Joining Hands with God on Six Forks Road
Trinity Baptist Church gathers on a single campus at 4815 Six Forks Road, just north of the North Hills (Midtown) area of Raleigh, North Carolina. The driveway between Trinity and St. Mark's United Methodist Church leads to a large parking lot where guest spaces sit near the main entrance, and an elevator is available just inside. From the back lot, a short set of stairs brings visitors to a welcome desk on the left.
The congregation describes itself as a warm, multi-generational family of faith, with a motto that runs across its communications: Joining hands with God to belong, become, and be. The church has carried that language into a clear mission statement - a family of baptized believers joining hands with God by proclaiming and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ - and into a rhythm of welcoming that staff and longtime members describe as a hallmark of the place. Senior Pastor Dr. Jeff Roberts writes, "Trinity is an intergenerational congregation that values worship, fellowship, spiritual formation, ministry, and missions."
A Multi-Generational Church Since 1956
A small group of Christians first gathered on Sunday, January 8, 1956, in what would become the North Hills area of Raleigh. Sunday School was part of that very first Sunday. Within weeks, Sunday School officers and teachers had been elected; by February, the church reported 134 enrolled in Sunday School and 51 in the new Training Union; by May, members voted to accept a Quonset Hut from Hugh Shaw and William Bass to ease the crowded classrooms.
That June, Trinity held its first Vacation Bible School, with Mrs. S. H. Whitworth as principal. By 1958, the school enrolled 118 pupils and faculty members with an average daily attendance of 100. Children, learning, and growth across the generations were the church's first commitments, set in motion before the end of the first year.
The decades that followed brought steady expansion: a first permanent educational building dedicated in July 1961, additional classrooms and a fellowship hall, the launch of a Weekday Preschool program in November 1974, the calling of staff ministers for children, students, and music, and a steady pipeline of youth ministry partnerships that would carry Trinity's teenagers to North Carolina Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell, on retreat, and on mission trips near and far. A young Jeff Roberts was elected as the youth minister in 1988.
In 2026, the church marked its seventieth anniversary with a commemorative book, 70 Years at Trinity: February 5, 1956 - May 3, 2026, and with reflections drawn from its blog, The Trinity Times, throughout the year.
Sundays at Trinity: Two Services and Sunday School for All Ages
Sunday is the center of the week at Trinity. Two morning services share a single Sunday School hour between them, and both worship services are offered in person and through a YouTube livestream that begins at 10:50 AM.
- 8:45 AM - Early Worship Service. A shorter, traditional service that includes hymns, choruses, scripture reading, prayer, and a sermon. It runs about 45 minutes.
- 9:45 AM - Sunday School. Bible study for every age, from babies through adults. Lobby hostesses help newcomers find the right class.
- 10:55 AM - Morning Worship Service. A traditional Baptist service of about an hour that includes hymns, choir, scripture reading, prayer, and a sermon.
Worship care for preschoolers is offered during both worship services, with Sunday School classes for children during the 9:45 hour. Visitors who arrive a few minutes early, especially with children or students, will have time to get parked, check in, and let the welcome team help a family find the right room.
What should a guest wear? Everything from casual clothes to suits and dresses. Most people wear business casual, but everyone is welcome as they are. Worshippers who prefer to be invisible are welcome to be: the church explicitly tells first-time guests they will not be singled out or asked to do anything uncomfortable.
Sunday evenings carry a different texture. Youth ministry fills the late afternoon with Northbound Band rehearsal at 4:00 PM, middle school missions and high school Bible study at 5:00 PM, a youth fellowship meal at 5:30, and youth choir at 6:00. Adult discipleship studies, marriage enrichment groups, and a 7:00 PM evening service sometimes fill out the rest of Sunday. A Blue Christmas Service in mid-December offers a meditative evening of prayer and remembrance during the holidays.
Belong, Become, Be
Trinity's discipleship language runs in three steps. To belong is to be in meaningful connection with the community of faith. To become is to be purposefully engaged with that faith family, following the way of Jesus through baptism, sharing life together, and serving others. To be is to grow as a lifelong disciple of Jesus, in relationship with God, joining God's mission of love for the world.
Baptism is by immersion of a believer, and the Lord's Supper is observed as an ordinance of obedience that remembers Christ's death and anticipates his return.
What Trinity Believes
Trinity's Confession of Faith opens with a preamble drawn from a long Baptist tradition of confessions understood as consensus statements, not creeds. The church cherishes soul competency before God, freedom of religion, and the priesthood of every believer.
There is one true and living God, eternal and personal, the creator and ruler of all, expressed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God's only eternal Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, fully God and fully human yet without sin; his death on the cross provides forgiveness of sins, he was buried and resurrected, and he now sits at the right hand of the Father as Advocate. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, indwells every believer at salvation, comforts and teaches, and equips believers for service in the church.
