A Multi-Generational Church on Menchaca Road
Woodlawn Baptist Church has stood on the south side of Austin for three quarters of a century, and its 75th anniversary celebration in the fall of 2026 is being treated like a family reunion. The congregation describes itself as a multi-generational church that intentionally blends worship styles and life experiences so that people can connect with God and with one another. Sunday morning here carries what staff call a casual feel, but behind that ease is a long tradition of being a strong moderate Baptist presence in South Austin.
Visitors who show up at 4600 Menchaca Road on a Sunday will find the doors open early for choir practice, the campus filling with preschoolers and parents during the LifeGroup hour, and a steady stream of members drifting in and out of the sanctuary for two very different but complementary services. The church building itself is a working campus with a Preschool Wing, a CY Building for school-age kids, a Memorial Building where student LifeGroups meet, and Great Hall, the upstairs gathering space used for student ministry and large events. Woodlawn describes its purpose in three words: Connect, Grow, and Serve.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like
The Sunday schedule at Woodlawn is built around three distinct hours.
9:00 AM - Choir-Led Worship. The first service is a blended gathering with a choir, piano, and organ. It is the traditional anchor of the morning and draws members who grew up with hymnody and choral anthems. Robert Baldwin, the Traditional Worship Pastor, oversees this hour and the Celebration Choir that fills it.
10:10 AM - LifeGroups for All Ages. Between the two services, the whole church moves into Sunday School. Preschool LifeGroups meet in the Preschool Wing, School Age LifeGroups meet in the CY Building, Student LifeGroups meet on the second floor of the Memorial Building and in Great Hall, and Adult LifeGroups meet in various classrooms around campus. Drop-off for kids begins at 9:55 AM and pick-up is at 11:05 AM. A Kolache and Cereal Brunch is occasionally held during this hour so both worship services can fellowship together.
11:15 AM - Band-Led Worship. The later service is contemporary, led by a band, and draws a steady crowd of families with school-age children and students. After LifeGroups, most students in grades 7 through 12 head into this service and sit together in the front right of the sanctuary, looking toward the stage.
Services are livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person, and a sermon archive keeps past messages available on demand. Both worship services, all of the LifeGroups, and the church's special events share the same weekly bulletin.
LifeGroups: The Heartbeat of the Week
Woodlawn's version of Sunday School is called LifeGroups, and the church considers them the best way to get connected and grow in faith. Each group uses age-appropriate curriculum, and Preschool and Children's LifeGroups have two permanent teachers so children see familiar faces week after week. Safety is taken seriously: preschoolers are checked in and given security stickers that match the child to the parent or guardian, and children in Kindergarten through fourth grade are signed in and out by an adult.
For adults, LifeGroups are the doorway into the church's DNA Groups, smaller circles of three or four men or three or four women that meet once a month around three questions: what is God teaching you, what is going on in your life and how can we pray, and where do you need to put your faith into action. DNA Groups often grow out of LifeGroup relationships.
Children's Ministry: Partnering with Parents
The Children's Ministry at Woodlawn exists to partner with parents in raising kids who connect with God, grow in relationship with God, and serve God. Stephanie Shouse leads the team as Children's Pastor. Beyond Sunday morning LifeGroups and Worship Care (provided for preschoolers during both worship services), the children's ministry runs several ongoing programs:
- Family Discipleship. Beginning on a Wednesday night each month, families gather in the Fellowship Center at 6:00 PM for a combined evening of worship, Bible study, missions, and fellowship. Childcare is provided for children four years old and younger. The rest of the month, families work through a take-home component together.
- 1st Grade Bible Presentation. Each fall, first graders are recognized with their very own Bible, marking the milestone of learning to read alongside learning to read God's word.
- WKids Family Playdate and Dinner. Once a month, WKids families meet at Hat Creek in Buda for dinner, supervised by Kristen Carnline.
- Family Pumpkin Party. An October afternoon of pumpkin painting and carving for families with children from infants through sixth grade.
- Family Silent Disco and Movie Night. A Friday evening of music and a movie played through three-channel headphones, with pizza and popcorn for families with children in sixth grade or younger.
