Stillwater Church on Frederick Pike in Dayton is known for a worship-centered rhythm that pairs two Sunday gatherings with discipleship formation, ministry for children and families, and service partnerships across Dayton. Stillwater's mission is to partner with Jesus by raising up a family of disciples who dwell in the presence of God and offer their lives as a testimony to the world.
Two Sunday Gatherings on Frederick Pike
Every Sunday at 9:15 and 11:00 a.m., the congregation gathers to seek the presence of God. Stillwater places worship at the heart of church life, holding that people were created to worship and that the heart finds its true home by drawing near to God through his Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Each weekly gathering includes prayer, singing, learning from God's Word, and receiving strength through Holy Communion. The invitation is broad: all are welcome, there are no prerequisites for seeking God alongside others, and no need to have everything figured out. There is no requirement to dress a particular way. The church's simple direction is to come as you are and seek the life-transforming presence of the One who created them.
Programming for children from preschool through grade 5 is available at both Sunday services, and nursery care is also offered at both. Greeters are ready to help visitors find what they need when they enter.
For drivers, the easiest place to park is the south lot outside the large doors marked “Worship Entrance.” Entering through those doors places greeters close to the arrival point and makes it easier to find the church's worship and children's areas.
A Family Formed Through the Word, Spirit and Accountability
At Stillwater, discipleship means following Christ, living like him, and being formed into his image. The church connects that definition to 1 Corinthians 11:1, 1 John 2:6 and Colossians 3:10. Formation Groups are Stillwater's primary means of discipleship, using the Word, the Spirit and accountability to form people into the likeness of Christ. This is a shared process of biblical teaching and intentional community, not a pursuit meant to be carried out alone.
Adult discipleship classes meet every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. All adults are welcome. Childcare and a youth group are available at the same time, creating an evening rhythm for families with children at different ages. Sunday worship remains the weekly gathering for worship, the Word and the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
The Playland, Children and Teen Ministry
The Playland gives children a place to play, especially on rainy days. It is open to the public every Tuesday through Thursday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Visitors enter through the main entrance and stop in the church office to sign in before playing. The space is also available to rent for birthday parties or family gatherings; Playland reservations provide the booking route.
Teen Ministry, Kids Ministry, Nursery and PreK, and Special Friends each have a dedicated coordinator. On Sundays, the preschool-through-grade-5 program and nursery care make room for children to participate alongside their families, while the Wednesday youth group provides a concurrent gathering for young people during adult discipleship.
Mission in Dayton and Partnerships That Serve People
Stillwater's value of sacrificial witness is lived through relationships with ministries addressing physical, educational, family and spiritual needs. These relationships have been cultivated over years and create avenues for direct service, mentoring, practical assistance and support.
- Isaiah 117 House focuses on children in the foster system and seeks to provide a home for children between homes or during periods of transition. Opportunities include serving children directly or helping from afar with financial and material assistance.
- LifeWise Academy works alongside administrators and teachers to support students, schools and communities. Stillwater describes LifeWise programs as improving student attendance and behavior, with educators recognizing the benefits and parents recommending the programs.
- Hope Rising has experienced nurses, ultrasonographers, consultants and volunteers committed to caring for women with compassion during unplanned pregnancies. Its support addresses physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs, and it serves clients without regard to age, race, income, nationality, religious affiliation, disability or other arbitrary circumstances.
- Simple Street Ministries seeks to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the least of these through outreach projects in Dayton.
- Target Dayton is a nonprofit focused on feeding and serving poor and homeless people. It provides meals and services multiple times each week, welcomes everyone, and encourages people to serve or support its work.
- Victory Project is an after-school program for boys that mentors them toward becoming young men. Volunteers tutor boys, study Scripture with them and feed them after school.
Financial support reaches both local ministries serving the Dayton community and global missions. Online giving supports the ministries and service relationships that make this wider work possible.
