An Anchor on Pleasant Hill Road Since 1886
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church has stood at 5960 Pleasant Hill Road in Olive Branch, Mississippi, for more than 140 years. The congregation's roots go back even further. Worship originally gathered under a brush harbor in the community then known as Pleasant Hill. On February 22, 1886, the church purchased the Pleasant Hill Road property that has remained its home ever since. A small framed white church was the first building on the site, and on February 20, 1937, the church bought an additional acre for a cemetery that still serves member families and neighbors.
The first sanctuary grew alongside the congregation, and in 1945 it was expanded and renovated by Brothers Matthew Williams, Dick Greg, Jim Bridgeforth and other members to handle rising attendance. For a stretch of years in the early 1960s through 1972, the church met only on the first and third Sundays under the leadership of Rev. V. B. Brown.
Two Sunday Mornings, One Worship Family
Sunday is built around two identical worship gatherings, giving families and shift workers a choice of hour. Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m. between the services, and Wednesday Bible Study gathers at 6:30 p.m. for midweek teaching and prayer.
Visitors are welcomed at the door, and the church describes itself as "a traditional, conservative, and progressive Baptist Church" centered on communal worship and warm fellowship. Both Sunday morning services follow the same liturgical shape, with congregational singing, prayer, scripture reading, preaching and a benediction. Music carries the St. Paul Male Chorus, a tradition that dates back to Pastor E. L. Fox's pioneering tenure.
First-time guests can fill out a guest card online to let the church know they are coming, and members of the public are invited to worship without any dress code beyond simple, modest attire common to Baptist sanctuaries.
Church in 3D: Disciple, Develop, Deploy
The theme that hangs over every ministry at St. Paul is "A Church in 3D" - Discipleship, Development and Deployment. The mission statement puts it plainly: the church exists to "Disciple the lost, Develop leadership and lay membership and Deploy the saints to witness, serve and share the love of Christ with others."
Each of those three D's carries a Bible verse that the congregation returns to often. Discipleship is anchored in Mark 16:15-16: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Development rests on Matthew 20:26: "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." Deployment echoes the Great Commission of Mark 16:15: "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
The vision statement narrows the focus: "Be Inwardly Strong in the Word of God and Outwardly focused on the Work of God." Pastor Eric Lee calls this blending of depth and outward action the heartbeat of the church.
Pastor Eric Lee and a New Chapter
Pastor Eric Lee began his tenure at St. Paul on July 11, 2009, and has shepherded the church through its most recent era of growth. Raised in Indianola, Mississippi, at First United Baptist Church under Reverend Sammy Rash, Lee played basketball on scholarship at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and then professionally with the Harlem Globetrotters and the Porta La Cruz Mariners. He later graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in Hospitality Management and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing and a Master of Divinity.
Lee met his wife Victoria in Oklahoma City, where he was reared spiritually at Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church under Reverend A. Glenn Woodberry. He served two years as an Associate Minister under Woodberry before spending seven years at True Faith M.B. Church in Memphis with Rev. J. O. Short, first as Associate Minister and then as Associate Pastor.
Under Pastor Lee's leadership St. Paul constructed a new education center in 2012 that houses Little Saints Academy, classrooms, a fellowship hall and administrative offices. In September 2015 the church began a renovation of the existing sanctuary, and during the 270 days that the work continued, Brown Baptist opened its doors so St. Paul could keep worshiping. On Mother's Day of 2016 the congregation returned to its newly renovated sanctuary.
What St. Paul Believes
St. Paul teaches the classic Baptist convictions in a tight, scripture-anchored statement of faith.
- The Scriptures. The whole Bible is God-breathed, written by holy men moved by the Holy Spirit, and without error in the originals (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
- Man, created and fallen. Human beings were made in God's image but fell into sin and now enter the world with a nature that is unchangeably bad apart from divine grace (Genesis 1:26; Romans 3:23; 5:12-14).
- The Godhead. The one God exists eternally in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - sharing the same nature, attributes and perfections (John 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-3).
- Salvation only through Christ. No one enters the kingdom without being born again through repentance, faith and confession of Jesus Christ, whose blood alone accomplished redemption (John 3:1-18; Romans 5:6-11; 10:1-10).
- The extent of salvation. The one who trusts Christ passes immediately from spiritual death to spiritual life, is justified from all things, and has the assurance of a salvation that is permanent and complete (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:38-39; Ephesians 4:30).