- Vacation Bible School. A free, week-long morning VBS each summer for children ages four (by June 1) through completed fifth grade, with a parallel Middle School VBS for students who have completed sixth through eighth grade.
- Preteen Camp. A summer camp at Camp Zephyr in Sandia, Texas, for students who have completed third through sixth grade.
The Splash Bash, held each summer at Twin Oaks Ranch in Buda, is one of the church's favorite all-ages gatherings. With a swimming pool, a creek with canoes, a dining hall, and church-provided hamburgers and hot dogs, it draws members and guests of every generation.
Students in Grades 7 through 12
The student ministry at Woodlawn aims to create a safe and memorable place for seventh through twelfth graders to experience Jesus. Jadin Heriford serves as the Student Pastor. The rhythm of the week is built around three touchpoints:
- Sunday Morning LifeGroups at 10:10 AM. Grade-specific classes use a question-based approach to studying and discussing the Bible.
- Worship at 11:15 AM. Students sit together in the front right of the sanctuary.
- Wednesday Bible Study - WAKE. From 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, students gather in Great Hall for Bible study, prayer groups, games, and food.
Throughout the school year and summer, students look forward to events like Fields of Faith at Burger Stadium, the Great Pumpkin Chase (a scavenger hunt around South Austin), Student Camp at Zephyr, Student Pool Parties, Bowling Nights, Silent Disco and Movie Nights, and Monday Munchies, a rotating lunch hangout at local restaurants around Austin. Many student trips require a signed medical and permission form kept on file.
Adults: Women's, Men's, and DNA Groups
The Adult Ministry at Woodlawn is built around the conviction that disciples grow best in community. Lane Northcut, the Executive Pastor, oversees this area.
Women's Ministry. Women gather quarterly for Women's Gathering brunches on Saturday mornings, with a time of fellowship, devotion, and discussion. Women's Bible studies run throughout the year, including a virtual study that meets bi-weekly on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM and allows women who work or have children at home to participate from wherever they are. A Women's Mission focus area rotates each year to support a specific local ministry.
Men's Ministry. The Men's Fellowship meets four times a year on Sunday evenings for a churchwide gathering centered on food - smoked pork, a pot of chili, or pancakes - followed by a short devotion and table discussion. A Men's Bible Study meets weekly on Monday evenings at 6:30 PM on the Woodlawn campus. Annual outings have included a trip to a Texas Rangers game.
55+ Ministry. Woodlawn's 55+ group organizes trips such as the multi-day excursion to NASA and New Orleans.
Baptism: Believer's Baptism by Immersion
Woodlawn practices believer's baptism by immersion. The church teaches that baptism is an outward expression of the inward miracle of one who has been changed by the Gospel, identifying with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and publicly putting on Christ. Anyone who has made a genuine profession of faith is encouraged to follow Jesus' example and be baptized. Baptisms can be scheduled on almost any Sunday morning by contacting one of the pastors.
What Woodlawn Believes
Woodlawn's Statement of Faith centers on the one true and living God, Creator of heaven and earth, revealed in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The church confesses that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh, fully God and fully human, who died, was raised, and ascended into heaven, and that He is the only mediator between God and humanity. The Holy Spirit is the Helper, God's presence with believers, who teaches and leads the church. The Bible is the divinely inspired authority for life and faith. Salvation is described as a gift that comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Woodlawn also identifies as a grace-filled church. It teaches that the church should accept people where they are in their walk with God while also teaching what it means to love God through obedience to His commandments, balancing love for God and love for others. On marriage and sexuality, the church holds that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and that sexual activity is intended by God to be expressed within that covenant. On kindness and respect, the church teaches that every person has been wonderfully made by God and should be afforded love, kindness, compassion, respect, and dignity.
Academy 4: Mentoring 4th Graders at Joslin Elementary
One of the church's signature community partnerships is Academy 4, a leadership mentoring program for fourth graders that runs at Joslin Elementary, located at 4500 Manchaca Road, just down the street from the church. Once a month on a Friday afternoon, volunteer mentors spend 90 minutes with a fourth grader, walking through the LEADERS acrostic to build self-worth, encourage goal-setting, and provide a positive adult influence at a pivotal moment in a child's development. Woodlawn also collects school supplies and provides other support for Joslin throughout the year. Academy 4 Clubs give students a chance to try activities they might not otherwise experience - robotics, science, guitar, cooking, golf, soccer, and more.
