Trinity Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas, gathers at 1601 I-40 West around a simple identity: “Proclaiming Christ and Making Disciples.” The Southern Baptist congregation is known for two Sunday corporate worship gatherings at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with Bible Fellowship Groups between them, and for a discipleship network spanning adults, college students, teenagers, children, preschoolers, and worship musicians. Its teaching and mission emphasis begin with the Bible and extend from Amarillo to local, national, and international ministry.
Two Sunday Gatherings on I-40 West
Sunday worship at Trinity is deliberately gospel-centered. The congregation sings Christ-centered songs with rich biblical content, hears the gospel preached, prays together in the power of the Holy Spirit, testifies to God’s grace, and gives of time and material blessings for the work of the gospel in Amarillo and around the world. These elements shape both the 8:30 and 11:00 services, which are held in person at the church’s I-40 West address.
Visitors are welcome at either service, and the Welcome Center is just inside the front doors. Guests can stop there to be met and welcomed before worship. Trinity explicitly welcomes people who are new to Amarillo, new to the Christian faith, or simply looking for a church home. At 9:45 a.m., between the two services, Bible Fellowship Groups gather throughout the year. They are the church’s primary means of connection for visitors and regular attenders, with groups for every age and stage of life that combine fellowship, prayer, and Bible study. Room locations are available at the Welcome Center, and more practical arrival information is available in the plan for your visit.
The 11:00 service is livestreamed through Trinity’s livestream and on Facebook, with a worship guide available for participating at home. At home, viewers are invited to pray before the service, put away or turn off phones unless they are using them for worship, keep a Bible nearby, and sing aloud.
Recorded services are kept in an extensive sermon library. The archive includes messages dating to 2016 and extended teaching series on books including Philippians, 1 Corinthians, Mark, 1 and 2 Samuel, and The Upper Room. Service messages can also be heard on mobile devices through podcast links, and the sermon library gathers current and previous services for on-demand listening.
Proclaiming Christ and Making Disciples
Trinity’s mission is to proclaim Christ and make disciples of those who claim Christ, all for the glory of Christ. It wants people who live like Jesus, love like Jesus, and teach others to be like Jesus. The mission is grounded in God’s sovereign grace and God’s perfect word, expressed through a commitment to Scripture, missions, prayer, and discipleship. Colossians 1:28 frames the goal of presenting everyone complete in Christ by pointing everyone to the sufficiency of Christ.
The church gives that mission two practical priorities: proclaiming Christ by speaking and living the gospel, and making disciples who live like Jesus, love like Jesus, and teach others to be like Jesus. Bible teaching is therefore connected to worship, relationships, service, mission, and the formation of habits that continue beyond a Sunday class.
Leadership is shared among Senior Pastor Tim Sperduto; Music and Worship Pastor and College Pastor Casey Flynt; Student Pastor Hunter Wilkerson; Children’s Director Lily Fahlin; Assistant Children’s Director Jill Cochran; and First Friends Preschool Director Cassie Larson. Sperduto previously served as an international missionary and as a pastor in Kentucky and Missouri, and he holds an M.Div. and Th.M. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a DMin from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Flynt previously worked in worship, music, and youth ministry at Texas churches and holds degrees in church music and worship. Wilkerson has served in Trinity’s student ministry as a leader and intern and earned a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
What Trinity Teaches
Trinity’s beliefs follow the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and can be summarized in seven distinctives:
- The Scriptures are divinely inspired, God’s revelation of himself, and totally true and trustworthy.
- There is one living and true God, eternal and triune as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- People are created in God’s image, male and female, but sin entered the human race through free choice, leaving humanity under condemnation apart from grace.
- Salvation is offered freely to those who personally receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
- God’s grace is sovereign, regenerating and justifying sinners. True believers are kept by God’s power even as they may fall into sin.
- The church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers associated by covenant in the faith, observing the two ordinances of Christ. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. Both men and women are gifted for service, while the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
- Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all people. The righteous will receive their reward in heaven, while the unrighteous will be consigned to hell.
