An "All Are Welcome" Church on Northside Drive
Northside Baptist Church sits on East Northside Drive in Clinton, Mississippi, and the sign out front reads "ALL ARE WELCOME." Members describe that phrase as a constant reminder of the good news that Jesus Christ welcomes people into relationship with God and one another, and the congregation has shaped its identity around that welcome since the very beginning.
Sundays in the Sanctuary
Worship begins at 10:30 am in the Sanctuary, the largest building on the campus. Visitors are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early so that greeters can answer questions, but latecomers are still welcome. The service follows the church calendar through the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time, with special services for All Saints' Day and Reign of Christ Sunday. Ministers wear black robes with stoles that change with the liturgical season - white, purple, green, or red - and the choir wears robes as well.
A typical service includes scripture readings appointed for the day, congregational hymns, prayers, a sermon from one of the ministers, anthems and special music from the music ministry, and a brief Children's Time when younger worshippers come forward for a Bible story or lesson. Children under five are then escorted to children's church. The whole service is led by staff and lay people of every age, with piano and organ accompanying the singing. The church notes that for Baptist life in Mississippi, this style is uncommon; the lectionary, the church year, and the robed leadership reflect a wider Christian tradition.
Sunday School and Christian Formation
Christian formation begins at 9:15 am with Sunday School. Adults gather in intergenerational classes - five follow the lectionary in the Main Building, one meets online, and a seasonal book or topical study meets in the Bride's room of the Sanctuary. Coffee and baked treats are often waiting in the kitchen. Youth in grades 6 through 12 follow the lectionary in the Youth Building, and children from nursery through fifth grade gather in the Children's Building for gathering activities, choir with a director for kindergarten through fifth grade, a Bible story, and pickup at 10:15.
A History of Inclusion Since 1969
Northside was formally constituted on July 20, 1969, with 63 charter members as a Southern Baptist congregation. From the start, its founding documents welcomed "any person regardless of economic, social, cultural, or racial background" as a candidate for membership - an early step in what members describe as the church's ongoing work to reflect God's kingdom on earth. A sanctuary was completed in 1970, and James Porch became the first full-time pastor in 1971.
In 1980, after a year of study and deliberation, the constitution was amended to allow women to serve as deacons. The first women entered the diaconate in November 1981. The church continued to expand its understanding of Baptist heritage and added affiliations with the Alliance of Baptists and, later, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. In 2000, Susan Meador was ordained to pastoral ministry, becoming Northside's first ordained woman on staff; she served as Minister of Youth and later as Associate Pastor. A new sanctuary built in the historical design of a cross was completed with a gift from longtime member Nancy Bright and a capital campaign.
In 2014 the congregation entered a season of study and prayer around human sexuality. Two years later, in 2016, Northside adopted the mission statement it still uses today: "The mission of Northside Baptist Church is to celebrate God's grace and follow the movement of the Holy Spirit, allowing any person, without exception, who professes Jesus as Lord, to participate in any capacity with this fellowship." Today, members describe the church's identity by four crosses at the top of its crest, representing the historic emphases of caring, sharing, growing, and proclaiming - and a fifth cross each believer takes up to follow Christ.
Beliefs in Their Own Words
Members describe Northside as inclusive, comfortable with questions and a diversity of thought, worshipful, congregationally compassionate, missional, and historically Baptist. The church points to historic Baptist principles - the so-called "Four Fragile Freedoms" of soul freedom, church freedom, religious freedom, and Bible freedom - as steady footing. The 1963 Baptist Faith and Message may serve as a guide to the faith, and the church affirms its current affiliation with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists.
Four historic emphases shape the church's ministry: proclaiming through worship and missions the good news of a loving and forgiving God; caring through a fellowship of mutually supportive believers; sharing faith and resources by example and deed; and growing through worship, Christian education, and witness.
Music at the Heart of Worship
The music ministry is described as the heartbeat of corporate worship at Northside. Music sets the tone, and the music staff and chancel choir carry that responsibility. Toney Keeler directs music, Janet Taylor plays the organ, and Dottie Serio plays piano. The chancel choir rehearses on Wednesday nights at 7 pm, and singing in worship includes both older and newer hymns accompanied by piano and organ. Members of all ages serve as lay leaders in the liturgy.