Mother's Day Out: A Preschool on Campus
Woodlawn runs a Mother's Day Out program directed by Alicia Putman, with Naomi Inabinet serving as Assistant Director. MDO gives preschool-aged children an early classroom experience on the Woodlawn campus and is part of the rhythm of life for many Woodlawn families whose older siblings are in children's ministry and student ministry at the same time.
Adventurers Academy and Threads of Love
Woodlawn opens its doors to The Adventurers Academy, an Austin program that enriches the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities. Adventurers attend classes in South Austin three to five days a week, and Woodlawn serves as a job internship site where participants learn custodial and social skills, an activity and event space, and the home of a weekly Adventurers Bible Study that shares God's word through fellowship, prayer, music, praise, and an adapted study. Volunteers drive for off-site activities, help with fundraising, support overnight Adventures, and lead the Bible Study.
Threads of Love is a long-running ministry that makes clothing, blankets, and other handmade items for tiny premature and sick infants. The group meets on Monday mornings from 10:00 AM to noon and again on Monday evenings from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM each week.
Missions: From South Austin to Spain, Northern Ireland, Vancouver, and Northeast Philadelphia
Missions are central to Woodlawn's identity, and the church supports a wide network of partners both locally and internationally.
Local. Beyond Academy 4 at Joslin and Adventurers Academy, the church partners with the Pat Mustoe Baptist Community Center, which provides food and financial assistance citywide, and supports Austin Disaster Relief through Texas Baptists' Texans on Mission. Woodlawn volunteers serve at Angel House, the Soup Kitchen Ministry of the Austin Baptist Chapel, which serves a hot meal every day and offers showers. Each August the church runs a Month of Missions with worship highlights, weekly email spotlights, and a TruCare Diaper Drive collecting sizes 5 and 6 and baby wipes.
International. Woodlawn sends and supports missionaries around the world. Austin and Kate Mackintosh serve in Northern Ireland with Exodus, a youth ministry organization. Chris and Rachel Conley live in Northeast Philadelphia, where Rachel leads GROW, a ministry that serves more than 500 refugees and immigrants a year through ESL, life skills, and friendship. Pancho and Robbi Francovich provide member care for Spanish-speaking missionaries around the globe. In Spain, Woodlawn supports Berenice (Bere) Salce and Project Perla, which rescues women from trafficking in Southern Spain; Jesus and Lily Madrid, who pastor Vicar Evangelical Church and minister to Muslim immigrants; and María Angélica and Marci Carvalho, who serve immigrants and locals in Malaga through Puente de Confianza (Bridge of Trust). Craig and Ellen O'Brien lead Origin Church on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
A Fall Colonia Build Trip each November sends a team to Peñitas to help Buckner finish house builds so families can be in their new homes for the holidays.
Ways to Serve on the Woodlawn Campus
Volunteers make almost everything at Woodlawn happen. Open Ministry Teams include Worship Tech (running sound, lights, cameras, and projection), Greeters, the Next Step Team (helping newcomers at the Next Step Table one or two Sundays a month), Worship Care (caring for children from birth through age five during worship services), Funeral Meal and Bereavement coordination, the Hospitality Team (preparing and serving food at churchwide meals), the Safety Team (providing a presence inside and around the facilities), Prayer Ministry, the Mission House Prep Team (preparing housing for missionaries on furlough), and Hospital Visitation. Other opportunities include bus driving, yard work, and office volunteering.
Getting Connected
Visitors and newcomers are warmly invited to attend any Sunday morning service, join a LifeGroup, and stay after the 11:15 AM worship for a free New to Woodlawn Lunch, held monthly to introduce newcomers to the Ministry Staff and the core values of the church. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Giving can be done online, and prayer concerns can be shared through the church's prayer request page.
Whether someone arrives at Woodlawn as a long-time South Austin resident, a newcomer to the neighborhood, a college student walking over from the UT campus, or a family looking for a Sunday home, the same invitation is extended: come connect, grow, and serve.