Historic Faith in a Wesleyan Frame
Stillwater identifies itself as a Global Methodist Church rooted in the Wesleyan tradition. It understands the Global Methodist Church as existing to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread Scriptural holiness across the globe. Stillwater affirms sacred Scripture and the sanctified reasoning of the holy catholic and apostolic church as expressed through the first seven ecumenical councils, and it proclaims the Nicene Creed. That creed confesses one God, the incarnation and saving work of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, one holy catholic and apostolic church, one baptism for forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Scripture, Humanity and Salvation
Stillwater calls the Bible inspired and infallible, its primary authority, and says it contains all truth necessary for salvation, faith and life. Sacred tradition also has authority in doctrine and church governance, but Scripture comes first. In the church's theological vocabulary, “orthodox” means right belief aligned with Scripture and sacred tradition, “catholic” refers to the universal Church, and “apostolic” carries the idea of being sent to witness.
All people are made in the image of God, but humanity has fallen from righteousness and cannot free itself from its misery or produce good works pleasing to God without grace. The whole movement of salvation, from the first prompt to repent through perseverance in love and holiness, rests on God's initiative and intervention. Good works are necessary fruits of faith, but they do not remove sin or earn righteousness; God justifies repentant sinners through the atoning work of Christ.
Grace and Entire Sanctification
Within the Wesleyan tradition, Stillwater names God's grace as prevenient, convincing, justifying, sanctifying and glorifying. Prevenient grace awakens conscience and enables a person to respond; convincing grace brings repentance; justifying grace reconciles the person to God through Christ's sacrifice; sanctifying grace works in the believer after new birth; and glorifying grace is the final reunion with the Lord, perfected and no longer subject to sin.
The church gives particular emphasis to entire sanctification. Justification is the gateway into sanctification, while sanctification is God's work in the believer through the Word and Spirit. It is both gradual, as a lifelong process, and instantaneous in areas of life. Entire sanctification is perfect love, righteousness and true holiness, though it does not remove ignorance, infirmity, mistakes or the possibility of future sin. Repentance continues through sanctification as the Spirit convicts believers toward holiness.
One Church and Two Sacraments
Stillwater believes there is one holy catholic and apostolic Church made up of true believers under the lordship of Jesus Christ who submit to Scripture, hold sacred tradition and seek to walk led by the Spirit. It recognizes two sacraments ordained by Christ: Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper. Both are outward and visible signs of inward spiritual grace and means by which God works in the church, not merely symbols.
Baptism uses water to signify salvation, spiritual regeneration and the seal of the covenant, uniting the baptized with Christ's death, resurrection and the body of Christ. In the Eucharist, bread and cup signify Christ's body and blood, forgiveness and the New Covenant. The church receives these sacraments by faith in Christ, with repentance and thanksgiving; anyone who repents of sin and desires to draw near to Christ in obedience may receive Holy Communion. Ordained elders normally preside over the sacraments unless a deacon has been charged with that authority by the presiding bishop.
The Holy Spirit and the Ministry of All Believers
The Holy Spirit is affirmed as present and active, with the fruit and gifts of the Spirit intended for believers today. Every baptized Christian is called into ministry, and the church embraces the priesthood of all believers: laypeople and clergy work together in a partnership of servanthood. Pastors are not left to do ministry alone but are to equip the church for service and the building of Christ's body. A calling may come suddenly or gradually, at any age, and is not limited to men or women. Clergy are called to particular service and are required to hold fast to the mystery of faith with integrity and self-control.
Five Values That Shape Stillwater's Life
- Historic Faith: Stillwater desires to live rooted in the Word of God and the orthodox Christian faith held to by the church for nearly 2,000 years.
- Spirit-Filled Living: The church desires to live led by the Holy Spirit, bearing his fruit and operating in his gifts.
- Spiritual Formation: The aim is to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
- Intentional Community: Stillwater seeks authentic community marked by both social and Scriptural holiness.
- Sacrificial Witness: Lives are offered in mission, service and witness to the world.
Together, these values explain why worship, Formation Groups, children's ministry and service partnerships form one church life rather than separate activities. Stillwater centers itself on the presence of God, the formation of disciples and lives offered as testimony to the world.