No Steeple, Great People on South Church Street
Tucked into the south side of Spartanburg, Southside Baptist Church has made its home at 316 South Church Street for years. The building has no steeple, but the people like to say the steeple is the people. Their slogan, "No Steeple, Great People," captures a congregation that prizes warmth over formality and Bible teaching over show.
The church describes its mission in plain language: "Connecting people with a loving God and encouraging them to an ever-deepening relationship with him. Come just as you are, but be prepared to leave changed by God's grace." That welcome is lived out across a full slate of Sunday and Wednesday activities for preschoolers, students, women, men and older adults, supported by a deep bench of mission partnerships that reach from Spartanburg to Nicaragua.
A Sunday at Southside
The Sunday rhythm at Southside begins at 9:15 AM with Sunday School for every age group, running until 10:15 AM. From infants through senior adults, classes are organized by life stage. Babies through 3-year-olds gather in Preschool Suite 108, 4- and 5-year-olds in Preschool Suite 109, 1st through 3rd graders in Kid's Hall 208, and 4th through 6th graders in Kid's Hall 211. Seventh through twelfth graders meet in the Youth Center. Adult offerings include classes for college students, young adults 21 and up, parents 25 and up, co-ed groups in their thirties through fifties, women's classes at 40+ and 60+, men's classes at 65+, and a mixed senior adult option in the Johnston Room.
At 10:30 AM the congregation gathers in the Sanctuary for worship, a service designed for all ages with nursery care available throughout. The hour blends a Sanctuary Choir, a praise team and an orchestra, with a children's sermon during the offering for younger worshipers. Parents of 5-year-olds and under have the option of sending their children to Children's Church at that point. Services typically run to about 11:30 AM.
On Sunday evenings, the Youth Center reopens from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM for students in grades 7 through 12, who share a meal, play a game in the gym or outside and then participate in a student-led discussion.
Leadership
Rev. Schuyler Peterson has served as Senior Pastor since 2011. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Design Architecture from Clemson University, a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Biblical Languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry focused on Christian Leadership and Church Growth from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife have three daughters.
Rev. Cameron Wilson has been the Minister of Children and Families since October 2013. A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in Religious Studies and North Greenville University with a Master's in Christian Ministries, Cameron works alongside his wife Jamie and a team of volunteers to teach children about Jesus.
Chris Bobo stepped into the role of Minister of Youth and College on August 18, 2019. Southside has been his church since birth. He graduated from Dorman High School in 2008 and Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2012, and is also the founder of Cross Anchor Web Design. He is an ordained deacon, was baptized and married at Southside, and serves with his wife Alyssa and their sons Jay and Caleb.
Rev. Adam Morgan joined as Minister of Music and Technology in October 2024. He graduated from North Greenville University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Music and Spanish and has more than fifteen years of ministry experience, including nine years as a band director. His wife Jessica plays violin or cello during worship services, and their two sons and daughter often join in as well.
Two staff members keep the office running. Sara Eilders serves as Church Administrator, bringing a background in computer technology and information management from Spartanburg Community College. Sonya Cannon is the Pastor's Secretary and Administrative Assistant; she and her husband Scott, who pastors Jonesville Baptist Church, are parents to three daughters.
Preschool and Children: From Wiggles to Awana
The Preschool Ministry cares for children from babies through age 5. On Sunday mornings at 9:15 AM, 3- to 5-year-olds work through the "Bible Studies for Life" curriculum, with videos, play and teaching that aims to hold a preschooler's attention and resources that reinforce the lesson at home. During the 10:30 AM worship service, younger children are welcome to stay in the sanctuary (the ministry calls it "Wiggle Worship") and gather at the steps for a short children's sermon with the Children's Minister, usually returning with a piece of candy. Parents may also send 5-year-olds and younger to Children's Church during the offering.
The Preschool Ministry's three promises to parents are that their children will be SAFE, feel LOVED, and hear the GOSPEL often. Safety is anchored by a professionally trained Southside Safety Team, with specific procedures like KidCheck in the Preschool Suite and clear check-in and dismissal protocols for elementary kids.
Children's Ministry for 1st through 6th graders keeps the same three promises while adding more activities. On Sunday mornings at 9:15 AM, kids split into age-graded small groups upstairs on the Kid's Hall. Wednesday nights at 6:00 PM bring Awana Clubs, where 1st through 6th graders work through their handbooks and games, while preschoolers start at 6:00 PM with choir and then move into Awana at 6:15 PM. Annual events include Parent Date Night in January, Centershot Archery in late winter, Easter and Mother's Day events, a Spring Children's Choir Musical, a Father's Day event, a summer event, the Fall Festival, a Christmas Children's Choir Musical, and a Drop and Shop Christmas event. Children's Choir members present special programs at Christmas and Easter and help lead songs during Sunday worship.
