Shadycrest Baptist Church meets at 3017 Yost Boulevard in Pearland, where a multigenerational congregation gathers around a straightforward mission: helping people take one step closer to God. Lead Pastor Tyler McKinney, who first walked through the doors as a seventeen-year-old and now serves in his fifth year of pastoral leadership, describes it as "an open family." The phrase captures the spirit of a congregation that prizes relationships over routines and welcomes newcomers with open arms.
Six Values That Shape the Church
Five values anchor the life of the church: Biblically Faithful, Family-Oriented, Intentionally Relational, God-Dependent, and TEAM-Driven. The list is more than decorative language. Each value is grounded in a specific passage of Scripture and shapes a community that takes its identity as a Southern Baptist congregation seriously while never confusing convention with conviction. The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message serves as the doctrinal standard, yet the people of Shadycrest insist their ultimate allegiance rests with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rather than any denomination. Their stated purpose is summed up in a workable paraphrase of Matthew 4:19: follow Jesus, be changed by Him, and join Him on mission. A disciple is therefore someone who is following, being changed, and on mission with Jesus at the same time.
Sunday Rhythms
Sunday rhythms begin at 9:15 a.m. with small groups for every age, followed by a single worship service at 10:30 a.m. The teaching is expositional, walking carefully through books of the Bible with attention to the original message and present-day application. A regularly updated sermon archive from recent weeks and months is available online, along with a YouTube channel that carries full services for those who want to follow along from home. The pews hold a multigenerational mix of families, singles, and seniors who have raised children in the church and now welcome the next generation with the same warmth.
AWANA and Children's Ministry
Children are a major focus of ministry. AWANA meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., splitting kids into age-appropriate groups: Cubbies for ages three through five, Sparks for kindergarten through second grade, and T&T for grades three through six. On Sundays at 9:15 a.m., children's small groups reinforce the previous week's lessons and help young disciples live out their faith. Chrystal Thompson leads the nursery, where the youngest children are cared for during services, and Jamie Cole directs children's ministry overall.
Student Ministry and Campfire
Middle and high school students find their own corner through the Student Ministry, which meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:15 a.m. Director Andy Langford and his team describe a no-hype atmosphere built around games, worship, honest conversation, and friendships that last. Beside that ministry sits Campfire, a distinctive program that pairs biblical teaching with outdoor life skills. Students learn to build a fire, change a tire, read a map, and grill a meal while exploring how practical skills mirror spiritual truths like stewardship, trust, and responsibility. Around a fire or out in the field, students wrestle with Proverbs and everyday life at the same time. The goal is resilient disciples who can lead and serve in the real world.
The Pastoral Team
Behind these ministries stands a small staff. Tyler McKinney serves as Lead Pastor with Bill Himmel as Discipleship Pastor, focusing on growing believers deeper in the Christian life. Pastor Emeritus Donald Hintze continues a long ministry of his own, having spent nearly twenty years serving the churches of Bulgaria alongside the Gulf Coast Baptist Association through church planting, disaster relief, and leadership training. Joe Glass leads the worship ministry. Adult small groups are coordinated through an online portal that helps members sign up for the group that fits them best.
Missions Near and Far
Missions extend in two directions. Locally, Shadycrest partners with Family Promise, which supports families experiencing homelessness; Meals on Wheels, serving homebound neighbors; the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Southeast Houston; Christian Helping Hands; and Less than the Least Ministries. Globally, the church supports Lanterns for Light in Kenya through its children's ministry program, along with International Mission Board missionaries and North American Mission Board causes.
What Shadycrest Believes
The beliefs section works through the basics of the Christian story. God is uncreated, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, became fully human, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose again on the third day. He now rules at the right hand of God and will return in glory. The Holy Spirit indwells believers and guides them into truth. Scripture is God's revelation, written by divinely inspired authors, trustworthy in all it teaches.
Salvation is by grace alone, received through faith in Christ's finished work. Eternal life is nothing less than knowing the one true God and the One He has sent. Hell, in Shadycrest's teaching, is not a place of forced proximity to God but the consequence of rejecting Him. The church's job is to "look, act, and love like Jesus, together" - a family on mission rather than a building to visit. For a congregation that traces its identity back to Matthew 4:19, that mission stays wonderfully simple: walk with Jesus, be changed by Him, and invite everyone you meet to do the same.