Sophia Baptist Church sits on Millikan Road in the small community of Sophia, in Randolph County, North Carolina, where it gathers around a simple but firm conviction: scripture alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. The congregation is known in the area for its expository preaching, its family-integrated worship, and a steady calendar of Bible reading that walks members book by book through the Old and New Testaments. Visitors often comment on the warm welcomes, the King James readings, and the long, gospel-saturated services that Pastor Jonathan Burris leads with energy and a clear doctrinal bent.
Five Solas and the Gospel at the Center
The faith that shapes everything at Sophia Baptist Church is summed up in the Five Solas of the Reformation. The church's own confession declares that scripture alone is its only infallible authority for faith and practice, that salvation is by grace alone through God's gracious love, that faith alone is what justifies, that Christ alone is the ground of salvation, and that all of creation and redemption exists for the glory of God alone. The church rejects popes and magisteriums, rejects adding human works to the finished work of Christ, and rejects any tradition that would stand above scripture.
That Reformation foundation runs through the church's full gospel presentation. The bad news, as the church describes it, is that all of humanity, fallen in Adam and spiritually dead in sin, cannot on its own know, love, or desire God. The good news is that God the Son, Jesus Christ, became fully man and yet fully God, lived a perfect and sinless life, was crucified, and rose victorious over death, hell, and the grave on the third day. Those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead are saved. Repentance is described as the work of God in a sinner, by which a person begins to hate the sin they once loved and to love the God they once hated, and the result of saving faith is continual repentance, faith, and submission to Christ as Lord.
Sophia Baptist Church is governed as an elder-led congregational body. Members and elders each carry distinct responsibilities, but the elders bear primary responsibility for the teaching, shepherding, and oversight of the flock. In friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention, the church affirms the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and is working to adopt a confession that provides even greater doctrinal clarity.
Sundays in Sophia: Sunday School and Family-Integrated Worship
Sunday at Sophia begins at ten o'clock in the morning with Sunday School. The teaching is described as faithful, Bible-centered, and offered in fellowship groups for all ages and all walks of life. Classes run the full range of the congregation, from the youngest learners to the oldest saints.
At eleven o'clock, the sanctuary fills for the main Sunday worship service. The service is built around two anchors: spiritual singing that focuses the assembly on the Lord, and passionate exposition of the scriptures. The music is described as Biblical and planned around the theme of the sermon, and preaching is expositional, working through books and passages of the Bible in order. There are no pressured decisional invitations or altar calls. The Lord's Supper is observed on designated Sundays.
Worship is family-integrated. Children are welcome in the service with their parents, and a nursery is available for nursing mothers and any parent who wishes to use it. Public scripture readings use the King James Version for consistency, though members and visitors are encouraged to use whatever faithful translation they prefer. Bibles are available for anyone who needs one, and a free Bible will be given gladly to any guest without one.
Wednesday Evenings Around the Scripture
Wednesday nights are a second weekly gathering at Sophia, beginning at seven o'clock. The service opens with corporate prayer, moves into a deep dive into scripture, and concludes with choir practice and a time of fellowship. It is a midweek touchstone for the congregation, the place where a working schedule does not have to crowd out the word.
Wednesdays also carry the church's main Bible-survey work. A long-running series called Survey of the Bible walks the congregation through the Old and New Testaments, often a book at a time. Recent months have covered books from Leviticus through 2 Kings, and the rhythm has been steady: a survey of one book on Wednesday evenings, with a more sustained study in a particular book on Sunday mornings. The most recently completed Sunday series was a five-week study in Habakkuk, titled Habakkuk - From Complaint to Confidence, which took the small prophetic book in chapters and worked through questions like what to do when God seems silent, when the answer hurts, and how to rejoice in the sovereignty of God.
The Preaching Ministry: Book by Book Through the Bible
The preaching at Sophia is shaped by a conviction that the whole counsel of God is to be taught, and that conviction shows up in the schedule. The Survey of the Bible series is the steady, long-haul work, and it has progressed book by book: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, and on into the wisdom literature and the prophets. Each book gets a single Wednesday evening, while more concentrated attention is given to specific passages or smaller books on Sunday mornings.