The Bible is the divinely inspired word of God and the supreme authority for faith and practice. Humanity is created in God's image, separated from God by sin, and offered salvation freely through faith in Jesus Christ. The Church is the Body of Christ, an autonomous, baptized community of believers whose main work is to worship, witness, minister, teach, make disciples, and fellowship. Each believer is a minister (priest) and a servant leader; leadership is a servant role based on the model of Jesus Christ, calling forth God's gifts in all members, both male and female.
Trinity also affirms that church and state should be separate, that believers are to be generous, regular, systematic, and cheerful givers, and that the local church should cooperate voluntarily with other churches, associations, conventions, and denominations in furtherance of the Kingdom of God - a posture that has shaped the church's partnerships both locally and around the world.
Music from the Cradle to the Choir Loft
Worship at Trinity is traditional-blended in style: hymns of the past and contemporary hymns, led by the organ and the piano and joined, when called for, by handbells, orchestra, choirs, and ensembles. The organist is Rev. Wayne Rogers and the pianist is Mrs. Barbara Bowen.
Musical education begins early. Preschool Music & Me (3-year-olds) and Music Time Choir (4s and 5s) meet on Wednesdays at 6:15 PM. Children in grades 1-3 sing in Music Makers; grades 4-5 make up Young Musicians, also on Wednesdays. Middle and high school students form the Student Choir, rehearsing Sundays at 6:00 PM.
Adults have a rich musical life of their own. The Sanctuary Choir, the church's flagship ensemble, rehearses Wednesdays at 7:30 PM and sings for the 10:55 AM service. The Prime Timers Choir meets Tuesdays at 10:00 AM and leads periodically in Sunday worship and at local retirement homes. New Covenant, a young adult ensemble, rehearses seasonally on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Testament, a men's vocal and instrumental ensemble, rehearses Sundays at 5:00 PM. Bells of Praise, the adult handbell choir, rehearses Sundays at 6:00 PM, and the Trinity Orchestra rehearses Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the Sanctuary.
Trinity's music ministry is led by Rev. Steve Byers, a graduate of James Madison University and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who has been in full-time ministry for more than 35 years. The Trinity Sanctuary Choir performed with area choirs at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2013, an experience that remains a touchstone of the program's identity.
Children, Youth, and a Faith Passed On
Children's ministry walks alongside families from birth through fifth grade, with consistent teachers, age-appropriate spaces, and a focus on forming children as lifelong disciples. Sunday School begins at 9:45 AM, and worship care is offered at both morning services. On Wednesday nights, Mission Friends (birth-2) and preschool choirs meet at 6:15 PM, with extended teaching care at 6:55 PM. Elementary children participate in Discipleship Training on Sunday at 6:00 PM, in children's choirs at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays, and in children's missions at 6:45 PM on Wednesdays. Sunday School classrooms for children include a dedicated Special Needs class in room D270. The associate pastor who leads this work is Rev. Katie Blackmon, who joined the Trinity staff nearly ten years ago.
Middle and high school students are led by Associate Pastor Rev. Taylor Miskel and Student Ministry Resident Drew Langdon. Sunday mornings begin with coffee, juice, and donuts in the hallway before Bible study by grade. Sunday evenings move into The Underground for mission-focused time - Northbound Band rehearsal at 4:00 PM, middle school missions and high school Bible study at 5:00 PM, a youth fellowship meal at 5:30, and youth choir at 6:00. Wednesday evenings begin with student-led worship at 6:15 PM and break into D-Teams for prayer, check-ins, and discipleship at 6:45 PM.
Trinity's youth ministry has been a defining thread since 1970, when Rev. Charles Curtis Finch became Associate Minister with primary responsibilities in youth ministry. Over the years, students have traveled to West Virginia, Charleston, Murphy, Miami, Boston, areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, the Dominican Republic, and Peru. Three words shape the work today - identity in Christ, belonging within the church, and purpose in the world. Annual youth highlights include the CBFNC Beach Retreat at Fort Caswell, the High School Mission Trip, Choices, and Middle School Passport Camp.
Discipleship, Marriage, Men's, and Women's: Adults at Trinity
Adult faith formation runs in many directions at once. Sunday School is the main weekly gathering, with a wide range of age-graded and topical classes. Among the named classes on the church's roster: the Encouragers class for adults 75 and older, the Lamplighters and Willing Hearts classes for adults in their 60s and 70s, the Faith Class for women, the Profiles Class, the Wisdom Seekers, the Pathfinders, the Salted Mixed Nuts class, the Hope Alive class, the Koinonia class, the Bowen Class, the Broughton/Lewis/Blakely/Risner Class, the Fellowship Class, and the Ruth Covenant Class for women.
