New Sunset Community Church in Killeen's Sunset Acres neighborhood is known for an intentional focus on making disciples who make disciples. The church gathers people through worship, Bible study, life groups and neighborhood block parties, with the aim of making the community around it noticeably better.
A Mission Church in Sunset Acres
Sunset Baptist Church was founded in the fall of 1954 as a mission church of First Baptist Killeen. Its first service was held on October 17, 1954, at Avenue D Elementary School. The congregation was officially organized on April 22, 1956, with 23 members. During 1956 and 1957, it purchased the land where the church still stands. The sanctuary was completed in the early 1960s and has remained the church's main gathering space for corporate worship.
The original name came from Sunset Acres, the neighborhood where the church was established, and carries no theological significance. The name became New Sunset Baptist Church in 2004 and New Sunset Community Church in 2005. Its ministries stretch from an all-ages Sunday class to Wednesday gatherings for children, youth and adults, along with groups that meet in homes.
Sunday Worship and All-Ages Study
Sunday school for all ages begins at 9:30 AM, followed by the worship service at 10:45 AM. On the first Sunday of each month, the church celebrates communion during the service, and the congregation gathers for a fellowship meal afterward. The meal theme is shared through the church's social media.
Sermons are recorded and shared on YouTube, while opportunities for service and fellowship are shared through Facebook and Instagram. The church describes its focus as gospel-centered teaching, worship and fellowship.
Wednesday Evenings at the Table
Midweek activity is organized around two classes that meet from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. EDEN, Equipping Disciples Every Night, serves grades K through 12, while Adult Midweek Bible Study runs at the same time. A meal is offered from 5:30 to 6:20 PM before the classes begin.
The youth program includes camp and special events throughout the year. The children's ministry partners with Grace Baptist Church in Salado for a Pine Cove city day camp, and Vacation Bible School is another part of its ministry. In addition to the Wednesday gathering, life groups meet throughout the week at the church and in homes so people can grow deeper in the Word and in relationship with one another.
Life Groups and Monthly Block Parties
Those neighborhood relationships are not confined to church meetings. Each month, New Sunset Community Church hosts a community block party that gives families a safe place to play, share a meal and be introduced to the welcoming church family. The block parties extend the church's stated mission into the surrounding neighborhood.
Baptist Beliefs and Cooperative Mission
The church's beliefs align with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the 1833 New Hampshire Confession of Faith and the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy. New Sunset also cooperates with three associations: the Pillar Network locally, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention at the state level and the Southern Baptist Convention nationally.
The Pillar partnership emphasizes theological and ecclesiological alignment through its assessment process, while the two Baptist conventions provide voluntary cooperation for mission and theological agreement. Les Williams serves as pastor and lead elder, and Daniel Sellers serves as elder.
Giving Through Church Center
Tithes and offerings can be given through the church's Church Center giving service or through the Church Center app.
New Sunset Community Church's gatherings, ministries and neighborhood activities all serve one stated aim: making disciples who make disciples so that the community around them is noticeably better.