Council Road Baptist Church sits on the north side of Bethany, Oklahoma, just inside the city limits of Oklahoma's western suburbs. Senior Pastor Rick Thompson, who has led the church since May 2003, preaches on Sunday mornings to a congregation that has outgrown the Sunday routine of a simple worship service and instead fills three floors of a Children's Building, a stack of adult classrooms and a 42,000 square foot recreation center across the street known as the CUBE. The mission statement is short enough to memorize and long enough to chase: "Our mission is to love all people to Christ, helping them on their journey with God and others." Every program that runs through the church on any given week can be connected to that single sentence.
The CUBE and What It Stands For
The most distinctive thing about Council Road is a building most churches do not have. The CUBE, located at 7903 NW 30th Street in Bethany, is a 42,000 square foot recreation center that doubles as a ministry hub. It is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with shortened Tuesday hours during the school year, and is available for rent on Saturdays. A lifetime membership costs five dollars and a photo ID. The acronym spells out the four groups the building is intended to serve: Children and elderly at risk, Unwed moms, Behaviorally and chemically addicted, and Extended adolescent males. Open-play basketball fills the mornings, with full-court games starting at 8 a.m. on Mondays and not until 10 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays so that the courts can host exercise classes first. A 55-and-older movement class called Okie Motion meets from 9 to 10 a.m. weekdays for a couple of dollars per session, Tai Chi for Balance runs Monday and Wednesday mornings, and pickleball open play fills the courts from 8 to 11:30 a.m. The CUBE is also where Student Ministry gathers, on Wednesday nights from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings from 9 to 10:15 a.m.
A Statement of Faith in Plain Language
Council Road's beliefs are set out in a written Statement of Faith that the church describes as authoritative for its beliefs and actions. The Bible is the infallible Word of God, verbally inspired and without error in its original manuscripts, and the supreme standard for Christian conduct and unity. The church confesses one living and true God whose name is YAHWEH, who exists eternally in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - equal in every divine perfection and carrying out distinct but harmonious work in redemption. Salvation is by grace through faith, and baptism and the Lord's Supper are the two ordinances Christ gave the church. The same statement affirms historic Baptist distinctives like the priesthood of every believer and the autonomy of the local church, and it grounds the practice of open communion in the conviction that "the heart of the believer is more important than the hand of the baptizer."
Sundays at Council Road
Sunday morning is built around two anchors. Connection Classes meet at 9:00 a.m. for every age group in the life of the church. Preschoolers gather in classrooms from birth through kindergarten. First through fifth graders meet on the third floor of the Children's Building for graded small-group Bible study. Students in grades 7 through 12 gather at the CUBE for Student Connection. Adults pick from more than fifteen Connection Classes that vary by age, season of life and teaching style - verse-by-verse groups for young married couples, mixed-age discussion groups, men-only classes, senior adult classes and groups built around specific communities like Know(n), a class that often serves the local homeless population, or Marriage Matters for couples in their twenties and thirties. Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Worship Center. During that hour, first through third graders head to Kids Worship on the Children's Building's third floor for an age-appropriate service of their own, while younger and older preschoolers are cared for and taught on the first and second floors. Nursery care is available for the youngest children throughout the morning.
The Worship Team and Council Road Worship, Vol. I
The Arts Team leads Sunday worship under Minister of Worship Music Eric Wall, who joined the staff in March 2023 after graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma. Sound checks begin at 7:45 a.m., followed by rehearsal before the team joins Connection Classes and then leads the 10:30 service. Wednesday evenings split the music ministry across two rooms: the choir rehearses from 6 to 7 p.m. and the band rehearses from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. during the school year. The orchestra rehearses monthly on Sunday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube and are archived there as well, so anyone who cannot attend in person can still follow along.
The music ministry has released its own catalog. Council Road Worship, Vol. I Deluxe is available on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, and individual originals like "Baptized" featuring Imani Milele, "More Like You" and "Unending Grace" appear on the same platforms. The church has published a written statement, "Considerations for Worship Music Selection at Council Road," in which the Elder Board lays out the principles guiding song selection: songs must be theologically sound, edifying to the body, and well received by the congregation. The statement explicitly rejects what it calls a spirit of exclusivity in music selection, quoting Charles Spurgeon's practice of choosing hymns "without prejudice" and leaning on the old maxim "In essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, charity."
Preschool, Children and Students
Preschool Minister Dondra Lonsdale oversees Council Road Preschool, where Connection Classes meet on the first floor of the Children's Building at 9 a.m. on Sundays. The preschool ministry partners with parents through the stages of expectancy, birth and parenthood, and Lonsdale's team teaches foundational Bible truths through stories, play and age-appropriate activities. During the 10:30 worship hour, younger preschoolers are cared for on the first floor while older preschoolers gather upstairs for their own worship service with songs, Bible stories and crafts. All preschool volunteers and employees are Ministry Safe trained and certified.