Weeknight discipleship classes offered in the current season include:
- Sundays. Finding Hope in the Storm, a grief support class from 4:30 to 6:00 PM in room A213.
- Tuesdays. A Tuesday morning Bible study at 11:00 AM in B231 (recently working through Max Lucado's Anxious for Nothing) and TNT (Tuesday Night Training), a study of Hebrews with men's and women's tracks led by Dr. Jeff Roberts and Robin Roberts, opening September 8 at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall and Room C303.
- Wednesdays. A women's Bible study on The Names of God at 9:30 AM; TNT on Wednesday, the same Hebrews study in a coed setting at 6:30 PM in C303; Unoffendable with Amy Roberson; The God Who Sees; and Reframing and Reclaiming Christ-Centered Evangelism with Dr. Randy McKinney.
- Thursdays. A Women's Book Club in Parlor A, meeting on the third Thursday of each month.
Marriage ministry invests in couples through Marriage Enrichment Groups (MEGs) that meet monthly for an evening of intentional activities, communication, and fun, and through an annual marriage retreat typically held in February at North Myrtle Beach. Each year, TBC hosts a "starter" MEG for newly married couples; many of those groups stay together for years.
Men's ministry gathers men of all generations for breakfasts with fellowship, song led by Testament, devotions, and information about mission needs. The ministry's signature service project is the Adopt-a-Highway program - more than fifteen years of quarterly litter cleanup along a two-mile stretch of Six Forks Road between Lassiter Mill Road and Sandy Forks Road.
Women's ministry connects women from all generations through Bible study, prayer, encouragement, fellowship, and service. In addition to the Wednesday morning Bible study and Thursday book club, the ministry organizes Women's Ministry 4X4's - small intergenerational groups of four women who decide where, how, and when they will meet four times a year.
Senior Adults and VIBE: Keeping the Faith
Trinity's senior adults remain an active part of the church's life. They lead morning devotions at Senior Games (Bridge and Chickenfoot tables in room A214 on Thursdays), sing in the Prime Timers Choir, lead the annual Senior Adult Ministry Shredding Event each September, and plan day trips, week-long vacations, and intergenerational events. The senior adults also sponsor one scholarship each year for a graduating high school senior who grew up in Trinity's children and student ministry. Annual events include the Fall RBA Senior Adult Rally, hosted within the Raleigh Baptist Association.
For adults in or near retirement who want something more, the church has launched VIBE - Vibrant Individuals Building Experiences. VIBE offers day trips or experiences, overnight trips, and education, discipleship, and support activities for what it calls "this meaningful stage of life," encouraging adults to thrive spiritually, relationally, and personally. VIBE's values: Vibrant living with energy, joy, and purpose; Individuals uniquely made for this chapter; Building relationships, faith, and memorable moments together; and Experiences that bring connection, growth, and joy.
Recreation: The ROC and Upward Basketball
Trinity's Recreation Outreach Center - the ROC - is a hub for both church family and community. Recreation Ministry has been led for twenty-one years by Laury Holley, who began as the church's first Upward Basketball director in 2004 and now directs recreation programming for everyone from grade-school students to adults. The ROC hosts seasonal events such as Fall Fest, a recent evening of hayrides, cotton candy, sno cones, popcorn, games, prizes, face painting, and candy, and serves as Trinity's gathering place for community recreation and outreach.
Missions: Near and Far
Missions at Trinity is organized through a Missions Steering Committee with multiple Lead Teams, supporting career missionaries of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the North American Mission Board, the International Mission Board, and North Carolina Baptists on Mission, while doing missions as a congregation with various partners responding to God's call.
Local missions span many neighborhoods:
- Habitat for Humanity through the Baptist Coalition of Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, with one to two new homes built each year.
- Family Promise of the Triangle, a church-based emergency shelter and meal ministry for families experiencing homelessness. Trinity hosts three times a year with Food Lion gift cards, donations, and prayer support.
- TBC Cares (Trinity's neighborhood outreach), which serves lunch at The Women's Center (a daytime shelter for single women experiencing homelessness), serves lunch at Oak City Cares (a day center connecting people to supportive services, with weekend meals for 300-350 guests), and brings music, crockpot lunches, Bingo, and other activities to the residents of Capital Towers.
- Raleigh Rescue Mission, a private organization that has provided a pathway out of poverty and homelessness since 1961.
- North Raleigh Ministries, which walks alongside individuals and families in crisis through grocery support and coaching, in English and Spanish.
- Welcome House Raleigh, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC partnership that provides temporary reception housing, settlement assistance, and hospitality ministry for refugee and immigrant neighbors.
- Prison Alliance, which collects new and used Bibles and Christian books and stamps them at a local warehouse for distribution through prison chaplains.
- Mobile Dental Bus Ministry, sponsored twice a year with Baptists on Mission.
