Rooted on James Street in Jonesboro
Southwest Church of Christ sits at 1601 James Street in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a single campus anchored to one of the city's established east-side corridors. The congregation describes itself with a single line: a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled family making disciples for Jesus. Visitors who pull into the parking lot on a Sunday morning find a church that has been working out that calling in northeast Arkansas for decades, with a YouTube handle and a long local history pointing back to 1960.
The church operates as a self-identified Church of Christ and organizes its life around two weekly anchors: a Sunday morning Bible class hour and a Sunday morning worship gathering, plus a Wednesday evening rhythm of meal and classes. Around those gatherings, an unusually wide ministry network reaches from nursery-aged children through college students, from a twice-weekly food pantry to jail ministry, from recovery houses to mission teams overseas.
Life Together on Sundays and Wednesdays
Southwest's weekly pattern is simple to walk into. Sunday morning classes meet at 9:00 AM for every age group, and the main worship service gathers at 10:00 AM. Midweek, the church opens its gym at 5:30 PM for a Wednesday evening meal, then moves into age-appropriate classes for everyone at 6:30 PM. The Wednesday meal in the gym doubles as a community touchpoint - a place where tables fill up before the classes begin and newcomers can find a friendly seat without a formal dinner event on the calendar.
The worship gathering is led by a preaching and worship team that includes Adam Brewer, the church's lead preaching minister, and Ken McAlpin on the worship staff, supported by a rotation of volunteers on the Praise and Tech Teams. Services are livestreamed and are open to anyone who would rather join from home.
All Ages in the Classroom
Southwest takes Bible class seriously. The 9:00 AM Sunday hour offers classes for every stage of life, and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM repeats the pattern. Adults can pick from a range of topical and life-stage classes, and a separate Young Adult Class meets under the leadership of Darryl and McKenzie Dromgoole. The current Men's and Women's Ministry is being relaunched, with the church noting it as coming soon and inviting interested adults to watch for events.
Kidmin: From Nursery to Pre-Teens
Children's Ministry, branded as Kidmin, serves kids from birth through sixth grade and is led by Valerie Malone. The ministry runs three coordinated tracks on Sunday morning. Wee Watchers provides trained nursery care for children four months to two years old during the main worship service. Camp KIDMIN gathers three-year-olds through first graders for a children's worship time during the 10:00 AM gathering, with singing, dance, and a teaching aimed at their level. A separate Sunday class hour at 9:00 AM walks children from birth through sixth grade through curriculum built around three ideas: that Jesus loves them, that God's Word is true and good, and that God's family is held together by grace.
Safety is built into the experience. From check-in to pick-up, the Kidmin team positions itself as a partner with parents, and the Wednesday evening classes extend that care into the middle of the week. Seasonal events such as Vacation Bible School give kids another touchpoint in the summer months.
SWYG: Junior High, Senior High, and a Wednesday Hangout
Students in grades seven through twelve find their own space in Southwest Youth Group, or SWYG. Junior High and Senior High students each have a dedicated Sunday morning class, then join the rest of the congregation for the 10:00 AM worship service. Wednesday nights bring a midweek hangout at 6:30 PM that the church describes as welcoming, energetic, and fun, with space for honest conversation and teaching that connects Scripture to real life.
SWYG is led by Coleman Bevill and Rachel Thompson, supported by a Student Advisory Committee that partners with parents. The ministry's stated goal is to walk alongside students through the spiritual stages of adolescence and to help families pass down faith across generations. A current building project under the All Generations campaign is reshaping the youth ministry facility into a larger, more flexible space for that growing student body.
WolfLife: A Campus Ministry in the Midst
Because Jonesboro is home to Arkansas State University, Southwest runs a dedicated college ministry called WolfLife. The name picks up ASU's wolf mascot. WolfLife students join the main 10:00 AM worship gathering on Sundays, then gather again for a 6:30 PM midweek worship, with community groups and mentoring relationships spread throughout the week.