Heart, Home, Humility, Honor, Hospitality
Five core values shape daily life at St. Paul. Heart means loving God with all the heart and loving one another as Christ loved us. Home calls members to a life of excellence and obedience that honors Christ. Humility points to the truth that "God rewards the humble but resists the proud," and that humility is a reflection of Christ. Honor treats strong families as something pleasing to God that strengthens the local church and community. Hospitality is a command: believers are called to be hospitable because they never know when they are entertaining angels.
Little Saints Academy
St. Paul's longest-running community outreach is its child care program. On April 8, 1998, the church purchased the neighboring house and an acre of land at 7172 Pleasant Hill Road. In December 1999 that house was renovated into a daycare for children ages six weeks to five years old, opening its doors in 2000 as St. Paul Tender Love and Care Learning Center. By March 2006 growth had prompted further renovations. In 2012 the program was renamed Little Saints Academy and moved into the new education center built that same year on the main campus.
Little Saints Academy educates well-rounded students with a strong Christian and social foundation, preparing them not only for kindergarten but for life. The academy is part of the same ministry footprint as the church, giving St. Paul families a Christ-centered early-childhood option right next door to the sanctuary.
Small Groups and the L.E.A.D. Academy
Small-group ministry is the discipleship engine of the church. Twice a year the L.E.A.D. Academy - Learning, Equipping, Activating, Discipling - meets for intensive small-group study and spiritual formation. Between those intensives, the church runs video-driven studies that open in the spring and are open to anyone in the community.
- MoneyLife Personal Finance Study - 11 weeks on biblical financial principles, stewardship and planning.
- Core for Men: Transformed - 5 weeks for men seeking biblical principles for fathers.
- The Art of Marriage - 6 to 10 weeks of couples' exercises built around God's design for marriage, communication and intimacy.
- Grace Based Parenting - 8 weeks of practical parenting that reflects God's relationship with us.
- The Single Life - 8 weeks on purpose, contentment and preparation for singles.
- Raising Sons of Promise - 5 weeks for single mothers raising sons, focused on biblical parenting principles.
- Not A Fan - 8 weeks for young adults wrestling with authentic commitment versus casual Christianity.
- Every Thought Captive - 5 weeks on renewing the mind through biblical truth, managing anxiety, stress and negative thought patterns.
- The Blessing by Smalley - a study on the five elements of a meaningful blessing: affirming words, meaningful touch, high value, special future and active commitment.
- Grief Recovery - a seven-week step-by-step program that creates a safe space for people to work through the emotions tied to loss without fear of being judged or labeled.
Every ministry at St. Paul is organized the same way, with a Recruitment Division to identify gifting, a Training Division for ongoing teaching, a Service Division to take the ministry into the community, and a Fellowship Division to build godly relationships inside the group.
Joining the St. Paul Family
Membership follows a clear spiritual roadmap. New believers are walked through a sequence that begins with accepting Christ, admitting sin and asking forgiveness, believing in the resurrection, confessing Christ as Lord, completing a baptism class and being baptized, finishing the New Member Discipleship course, and attending a Catch the Vision class with a spiritual-gifts inventory.
From there, members are guided through the R.E.A.D.Y. rhythm of personal growth: Read the Word daily, Express what God has shown you, Apply it, Designate a time and place for quiet time, and Yield to daily prayer. Members are also expected to be present on Sundays, join a small group, serve in a ministry, share their faith and tithe faithfully.
The church holds up Acts 2:42-47 as the model for its members, who are called to be Sincere, Serving, Sharing, Striving and Supportive.
Worship Anywhere and Giving
St. Paul worship services are livestreamed on Vimeo, and recordings are available on demand on the church's YouTube channel for members who are traveling, sick or homebound. Online giving is available through the church's Subsplash platform, framed theologically as "an act of worship" in which God is honored as the source of all that members have and members return a portion as faithful stewards.
An Education Legacy
Long before Little Saints Academy, St. Paul was an advocate for education in the surrounding African American community, donating a half-acre of land to the state of Mississippi for a school. That early investment laid a foundation the church still builds on through Little Saints Academy, the L.E.A.D. Academy and RightNow Media, a streaming library of Bible studies and faith-based video content the church makes available to its members.
From a brush harbor on Pleasant Hill Road in the 1800s to a renovated sanctuary, a thriving daycare and a network of small groups, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church continues its long work of being inwardly strong in the Word of God and outwardly focused on the work of God.
Plan Your Visit
Worship services are held on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. between them. Wednesday Bible Study begins at 6:30 p.m. The church building and Little Saints Academy sit on Pleasant Hill Road in Olive Branch, and the office can be reached at 662-895-6279 or info@stpaulob.org. Those who want to follow along from home can watch services live on Vimeo or catch recordings on the church's YouTube channel.