Children's Minister Bonnie Cannon leads Council Road Kids for first through fifth graders. Kids Connection meets at 9 a.m. on the third floor for graded small-group Bible study, and Kids Worship runs concurrently with the adult worship service at 10:30 for first through third graders. Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. add age-graded classes that combine games, activities and Bible teaching. The goal is the same one the church repeats for every age group: helping children know Christ, follow Him and make other disciples.
Student Minister Case Kirtley, who has served at Council Road since 2024, leads the Student Ministry alongside Associate Student Minister Pike Butler. On Sunday mornings from 9 to 10:15 a.m. students meet at the CUBE Media Room for small-group Bible study. Wednesday nights from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. bring a free dinner at 5:45 followed by fellowship, biblical teaching, worship and small-group prayer. The student ministry mission is to "engage students of West OKC and beyond with the good news of Jesus" and to equip them to be fully devoted followers.
Disability Inclusion: A Place for Everyone
Disability Inclusion Director Kara Kilman oversees a ministry the church considers central to its calling. The mission is to come alongside families impacted by disability and create a safe place for every member of the family to fully participate in worship, on the conviction that all people are created in the image of God and can hear and respond to the Gospel. On Sundays at 9 a.m., the Awe & Wonder Class provides a self-contained special-needs curriculum for individuals with developmental delays. On Wednesdays the ministry is fully inclusive, with Buddies offering one-to-one support in regular classrooms and a Sensory Room available for children who need to take a break and regulate. Fidgets, flexible seating, headphones and sunglasses are stocked throughout the building to help students with sensory needs. Kilman holds a degree in education from UCO and has worked with children for more than 25 years.
Groups for Every Season of Life
Council Road treats small groups as the core of discipleship. Sunday morning Connection Classes feed into two streams: Home Groups that meet during the week in living rooms across the metro and additional Bible study gatherings for specific ages or stages. Young adults in their late teens and twenties can choose Refuge, an 18-25 group that meets Sunday mornings at the CUBE and again on Sunday evenings for Homegrown from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., or Verse by Verse for discussion-based study, or The Table, a verse-by-verse group for marrieds and singles in their twenties. Young Adults Minister Merritt Suenram, who has been on staff for four years, oversees the college-aged ministry as well, with regular game nights, movie nights and Thunder watch parties layered on top of weekly meetings.
Women's Ministry gathers women of every age for Bible study, fellowship and service under Women's Ministry Director Heather McAnear. The men's ministry, led by Garrick and his wife Heather, meets Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. on the church campus for fall and spring semester studies, with a shorter summer schedule.
Senior Adults Minister Willie Keys oversees a ministry with eight Sunday morning Connection Classes for seniors, a Crafts Ministry that makes items for homebound members and children in foster care, a Bereavement Ministry that serves meals at funeral services, and a Surviving Spouses Ministry with quarterly activities and a December Community Remembrance service. First Thursday potluck dinners and game nights in Room 100 are a long-running tradition. The senior adult ministry also runs a Care Givers Support Group at the CUBE.
Marriage ministry includes free premarital counseling using a Council Road-developed assessment and free marriage counseling for couples in the church and the wider community. Couples who complete the premarital course receive a $45 certificate redeemable toward an Oklahoma marriage license; the materials cost $25.
Celebrate Recovery and Benevolence
Friday nights belong to Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-step program for hurts, habits and hang-ups led by Ricky Zeznanski, who has run the ministry for ten years. The evening starts with a 5:30 p.m. dinner in Maroney Hall, moves to a 6:30 p.m. large group meeting in the chapel with praise and worship, testimony and a lesson, breaks into gender-specific small groups at 8 p.m. and finishes with dessert and fellowship at 9 p.m. Childcare is provided for fifth grade and under, and The Landing, the student version of Celebrate Recovery, runs for seventh through twelfth graders. Zeznanski is also active in prison ministry and in leading Celebrate Recovery inside correctional facilities.
The church's Benevolence ministry assists individuals and families in the church and surrounding community with spiritual, emotional and fiscal needs. A request form is available for anyone seeking help or looking to give.
Missions: Local Partners and a Global Footprint
Director of Missions Stacy Neuschaefer leads both local and global mission efforts. Locally, Council Road partners with Whiz Kids, Hope is Alive, Shiloh Camp, St. Paul's Community School, House of Healing, Young Life and Reaching our City (ROC). The church also supports local schools through donations and teacher and team support and runs English Classes on Wednesday evenings for adults learning the language. Foster and adoption work is coordinated through Karis Adoption, Safe Families, Care Portal/111 Project and the Christian Alliance for Orphans. Globally, the church sends short-term and long-term missionaries and partners with organizations across cultures and continents. Senior Pastor Rick Thompson serves as president of Global Action, an international missions organization that equips pastors and leaders in the developing world.
