Three Sunday Mornings, Three Kinds of Worship
On Longmire Road in Conroe, Texas, West Conroe Baptist Church runs three Sunday morning worship services in two languages, stacked around a one-hour block of Life Groups for every age. The first service at 8:00 a.m. is a Traditional Worship led by a full choir and orchestra. At 9:30 a.m. the whole church scatters into Life Groups for Bible study, then everyone comes back together for an 11:00 a.m. Modern Worship led by a praise team. In a separate space, the Spanish-speaking congregation meets at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel for its own worship service and gathers for Grupos de Vida at 9:15 a.m. on the Hilltop in Building 7.
The Sunday rhythm is built so that a first-time guest can come for the service, drop off children in age-appropriate classrooms, sit through a message preached from the Christian Standard Bible, and leave having met a Life Group leader before lunch. Parking is spread across three lots - the Preschool lot, the Worship Center lot, and the Hilltop lot - and a shuttle service runs between them.
Helping All Generations Follow Jesus
West Conroe states its motto plainly on its homepage: Helping All Generations Follow Jesus. Its four-part vision follows Jesus' summary of the law from Matthew 22: Love Jesus, Love the Bible, Love One Another, Love the World. The church exists, its leaders say, to honor and glorify God by obeying Jesus' command to make disciples of all people groups, and it adheres to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 as its doctrinal statement.
Pastors preach the Bible verse-by-verse, explaining historical context and applying it to daily life. Both Sunday services open with congregational worship music and move into a single teaching from Scripture. Life Groups run in between as the discipleship hub of the week.
What Sunday Morning Looks Like for a Family
Three parking lots, a shuttle, and a welcome team greet first-time guests at the door. Children can stay with parents in the service - the church keeps a livestream room for parents of young children who need to step out - or they can be checked into WC Kids for age-appropriate Bible teaching, crafts, and play.
For the littlest ones, the Preschool Ministry (birth through Pre-K) offers secure check-in with name-tag stickers, age-appropriate lessons, and hands-on activities during every service window: the 8:00 a.m. service, the 9:30 Life Group hour, and the 11:00 a.m. service. Children with allergies or special needs are accommodated through the church's Discovery Ministry.
Kindergarten through fourth grade can attend their own Kids' Worship Service at 11:00 a.m. - a gathering that includes worship, Christ-centered teaching, prayer, and a missions moment. Fifth and sixth graders are released at 11:00 to sit with their parents in the main worship service. All WC Kids volunteers go through abuse-awareness and prevention training and background checks before serving.
Students in Seventh Through Twelfth Grade
The student ministry meets under the leadership of Brandon Burns, who grew up in WCBC's own student ministry and now serves as its Minister to Students. Students gather every Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. on the Hilltop: Junior High in Building 9, High School in Building 12, with fellowship, games, and lessons broken out by grade and gender.
On Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Midweek brings grades 7-12 back to the Hilltop for pizza, games, worship, and Bible study in Buildings 10 and 12. The student team prays for each student by name every week, contacts every student weekly, and builds ongoing relationships. A separate team of female associates, like Kristen Eickenhorst, invests specifically in the girls.
Young Adults in Three Lanes
Young adult ministry at West Conroe is split into three lanes to fit where people actually are: College (ages 18-22), Young Professionals (single young adults ages 18-32 who have started a career), and Single Adults (30+). Together they share a hub called The Hub, located in Building 8 on the Hilltop.
On Sundays, young adults attend 9:30 a.m. Life Groups in Building 8 and a 5:00 p.m. Young Professionals Bible Study in Building 11. On Wednesdays, the College and Young Professionals groups meet together at 7:30 p.m. in The Hub for community, food, and Bible teaching under Young Adult Coordinator Collin Johnson.
Wednesdays at West Conroe
From 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, the entire campus lights up for adult discipleship classes, with parallel classes for men, women, couples, and co-ed groups meeting across multiple buildings. The fall lineup includes a co-ed study of Ecclesiastes called Meaning in the Mystery, co-taught by Senior Pastor Dr. Jesse Payne and Executive Pastor Chris Stanley in the Garden Room. Other options include a parenting study called Disciple Them Like Jesus, a women's study of Romans, a women's study through the grand narrative of Scripture, a men's series called 33 The Series, the Merge premarital class for engaged couples, and a Spanish-language Bible study led by Hispanic Minister Luis Arellano.
Children have their own Wednesday-night ministries during the same window. Infants and walkers receive childcare. Toddlers through Pre-K use the Beginner's Gospel Story Curriculum. Kindergarten through fourth grade meet for Power Hour, a discipleship class led by Children's Intern Kalista Warnement. Fifth and sixth graders gather for Level Up, led by Children's Minister Madison Miller.
While the classes run, the worship arts team rehearses. The Worship Orchestra rehearses at 5:15 p.m., the Worship Choir from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m., and the Worship Team from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Choir members say they welcome anyone willing to show up - no audition, no requirement to read music.
Worship Arts: Choir, Orchestra, and Band
Worship Minister Dave Whittington oversees three musical ensembles. The Worship Choir leads the 8:00 a.m. Traditional service, rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. in Building C, Room 250, and requires no audition. The Worship Orchestra also serves the 8:00 a.m. service, rehearses Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m., and welcomes instrumentalists from strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The Worship Team leads the 11:00 a.m. Modern service, is auditioned, and rehearses Wednesdays from 7:15 to 8:00 p.m.
Vocalists on the Worship Team are expected to attend Wednesday choir rehearsals as part of their preparation, linking the two services musically.