- Operation Christmas Child, with Trinity serving as a drop-off site for Samaritan's Purse shoe boxes.
- Feed the Hunger, a hands-on meal-packing event in Fellowship Hall. In 2025, Trinity volunteers packed 24,000 nutritionally formulated meals distributed through international partner churches.
- Triple P (Providing Period Products), a Women's Ministry project that assembles period-product packages for girls and women through local high schools and Trinity's mission partners.
Global and other-state missions include international trips planned in 2026 to Guatemala, where a construction team will work at the Good Shepherd Center and Good Shepherd Children's Home, and to Kenya, where educators will work through the Orbit Village Project. Trinity students have served in Peru (where in 2015 they prayed with local families, sang, shared testimonies, and received a fresh papaya as a thank-you), Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and beyond.
McCreary County, Kentucky is Trinity's nearest long-term mission partnership, part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's "Together for Hope" rural poverty initiative. The church's national mission teams support The Light Community, a tiny-house transitional community for those in recovery in Strunk, Kentucky, and The Lord's Cafe, a ministry that feeds body and soul. Trinity returns each year to serve alongside NC Baptist on Mission's Appalachian Coalfields Ministries.
Disaster Relief: Trailers and Trained Volunteers
Trinity has purchased and uniquely outfitted two Disaster Relief Trailers - one for relief and tear-out, one for recovery and rebuild - maintained by a Trinity Disaster Relief Lead Team and ready to roll. The church has over fifty trained volunteers in Recovery, Mass-Feeding, Childcare, and Chaplaincy, with several trained Crew Chiefs.
Trinity teams have served in disaster relief and recovery in Tarboro, Grifton, Canton, Atlantic, Edenton, High Point, and Raleigh, North Carolina; Melbourne, Florida; Mobile and Bayou La Batre, Alabama; Metairie, Louisiana; and Gulfport, Mississippi, where Trinity volunteers worked alongside thousands of other NC Baptists for two years after Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Helene relief is active in the church's current mission calendar, with teams serving in western North Carolina across multiple weeks.
Weekday Preschool
Trinity Baptist Weekday Preschool is a Christian preschool program serving children from infancy through transitional kindergarten, with classes for babies (6 weeks and up), toddlers, twos, threes, fours, and a transitional kindergarten class. The school year runs from the day after Labor Day through about the third week of May, following the Wake County Public School System holiday schedule. Traditional hours are 9:00 AM to 12:55 PM, with AM Adventures available from 8:00 to 9:00 AM and afternoon Adventures from 12:55 to 2:55 PM.
Children attend a weekly Wednesday Chapel and the program follows a peanut-free environment. Summer camp is offered as six standalone weeks for currently enrolled students, typically starting in June and running through the end of July. The director is Suzanne Holleman, who joined Trinity Weekday Preschool in August 2024. The program traces to November 1974 and was formally adopted as an official church program in December 1979.
The Pastoral Team
Trinity's pastoral staff is led by Senior Pastor Dr. Jeff Roberts, who returned to the church as senior pastor in 2000 after serving as minister to youth and singles from 1986 to 1990. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Trustee at Campbell University, and active in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina. A verse that continues to shape his preaching is Philippians 1:6: "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
He is joined by Associate Pastor Dr. Randy McKinney (Missions and Senior Adults), Rev. Steve Byers (Music and Worship), Rev. Karen Metcalf Eickhoff (Education and Discipleship), Rev. Spencer Good (Administration), Rev. Taylor Miskel (Students), Rev. Katie Blackmon (Preschoolers and Children), Dr. Andy Jung (Minister in Residence, Young Adults), and Student Ministry Resident Drew Langdon. Payne Thomas serves as a student ministry intern.
Church office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and the church phone number is 919-787-3740. Visitors who want to connect may fill out an online connection form, find a Sunday School class, or sign up to volunteer; members of the staff will follow up and help newcomers find the right group, ministry, or event.
Online, In Person, and in Print
Sunday morning worship is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel at 10:50 AM each Sunday, with the recording archived on the Sermons page afterwards. A Trinity Mobile App, available through Subsplash, helps members keep up with events, sermons, and giving. A separate youth app keeps students and parents connected with calendars, registration, and discipleship resources. The Trinity Times, a blog written by pastors, staff, and ministry leaders, runs reflections on the church's life throughout the year. The church library also operates an online public access catalog.
Giving can be done in the offering plate on Sunday mornings, online, by text (text tbcgift to 73256), by mail, through bank bill pay, autodraft, stock donation, or Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA. The Trinity Times newsletter is also mailed on request.
Trinity Baptist Church is on Six Forks Road in north Raleigh, in easy driving distance of the I-440 Beltline, and welcomes a steady stream of first-time visitors, regular attenders, members, and friends into a fellowship that traces its roots to a Sunday morning in January 1956.