The ministry opens its doors to students from any background or faith tradition and centers its programming on weekly Bible studies, worship services, service projects, and social events. Its aim is to be a place where college students can ask hard questions, build friendships, and put their faith into practice during a formative stage of life.
House Churches: Small Groups Across Jonesboro
For adults who want a smaller circle, Southwest's House Church network functions as its small-group system. Each House Church is an open group that meets in homes (or other comfortable settings) to practice the ways of Jesus, care for one another, and look for ways to bless Jonesboro. Some meet every week, others twice a month, and some once a month; most gather on Sundays, but not all. The church encourages newcomers to try more than one to find a fit, and frames House Church as a safe place to ask questions, belong, and taste the grace of Jesus for the first time.
Recovery, Counseling, and the Better Life Center
Behind the Sunday gatherings, Southwest runs a significant care network through its Better Life Center. Two recovery ministries - Promise House and Breaking Bonds - walk alongside men and women working through addiction, offering a path to freedom and lasting hope through Christ. The Better Life Counseling Center provides Christ-centered counseling for individuals, couples, and families dealing with mental health and family strain. The church's gym, once a vision for community connection, is being refreshed with new flooring and a commercial-grade kitchen so it can again host events, outreach, and shared meals.
Outward: Food, Bears, and a Jail Ministry
Local outreach is woven into the church's identity. The Southwest Food Ministry distributes food twice a week to qualifying residents of Craighead County, providing a steady lifeline for neighbors in need and a meaningful place to serve. The Jail Ministry sends teams into the Craighead County Detention Center to lead worship services, Bible studies, and to provide Bibles for both female and male inmates.
Southwest also staffs The HUB, a point-of-entry service for the homeless founded by the Jonesboro Mayor's Task Force to End Homelessness, and partners with Health & Wellness Elementary, a school the church describes as right in its own backyard, where volunteers read with students, help with homework, and support teachers. Since 1997, the women of Southwest have sewn teddy bears each month for children recovering from surgery at local hospitals - a quiet ministry that has now run for nearly three decades.
Globe-Trotting from Jonesboro
Southwest's mission scope extends well beyond Craighead County. The church sends short-term mission teams to long-term global partners in Tanzania, Mozambique, Panama, and New Zealand, inviting members to get outside their zip code and stretch themselves. The giving page describes the goal plainly: sharing hope, resources, and the message of Jesus across borders.
What Southwest Believes
Southwest's stated beliefs are rooted in Scripture and organized around ten core convictions: one eternal God existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ; the co-equal work of the Holy Spirit in salvation and sanctification; the Bible as the God-breathed, trustworthy authority for faith and life; salvation by grace through faith, sealed in confession and baptism; the Church as the spiritual family of Jesus with Him as its head; humanity as God's image-bearers marred by sin; marriage as a one-man-one-woman covenant; eternal destinations of Heaven and Hell; and baptism by immersion as the biblical model for declaring faith and receiving the promised Holy Spirit. Four words mark the church's character: Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Family, and Disciple Makers.
Lead Minister and a Family of Servants
Adam Brewer serves as Southwest's lead preaching minister, working alongside his wife Natalie and their children Beau and Leighton. Ken McAlpin anchors the worship staff, with a wider team of volunteers serving on the Praise and Tech Teams. Coleman Bevill and Rachel Thompson lead student ministry, Darryl and McKenzie Dromgoole lead the Young Adult Class, and Valerie Malone directs children's ministry. The congregation is shepherded by a group of elders and served by a large team of deacons who function as servant leaders across the church's many ministries.
Plugging In
Anyone exploring Southwest for the first time can plan a visit, register as a guest, or fill out a connection card. The church runs a Discover Southwest class (sometimes called SW101) that introduces the church's history, vision, and ministries over a meal with the leadership. Becoming a member is the formal step into the Southwest family and opens up weekly communication about ways to connect, grow, and serve. Giving is available online, sermons are livestreamed and uploaded to the church's YouTube and Vimeo channels, and a podcast of recent messages is available for those who want to keep up between Sundays.