50 AM the Contemporary Worship Gathering features a band and worship leaders in a variety of modern musical styles. Children's activities are available during both services.
Between those services, at 9:40 AM, Sunday Morning Bible Study fills the campus with small-group classes. Parkway describes its Sunday School hour as foundational to leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, with classes set up by age group from birth through senior adults, including options for singles, married adults, couples, and coed groups. The same conviction shapes the midweek DiscipleLife classes, which provide another weekly opportunity for Bible study and fellowship across all ages.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
Wednesday is built around a shared meal. At 5:30 PM the Family Fellowship Meal gathers in the Christian Life Center, followed at 6:15 PM by DiscipleLife classes for every age. The structure is simple and unhurried: eat together, then open the Bible together. Children's programming runs alongside it, with nursery care and missions-focused discipleship for preschoolers through fifth graders.
Parkway Kids: From Nursery Through Fifth Grade
The children's ministry partners with parents to introduce every child to Christ, help each one grow in understanding of Him, and develop a burden for the lost. On Sundays, nursery is offered for infants through three-year-olds during both worship services in the Children's Building, while four-year-olds through first graders gather for Children's Worship and Bible Study in multipurpose rooms. At 9:40 AM, Sunday School reaches infants through fifth grade.
Sundays at 5:00 PM add His Kidz Jr. (four-year-olds through first grade) and His Kidz (second through fifth grade), both meeting in the Children's Building. On Wednesdays at 6:15 PM, the nursery is open for infants through two-year-olds, while preschoolers use Mission Friends curriculum and elementary students work through Mission Journey: Kids, exploring missions at home and around the world. First-time families are greeted at the children's desk, where a check-in team uses a phone number to generate matching parent and child security tags for the visit.
Parkway Youth: A Place for Seventh Through Twelfth Grade
Parkway's youth ministry exists to lead the next generation to live for what matters most. Students join the broader worship gathering at 8:30 or 10:50 AM, attend Sunday School at 9:45 AM in the Christian Life Center, and then have two afternoon rehearsal options: the Youth Praise Team at 4:00 PM and the Consumed Choir at 5:00 PM.
Wednesday nights begin with the 5:30 PM family meal in the Christian Life Center, followed by worship and Bible study at 6:15 PM. The ministry works from seven anchors for students: Authentic Faith, Spiritual Disciplines, Moral Boundaries, Meaningful Friendships, Wise Choices, Ultimate Authority, and Others First. Parkway frames the teen years as exciting, awkward, and sometimes difficult, and aims to walk through them alongside students and their families.
College and Graduate Ministries
Parkway College is built around a vision that students would have a growing relationship with Jesus and authentic community with one another and the church body. Students worship at either Sunday service, attend Sunday School at 9:40 AM, sign up for Home Groups during the week, share a free Wednesday meal at 5:30 PM, and gather for Bible study at 6:15 PM. A GroupMe chat and an Instagram account at instagram.com/parkway_college keep students connected between meetings.
For those past the undergraduate years, the Graduate and Professionals Ministry offers a Sunday School class, a Wednesday Bible study, and activities that address the social needs of graduate students and working professionals.
Men's, Women's, and Encore 55+
Parkway Men's Ministry, directed by Ben Sims, leads men into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ through weekly small-group Bible study, one-on-one mentoring, and monthly fellowships. Service teams support church activities and community outreach.
Deeply Rooted, the women's ministry, draws women closer to God and to one another through weekly small-group opportunities and monthly fellowships. Two Bible studies anchor the week: a Wednesday morning study of "The Gospel of John" by Polly Machen at 9:30 AM in the Hope Classroom, and a Wednesday evening study of "The Way of Wisdom: A Study in the Book of Proverbs" by Jen Wilkin at 6:15 PM in the Believer's Classroom, facilitated by Paige Phillips.
Encore 55+ ministers to retired adults and those 55 and older through spiritual growth, Christian service, outreach, and fellowship. The group typically meets on the third Tuesday of most months and adds quarterly local trips plus an annual larger trip. Cornerstone Ministry complements it, meeting Monday mornings at 9:00 AM to serve those who are sick, homebound, or bereaved, and to welcome the church's newborns through sewing projects, sermon CD deliveries, flowers, and church maintenance.