Youth (Grades 7-12)
Southside's Youth Ministry aims to help teenagers grow in their relationships with Jesus and with one another. Students gather on Sunday mornings from 9:15 AM to 10:15 AM in the main Youth room downstairs for a large-group activity and Bible study led by four rotating adult teachers. Wednesday nights run from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM and include supper, high-energy games, worship and a discussion-centric devotion. A smaller Sunday night gathering from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM includes a meal, gym time and a student-led discussion.
Off-campus trips have included winter retreats to Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain and Boone, North Carolina for skiing, tubing, ice skating and small-group devotions. Each summer the ministry travels to Student Life Camp at Shocco Springs Conference Center in Talladega, Alabama for a week of worship, teaching and recreation.
Music Across Generations
Music ministry at Southside is intentionally multigenerational. The Praise Team, an ensemble of vocalists, leads worship each Sunday and rehearses Wednesday evenings at 6:15 PM and Sunday mornings at 9:15 AM. The Adult Choir rehearses on Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM, and visitors are welcome to sit in. The Orchestra rehearses Wednesdays at 6:15 PM and Sundays at 9:15 AM, joining the Praise Team and Adult Choir each Sunday. Children's Choir for K5 through 6th grade presents programs at Christmas and Easter and helps lead songs during worship services.
Women's Ministry
Southside's Women's Ministry centers on the word BLOOM. The acronym spells out the group's purpose: Be a BLESSING to others, LOVE, LAUGH and do LIFE together, build up OURSELVES through scripture, Bible study, fellowship and mentoring, build up OTHERS through connection, encouragement, service and love, and MAKE TIME to focus on Christ, family, and others. Weekly rhythms include the ladies' Pickleball on Fridays from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM in the gym and various Bible studies through the year.
Mission Partners: Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth
Southside organizes its missions work around Acts 1:8: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.
Locally, the church partners with Greater Spartanburg Ministries, a faith-based organization offering food, clothing, financial aid for heating and cooling, and special aid for victims of house fires. Southside volunteers help pack Pantry Boxes on Saturday mornings and distribute them Monday through Thursday mornings from 8:00 to 11:00 AM. The church has also identified Hope Remains Youth Ranch, which provides Christ-centered hope and healing for children, adults and families through equine-assisted ministry, Biblical counseling and mentorship.
Across South Carolina, the church supports the Janie Chapman Offering, organized by the Woman's Missionary Union to support Christian missions throughout the state.
Across North America, the church supports the Annie Armstrong Offering for the North American Mission Board.
Overseas, the church supports the Lottie Moon Offering for the International Mission Board and partners with The Pearl Foundation in Nicaragua. Founded in 2007 by Darrell and Linda Hinson and sent out by Church at the Mill in Spartanburg, The Pearl Foundation runs a children's feeding program serving more than 300 meals five days a week, four Back Yard Bible Clubs reaching 360 children, discipleship classes, a youth group, a feeding program at the city dump, prison and nursing home ministries, and house-to-house visits in surrounding barrios.
A Week at Southside
Beyond Sunday morning, the church's weekly calendar covers almost every evening. Tuesday brings the young adults' dinner and Bible study at a host home from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, plus a college and career group from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Wednesday is the church's busiest night. The chapel hosts an Adult Bible Study at 10:00 AM. The Cafe serves a reservation-only meal from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. At 5:30 PM the Youth Center opens for students; at 6:00 PM adults gather for Bible study in the Cafe while preschoolers head to choir and Awana in the Preschool Suite and K5-6th graders head upstairs for Awana on the Kid's Hall. Sanctuary Choir practice runs from 7:15 PM to 8:30 PM.
Friday mornings bring a men's Bible study at A.S. Bobo Real Estate from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM and ladies' Pickleball in the gym from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Volleyball leagues run seasonally.
What to Expect as a Guest
First-time guests can park in one of the visitor spaces on the north side of the building off South Church Street, to the right of the front of the Sanctuary. From there they can enter the Welcome Center or step directly into the Sanctuary. Dress ranges from dresses and business casual suits to more relaxed attire, so guests are encouraged to come as they are.
Baptism at Southside is by immersion and follows a believer's baptism theology. The membership path includes committing one's life to Christ, being baptized by immersion, and completing the quarterly "Connecting to Southside" class. Members may also transfer their letter from another Baptist church.
Giving is available online through the church's Realm account. Sermons are livestreamed on YouTube and a library of recent messages is also available there.