Women of West Conroe
Women of West Conroe, known as WOW, gathers women of all ages and stages for Bible studies and community throughout the week, under Women's & Connections Director Tammy Shields. Studies currently run on Tuesdays (Discovering Daniel by Amir Tsafati at 9:30 a.m.), Wednesdays (Romans and From Beginning to Forever in the evenings, plus a 1 Corinthians study in the Garden Room), Thursdays (a Chronological Walk Through the Bible at 10:00 a.m. in Building 11), and Fridays (Mom to Mom at 9:30 a.m.).
Two named ministries deepen the women's work: Mom to Mom, a Titus 2 parenting program where older women teach younger moms, and Apples of Gold, a six-week intergenerational experience that pairs older and younger women for biblical lessons and a shared meal. Hope Gathering serves widows with a monthly evening of grief work, conversation, a service project, and a devotion.
Men, Legacy Seniors, and Marriage & Family
The men's ministry hosts quarterly breakfasts, small group Bible studies, and regularly scheduled events. The Senior Adults ministry, called Legacy and dedicated to those 55 and up, offers Bible studies, fellowships, trips, and service opportunities. Legacy organizes local day trips, holiday luncheons, and longer journeys - including a planned trip in 2027 to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in Kentucky.
Marriage ministry takes two forms. Merge is a premarital discipleship ministry for engaged and seriously dating couples that meets for eight Wednesday nights or as a one-day Saturday intensive; completion earns up to $60 off the marriage license fee and waives the 72-hour waiting period. Re|Engage is a Christ-centered marriage enrichment that meets for fourteen Tuesday evenings and is open to healthy, struggling, and broken marriages; the next session begins in January.
Kids, Students, and a Preschool Called WC Academy
WC Academy is the church's weekday preschool, a program of West Conroe Baptist Church designed to develop preschoolers spiritually, academically, and socially. Classes meet Mondays through Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., following the Conroe ISD calendar, and follow a first-come, first-served enrollment process. Academy Director Carol Nelson leads the program alongside Preschool Director Lisa Taylor.
West Conroe also runs Discovery Ministry for children, teens, and adults with unique needs and disabilities, providing a safe and loving environment to learn about Jesus.
Missions: Local, National, and International
Missions Minister Darrell Ingram leads a missions program grounded in Acts 1:8, with three concentric callings: pray, give, and go. The church supports the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention through its budget. Local outreach takes shape each summer in Cross Conroe, a multi-day effort to serve Conroe through construction, medical, prayer, sewing, media, kindness, and feeding teams. Disaster Relief is organized through Texans on Missions with feeding, chaplaincy, shower/laundry, and chainsaw teams.
Volunteer mission teams travel each summer - most recently to Idaho for community outreach with Salmon Valley Baptist Church.
West Conroe en Español
Hispanic Minister Luis Arellano leads the Spanish-speaking congregation as a family of different nationalities united by the love of Christ. The ministry serves the Hispanic community of Montgomery County and surrounding areas, providing biblical foundation for children, youth, marriages, widows, and the elderly.
The Spanish congregation meets for Grupos de Vida at 9:15 a.m. on the Hilltop in Building 7 and for worship at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel. A Spanish-language Bible study meets on Wednesday evenings at the Hilltop. The Spanish ministry maintains its own Facebook page (wcbcenespanol) and YouTube channel (westconroeenespanol).
Care Ministries and the Angel Food Pantry
West Conroe takes seriously the call to carry one another's burdens. The Care ministry coordinates four outreach arms. The Angel Food Pantry, located on the Hilltop in Building 5, distributes food every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to anyone in need who meets income requirements. Celebrate Recovery meets Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Building 11 for those working through hurts, hang-ups, and habits using the twelve steps and eight recovery principles. GriefShare support groups serve those grieving the loss of a family member or friend.
Two additional ministries serve members who cannot easily leave home: the In-Touch Ministry reaches shut-ins and those in declining health, and the Nehemiah Ministry, inspired by Nehemiah 2:18, organizes home repairs and acts of service for older church members.
Becoming a Member: Starting Point and Baptism
Two front doors lead into formal church membership at West Conroe. Baptism is described as the gospel in picture form - going under the water and rising again as a picture of identification with Jesus' death and resurrection - and serves as the public entry into church membership. Those interested in baptism contact Crystal Miller.
Starting Point is the church's introduction class for new attendees, required for those who want to become formal members. The class meets periodically on Sundays, and childcare is available for birth through third grade.
Sermons, Teaching, and Giving
Dr. Jesse Payne preaches most Sundays and leads verse-by-verse through books of the Bible. Recent series include a five-week walk through the life of Joseph (Joseph: Living in God's Hands), a six-month study of the Gospel of Mark, and a series on the local church called The Dearest Place On Earth covering baptism, members, deacons, and pastors. Services are livestreamed online, and the full sermon library, including a stand-alone messages category, is available for catch-up listening.
Giving is available online through SecureGive, with a specific category for Debt Reduction in addition to the general budget. Gifts can also be made by texting WCBC plus an amount to 855-982-288, by check mailed to the PO Box, or in the offering plates and generosity boxes on Sunday. Right Now Media is available free to church members through the church's access code.
Visiting West Conroe
Guests are invited to come as they are and wear whatever is most comfortable. The church teaches from the Christian Standard Bible on Sunday mornings. Three parking lots and a shuttle make arrival easy, and a welcome team points first-time guests toward the right classrooms, Life Groups, and worship spaces. Sunday services run from 8:00 a.m. to roughly 12:30 p.m., with a full slate of Bible studies and small groups for men, women, students, young adults, and children running on Wednesdays and throughout the week.