Worship Arts
Worship ministry at Parkway is anchored by the Adult Choir, which leads the 8:30 AM service and presents special music throughout the year. Membership is open to anyone with a love for the Lord and a desire to serve through music; no auditions are required. His Kidz and His Kidz Jr. give preschool and elementary students their own choral opportunities, performing in services throughout the year. Soloists with a distinct calling for worship ministry are invited for consideration, and Worship Leading Teams - vocalists and instrumentalists - lead out in both Sunday services.
Behind the scenes, a support team handles lighting, computer presentation (ProPresenter), and sound, with training provided by members of the Parkway family. Questions about worship ministry go to music@parkwayauburn.org or the church office at 334-887-3782.
Missions: Local, National, and International
Parkway sees every Christian as an ambassador of Christ and supports that calling in three concentric circles. Locally, the church serves its neighborhood through acts of service, love, and testimony. Nationally, it partners with the North American Mission Board and sends teams to cities such as Spartanburg, Birmingham, Soldotna, and Orlando. Internationally, it partners with the International Mission Board and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, sending teams to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering supports North American missions each year.
Celebrate Recovery and Trail Life
Celebrate Recovery meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM. It is a Christ-centered recovery program for anyone struggling with hurts, hang-ups, or habits, and it carries the same gospel-centered DNA as the rest of the church's ministries.
Trail Life Troop AL-1003 is Parkway's Christ-centered, boy-focused, church-based mentoring program for boys from kindergarten through twelfth grade. With the motto "Walk Worthy" (Colossians 1:10) and the slogan "Adventure, Character, Leadership," the troop pairs adult male mentors with boys in outdoor adventure, character development, service, and practical leadership.
Parkway Preschool
Parkway Preschool operates as a ministry of the church for early childhood education. It serves families in the Auburn area and shares Parkway's campus and Christian foundation.
The Parkway Virginia Taylor Library
The church library, named the Parkway Virginia Taylor Library in 2003, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2024. Established in 1974 with Virginia Taylor as librarian, it opened three months later with 300 books, thanks in part to a gift of furniture, equipment, and books from Dr. Charles Isbell of Auburn First Baptist Church. Today the collection includes roughly 5,600 catalogued items - books, DVDs, Bible studies, and a history section with church and missions memorabilia. The library is open on Sundays from 8:00 to 8:30 AM and 9:30 to 11:00 AM. Virginia Taylor is joined by assistant librarians Charlotte Burleson, Deb Henderson, Connie Steele, Renee Thompson, and Martha Nell Fuller.
What Parkway Believes
Parkway's doctrinal statement is the Baptist Faith and Message, 2000. The Bible is treated as the inspired, trustworthy Word of God. There is one true God who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Human beings are made in God's image and fallen into sin, and salvation comes only through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, encompassing regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. The church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, with baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the two ordinances of Christ. The church also affirms believer's election, the perseverance of the saints, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment of the righteous to heaven and the unrighteous to hell.
Family, religious liberty, peace, and cooperation among believers round out the statement. Marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime, and children from the moment of conception are described as a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
Five-Year Vision, Holy Land Journey, and 100 Days
Parkway has published a 2026-2030 Vision Plan Booklet that outlines goals for spiritual growth, community impact, and expanded ministry over the next five years. The church also sponsors a 10-day Holy Land journey led by Pastor Jeff Redmond, scheduled for April 19-28, 2027, traveling from Netanya through Tiberias to Jerusalem and visiting sites including Caesarea, Magdala, the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives, the Dead Sea, and the Garden Tomb. Pricing, deposits, payment milestones, baggage rules, and travel insurance details are outlined on the trip page.
Alongside those longer arcs, the 100 Days of Bible Reading plan invites the whole church to walk through key passages together, with a downloadable reading plan and the YouVersion Bible app as companions. RIGHTNOW Media is also available as a digital library for members, and sermon messages are posted as a podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and as video on Vimeo.
Giving, Prayer, and Staying Connected
Giving is framed as an act of worship. Members and guests can give in person during any Sunday service, mail checks to the church's University Drive address, give online through the Church Center platform, or transfer stock by contacting the church office. A Prayer Warrior team receives prayer requests submitted through the church's online form.
Discover Parkway is offered three to four times a year as a first step for newcomers to learn about the church's core values, ministries, and leadership. A separate Ministry Team Survey helps members identify where they might serve, and the church calendar lists upcoming events, Bible studies, and fellowship opportunities across every age group. Sermon messages are livestreamed and archived, and the church maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Vimeo, with the Apple Podcasts and Spotify feeds carrying the audio sermon archive week by week.