Theological themes are not treated as one-off topical talks but as sustained studies across many weeks. The summer months have included series on creeds and confessions in scripture (the Shema of Deuteronomy 6, Jesus is Lord from Romans 10, the Unity Creed of Ephesians 4, the Carmen Christi of Philippians 2), followed by a series called Answering Tough Questions that worked through the problem of evil and suffering (Romans 8), the relationship between faith and works in James and Romans, and whether a believer can lose salvation (John 6, Hebrews 6, 1 John 2). The Sundays after that turned to heaven, hell, the urgency of evangelism, and the joy of faithfulness. A new series in the Gospel of Luke began in the fall, walking through the encounters of Jesus in Luke 7. Pastor Burris has preached most of these series, with deacons and other members occasionally filling the pulpit, such as James Leonard teaching the Survey of Joshua.
Raising Up the Next Generation
Youth ministry at Sophia meets on Wednesday evenings at seven o'clock, running alongside the adult Wednesday Worship. The stated goal is to raise a generation of servant leaders who love God with all their heart and who know more about him and his word than many seminary graduates do. The youth time is built around corporate worship, fellowship, fun, and food, and the church treats it as an essential part of the week, not an optional add-on.
Vacation Bible School is the largest annual event for children and families. Past VBS weeks have run for four evenings with classes for every age from young children through adults, with a free dinner served nightly before the program. The church partners with Answers in Genesis for its VBS curriculum and runs a careful check-in and check-out system, an on-campus security team, and a thorough volunteer screening process for every worker. The atmosphere is described by the church itself as loud, joyful, gospel-saturated, and deliberately evangelistic, with the secret goal of making every family feel so welcomed that anyone without a church home will want to come back on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Children, Family Worship, and Safety
Sophia practices family-integrated worship, which means children are expected in the sanctuary with their parents during the services. The church is quick to add that no one will be embarrassed by a restless little one, and parents are always welcome to step out to the nursery if needed. The nursery itself is staffed by trained, screened volunteers, and no child is ever alone with a single adult. A separate nursing room is available.
Every adult who works with children has passed an extensive background check and has been approved by the leadership, and if a child needs a parent during a service, the parent will be reached immediately. The church considers this a matter of trust and a basic responsibility of any congregation that takes seriously the call to disciple the next generation.
Visiting Sophia: What to Expect
First-time guests are greeted at the main lobby by ushers who will help with finding the right class or a seat in the sanctuary. Visitors are encouraged to sit wherever they like; the church notes, with a touch of humor, that members do not have assigned seats, and that they are Baptists but not that kind. No one will be called out, asked to stand, or singled out during a service. Ushers will be glad to help anyone find their way around the campus, which the church describes as easy to navigate and handicap accessible.
Dress ranges from casual to professional, and modesty is appreciated, but the church is explicit that no one should let what they wear keep them from visiting. A Bible is encouraged, though not required, and the public reading is from the King James Version so that everyone can follow along with the same text. The offering is not taken by passing plates; giving boxes are located in the lobby for those who wish to give privately, and online giving is also available. The church is direct that those who are struggling financially should not feel pressure to give.
Leadership
Sophia Baptist Church is shepherded by Pastor-Teacher Jonathan Burris, who has served in Christian ministry since 1994. His stated desire is to honor Christ and his word through faithful exposition of scripture and through equipping disciples to defend their faith. He is assisted in the work of ministry by the diaconate, with James Leonard serving as a deacon. The elder-led model means that the elders, including the pastor, bear primary responsibility for the teaching, shepherding, and oversight of the flock, while the congregation retains its own biblical responsibilities of belief, study, mutual care, and gospel witness.
The Family Life Center and the Women's Ministry
The Family Life Center is a regular gathering spot for many of the church's smaller ministries. A Ladies' Fellowship meets monthly on a Thursday evening at six o'clock at the Family Life Center, drawing women of the church together for fellowship, encouragement, and study. The Ladies' Fellowship is one of the more visible rhythms of the women's ministry, alongside the participation of women in the church's teaching, VBS work, and small group life. The church's Fellowship Building, separate from the main sanctuary, is also used for church-wide meals and special events like the annual Homecoming Service and Meal and the Christmas Meal.
Community and Mission
Sophia Baptist Church frames its mission simply: we exist to glorify God and enjoy him forever, and the only way that can be done is through a personal relationship with the Creator, made possible through the death and resurrection of his Christ and through the effectual calling of the Spirit. The church describes itself as disciples making disciples, and the community of Sophia itself is treated as the congregation's Jerusalem, the first place where its members are called to live out the gospel. The church also partners with other believers in the wider community, hosting the annual county-wide National Day of Prayer service and serving food for ministry events at neighboring congregations, in keeping with its conviction that the local church is the first and most important sphere of Christian witness and service.