Outside-the-Walls Coordinator Ali Hunt and CUBE Director Riley Jackson help connect members with hands-on mission opportunities that flow directly through the recreation center and local outreach. The "Out the Walls" framing is intentional: Council Road teaches that the Great Commission means taking the Gospel to neighbors, nations and the world.
Orphan Care and Adoption Support
Orphan Care Director Carisa Wilsie, a licensed psychologist, oversees the Karis adoption, fostering and orphan care ministry. More than forty Council Road families are somewhere on the foster or adoptive journey. The church has partnerships with Safe Families and CRIO International and sponsors seventeen children in Kenya, Liberia and Burundi through sixteen families. Hands for Missions, a blanket and tote bag-making ministry, meets in Room 100 on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 9 a.m. The Karis Adoption Fund helps Oklahoma families offset adoption costs, and the church marks Orphan Sunday on the first Sunday of November each year. A weekly support group for adoptive and fostering families meets Wednesdays from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. in room C201.
Free English Classes
Council Road English Classes are free, with various levels taught on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. in Room 202. The fall 2026 semester begins August 26, with breaks for fall, Thanksgiving and the December holidays before resuming January 6, 2027. Free childcare for children six weeks old through fifth grade is available by reservation. Registration forms are available in both English and Spanish, and the church offers a separate registration link for childcare. Volunteer inquiries and registration questions go to Heather Blackburn.
Discipleship and the Foundations F260 Reading Plan
Discipleship at Council Road has a backbone: the Foundations F260 Bible Reading Plan. The church walks through the Bible together in 260 daily readings, with weekly memory verses and a short staff video offering practical application. The reading plan is layered with supplemental resources - a HEAR journaling method from Replicate Ministries, Foundations journals by Robby Gallaty, Bible Project videos and curated further-reading articles for every week. Adult Discipleship Minister Vickey Banks leads the work. Two formal discipleship classes are open to anyone who wants to grow: the seven-week Faith Basics Sunday morning class, which meets in the Foyer South Room beginning August 30 at 9 a.m., and the Navigators 2:7 Discipleship Group, a twelve-week course based on Colossians 2:6-7 that helps establish a daily quiet time, Scripture memory habits and Gospel fluency. 2:7 groups meet weekly in homes.
The Realm Connect App
Council Road uses Realm Connect as its congregational communication app. Membership is invite-only, and privacy settings let each member decide whether their contact information is visible to the whole church, only to their group, only to leaders or only to staff. Posts, photos and events can be created inside a group if the group leader allows it, but not at the whole-church level. Group members can be notified by email or app notification depending on their preferences.
Weddings and Benevolence
Council Road hosts weddings and offers both free marriage counseling and free premarital counseling. The premarital program uses a Council Road-developed assessment and covers a Biblical foundation for marriage, the differences between men and women, a Merging Values Assessment, budget, conflict resolution and what the church calls "17 rules to a great marriage." Couples who complete the program receive a certificate that takes $45 off the cost of an Oklahoma marriage license. The materials cost $25.
The Building, Giving and Getting Connected
Council Road sits on a campus that includes the Worship Center, the Children's Building, the CUBE across the street at 7903 NW 30th Street and several adult ministry suites. The Cube is rentable for events, and a separate request form exists for hosting large-scale events in the Worship Center. Worship Center requests are reviewed before approval. Giving is available online through the church's giving platform, by check or cash in the offering bucket, by mail to the church office, by text to 405-652-0607 or by stock donation through Minister of Administration Tyler Koonce. Newcomers are invited to fill out a Response Card or reach out to koonce@councilroad.org to learn about Start Here classes and to find a group that fits.
Council Road's distinctive rhythm is hard to capture in a single snapshot. On any given week, preschoolers are learning Bible stories on the first floor of the Children's Building while senior adults discuss the day's sermon in Room 102. English language learners are practicing conversation in Room 202 while a women's Bible study gathers in another wing. Across the street at the CUBE, Okie Motion participants are stretching at 9 a.m., open-play basketball is filling the courts by 10 a.m. and students are arriving for Wednesday night dinner and teaching. Friday nights, Celebrate Recovery fills Maroney Hall and the chapel. The buildings and programs are all means to the same end: that people across Bethany and the surrounding West OKC neighborhoods would be loved toward Christ and helped on their journey with God and others.