From Sunday Fellowship to D-Groups
Bible Fellowship Groups meet at 9:45 a.m. throughout the year and are the first step in connecting with Trinity. Every group spends time in fellowship, prayer, and study of God’s Word, and the church provides groups for different ages and stages of life. The Welcome Center helps visitors find the appropriate group and its room.
Small Groups are the next step in connection. During the fall and spring semesters, most meet from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in homes around Amarillo. Their purpose is to help people apply the truth of Scripture practically and build accountability with others. Student and children’s ministries take place on the church campus during this meeting time. New attenders are encouraged to connect through a Bible Fellowship Group first, then join a Small Group at the start of the next semester.
Discipleship Groups, or D-Groups, are closed, gender-specific groups of three or four people that meet every two weeks for a year. Their focus is the formation of spiritual habits, especially Bible reading, prayer, and Scripture memorization. The closed setting is intentional because it allows greater accountability, deeper and sincere prayer, and personal conversation. Meeting times vary according to what is best for each group.
Trinity also holds men’s and women’s ministry events throughout the year to encourage relationship and spiritual growth. On Wednesday evenings, Equip University gathers adults at 6:30 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters. Multiple classes typically cover different subjects, including book studies, apologetics, cultural issues, marriage, and parenting. Nursery childcare is available for families attending Equip University.
Students Follow Jesus Faithfully
Trinity’s Student Ministry seeks to equip students to know God’s Word and engage in ministry. Its recurring aim is for students to follow Jesus faithfully by knowing, believing, and rightly applying Scripture. Sunday morning Bible Fellowship Groups begin at 9:45 a.m. with fellowship and doughnuts in the ROC Coffee Shop, followed by close study of God’s Word in grade-specific, gender-specific classes led by adult teachers.
Sunday evenings begin at 5:00 p.m. with dinner for students in the ROC Coffee Shop. A short teaching time follows in the ROC Auditorium, and Small Groups then dig into the lesson through dialogue and faithful application. The groups remain divided by grade and gender. From 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., students play Ultimate Frisbee in the ROC Gym.
On Wednesdays, a 5:30 p.m. dinner opens The Gathering, Trinity’s student-led worship service. From 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., students and leaders begin with an organized and spontaneous icebreaker game, worship with the student band, and engage in exegetical study of Scripture. Open ROC Nights continue from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. with games and activities that encourage fellowship. Casey Flynt’s college ministry role extends Trinity’s student discipleship emphasis to college students.
Children Learn, Worship, and Check In Safely
Children are welcome throughout Sunday morning. During the 11:00 service, birth-through-Pre-K children can be placed in Worship Care, while kindergarten through fifth grade joins parents for corporate worship. Trinity values families worshiping together, and children’s sermon guides or special worship bulletins help younger children participate. At 9:45 a.m., age-graded Bible Fellowship Groups run from birth through fifth grade. Approved teachers use The Gospel Project curriculum with games, activities, and Bible teaching designed to point children toward Christ.
Child check-in includes several safeguards. Every child from birth through fifth grade is checked in at a computer kiosk, and a parent must present the security receipt to pick up the child. First-time guests complete a guest registration card and receive identifying stickers for the child and pickup receipt. A child is not released without the receipt. Teachers and Worship Care volunteers are TBC members or regular attenders who have completed background checks and Ministry Safe sexual abuse awareness training. The “Two Deep Rule” keeps two volunteers in each classroom at all times.
Children may be dropped off once a leader is in the room, usually about 10 minutes before the service, and should never be left in a classroom without an adult present. Parents of infants through two-year-olds can leave a cell phone number in case staff need to reach them. Labeling a child’s belongings also helps teachers. Rooms are carefully cleaned and sanitized after use, and children who have had fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or other symptoms of contagious illness within the previous 24 hours are asked to stay home.
Simple snacks, including Goldfish, Cheerios, or animal crackers, are offered in nursery and preschool classrooms during the first worship hour and Bible study hour. Allergy stickers are available at the main Children’s Check-In counter, and parents are asked to inform the teacher and Children’s Director about allergies.
Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. Equip Kids program includes preschoolers using the Mission Friends curriculum and kindergarten through fifth grade joining large-group worship before dividing into small groups with Mission Journey: Kids. Each month, the children focus on a different location where the gospel is being shared, pray for missionaries, and consider how they can share the gospel in their own setting. Nursery childcare is available for families attending the adult Equip University gathering.
Two Sunday music programs add another dimension to children’s ministry. Kidz R.O.C.K. serves first through fifth graders during most of the school year, meeting from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with activities that teach children to become worshipers of Jesus. Kidz Praize serves children from age three through kindergarten during the fall and spring, using songs, stories, rhythm instruments, movement, Bible verses, and crafts. Parents who participate in evening Small Groups can arrange preschool and kindergarten childcare from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
First Friends Preschool at Trinity
First Friends Preschool is a ministry of Trinity for children who are three through five years old as of September 1 of the school year. It provides developmentally appropriate activities in a Christ-centered atmosphere designed to develop the whole child. Children learn through active involvement with people, events, and materials. The core values are that children learn best through play, that each child is created by God, and that God’s love and truth are spoken throughout learning experiences.
The kindergarten class meets Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The Three Year Old and Pre-K programs meet Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. A stay-and-play option is available Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with families choosing one, two, or all three days. Cassie Larson directs the preschool, whose schedule and enrollment information are available through the First Friends Preschool program.
Choir, Band, and Praise Teams
Music ministry has several ways to serve congregational worship. The Worship Choir leads congregational singing, shares messages in song, and presents seasonal music celebrations. It usually sings every third week in the 8:30 and 11:00 services, swapping worship leadership duties with the Praise Teams.
The choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. in the Music Suite from January through May and August through December. Music-reading experience and an audition are not required, and volunteers teach newcomers what they need to participate. Childcare is available, but children must be registered with the choir so adequate workers can be scheduled.
The Worship Band accompanies congregational singing with instrumental music, while Praise Teams are small vocal ensembles that help lead the congregation. Interested musicians and singers read the relevant ministry guidelines, submit an online application, and schedule an audition. Audio-visual teams also serve the congregation by mixing sound, operating video projection, displaying sermon outlines and song lyrics, and providing photography for the church’s publications.
Missions Reach Beyond Amarillo
Trinity’s missions emphasis is built around both everyday witness and organized mission. The church provides annual opportunities for people to participate in mission trips and asks congregants to respond through prayer, giving, or going. Its goal is to reach the city, state, nation, and world with the gospel while making disciples equipped and encouraged to live and love like Jesus.
The church supports full-time missionaries, including missionaries raised from its own body, as well as other friends serving among unreached peoples. Trinity also supports the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program and its local Amarillo Baptist Association. Annual missions giving includes the Southern Baptist emphases Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, and Mary Hill Davis, while contributions to mission work can also be made throughout the year. The result is a missions community that connects local support with workers serving in other parts of Texas, the nation, and the world.
Connecting and Giving at Trinity
People who want to connect have an online connect card for requesting information, becoming a Christian, joining the church as members, or talking with a pastor. The form allows each person to identify the kind of contact they need. Trinity’s emphasis on discipleship extends beyond Sunday gatherings into membership, ministry teams, Small Groups, and mission service.
Giving is available through online giving for one-time gifts, recurring tithes and offerings, or both. Contributions can be made through checking accounts and Visa or Mastercard debit or credit cards. The General Fund supports tithes and gifts to the church’s ministries, while designated accounts support other purposes. Recurring gifts can be scheduled weekly, twice a month, monthly, quarterly, or yearly, and each schedule can be edited or deleted. Trinity does not encourage using credit cards in a way that increases consumer debt, and its online giving process uses SSL encryption.
Checks can be mailed to the church office at 1601 I-40 West, Amarillo, Texas 79109. The church office can be reached at 806-372-2421, and First Friends Preschool has its own contact number at 806-372-8364. At its center, Trinity Baptist Church remains what its mission says: a community that proclaims Christ, makes disciples, values sovereign grace and the perfect word, and presents people complete in Christ for the glory of God.