Children, Youth, and Safeguards
Children are welcomed in worship and given opportunities to lead, and nursery care is available for children under five. Children have weekly Sunday School and choir, plus regular special events. Northside revised its child protection policies in November 2025, building on a 2015 document. Every staff member and volunteer who works with minors is trained on the policy, all volunteers undergo background checks, two unrelated adults must be present at any event with minors, and private communication between adults and children is prohibited. Staff and volunteers are also state-mandated reporters of suspected abuse or neglect.
Youth Group meets Sunday nights from 5 to 7 pm in the Youth Building. The group focuses on connecting faith to the wider world, serves in missions, attends a fall retreat, goes to camp, and participates in worship leadership. Children's and youth Sunday School is coordinated by Elli Wilkinson.
Yoked with a Church in Brazil
In 2011, Northside voted to join a unique partnership with Primeira Igreja Batista em Bultrins, a Baptist congregation in the city of Olinda in northeastern Brazil. The two congregations have yoked themselves in the gospel, recognizing one another as members, praying for one another especially on Sundays when each celebrates the Lord's Supper, communicating regularly, and visiting when possible. The Bultrins church was originally founded in a modest neighborhood between two favelas, and Northside has drawn from its incarnational presence and its creative multi-generational ministries. The Bultrins congregation, in turn, has adopted some of Northside's worship traditions. Mission trips over the years have taken Northside members to Brazil and to other places, including Macedonia and Pearlington on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
A Wildflower Meadow for Pollinators
In January 2024, Northside established a 1.4-acre wildflower meadow on its grounds, planting native grasses and wildflowers the following month. The mix includes Blackeyed Susan, several species of milkweed, coneflowers, goldenrod, blazing stars, bee balm, and prairie clovers, among many others. Observations are tracked through an iNaturalist project called Northside Baptist Church - All Creatures Great and Small. Future plans for the space include a shaded labyrinth with a wheelchair-accessible path, seating, and a water feature.
Reaching Beyond the Walls
Hospitality runs through much of what Northside does. The Gathering Table, formerly the Senior Adult Luncheon, meets at 11 am on the third Tuesday of each month for a meal, fellowship, and a speaker on Bible study, entertainment, or civic life. The Men's Breakfast gathers on the first Tuesday at 8 am in the youth building. During football season, the Football Ministry hosts the Clinton High School team on Tuesday evenings, providing food and a safe place to gather; James Stringer coordinates that effort. The Helper Ministry matches members who need a hand - with meals, transportation, childcare, house or pet sitting, fix-it tasks, technology, or lawncare - with members who can help, and Bart Mayfield serves as coordinator. A prayer team meets every other week to pray for the church, the community, and the world.
Northside partners with many local nonprofits as its primary missions connection, including the Clinton Community Christian Corporation, and supports Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in the United States and abroad. The annual Advent Missions Offering raises substantial support for local, state, national, and international causes, including the Bultrins partnership.
The church's buildings host a wide range of community organizations at minimal or no charge, including the Clinton Arts Council, the Brick Street Theatre, homeowners associations, voting locations, and professional training events. Northside also sponsors BSA Scouting.
The Advent Banner Tradition
Northside has celebrated Advent since 1985. Since 1992, a new worship banner has been created each year to follow the theme of that year's lectionary readings, with designs contributed by artists from within the congregation. The banners are hung in the sanctuary the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent, and many members mark their church membership by the banner that was hung the year they joined.
Leadership and Staff
Senior Pastor Rev. Courtney Stamey began her service at Northside on June 3, 2018. Jason Coker serves as Interim Associate Pastor and Michael Williamson as Interim Pastoral Caregiver. The diaconate is led by Chair Bart Mayfield, Past-Chair Jay Kucia, and Chair-Elect Graham Carner, with nine additional deacons - Sam Lovorn, Chris Routh, Laura Strong, Benjamin Eubanks, Meredith Thomason, Margaret Drummond, Greg Gearhart, Leigh Switzer, and Paula Mayfield - serving three-year terms in caregiving, listening, visiting, and prayer. The office is staffed Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at (601) 924-4555. Worship is livestreamed on YouTube, and giving is available online.