Woodlawn Baptist Church sits on 7th Street Place SW in Conover, North Carolina, with the rolling foothills of Catawba County around it and convenient access to Highway 70 and Interstate 40. The church is known across the county for its plain and consistent commitment to the Great Commission. A campus map helps first-time guests find parking and figure out which building houses which ministry. From its place in this Catawba County town, Woodlawn reaches locally, regionally, and globally through a network of Southern Baptist missions partnerships.
The text the church keeps in front of everything else is Matthew 28:19-20: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." That verse is the stated mission. Two Sunday services, the Wednesday Bible study, the children's ministry across both Sunday hours, the student midweek gatherings, the worship choirs, and the missions giving all fit underneath it.
Two Sunday Mornings, One Worship Center
Each Sunday morning Woodlawn gathers twice in its Worship Center. At 9:00 AM a contemporary worship team leads the congregation with a band. At 10:30 AM a blended and traditional service follows, with the Worship Choir leading hymns alongside more modern songs. Sunday School is offered during both services, which means a family with a toddler, a middle schooler, and a grandparent can all be in a Bible study group at the same hour they would have been in worship. The two-style morning is intentional: it lets members invite a grandmother who grew up on hymnals and a college student who grew up on contemporary worship into the same church family without either of them feeling out of place.
Giving can be done online through the church's fellowship portal. Services stream on YouTube at the Woodlawn Baptist channel, and a "WBC Live" link in the navigation takes visitors straight there.
Kids: A Foundation from Genesis to Revelation
Happening every Sunday at 9:00 and 10:30 AM is what the children's ministry calls "a fun interactive Christ-centered Bible study examining the grand narrative of scripture and how it transforms lives." Children from toddlers through sixth grade move through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation in games, lessons, and Scripture memory. Each story and each theological concept is tied to the gospel. The stated aim is "a Bible-based ministry, teaching kids to know, love and serve Christ," with the goal of "building a foundation of wisdom for knowing Christ."
Matthew 19:14 frames the page: "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." The child discipleship team is led by Erica Whitener, Director of Preschool and Children's Ministries, and runs alongside both Sunday morning services so that families do not have to choose between worship and discipleship time for their kids.
F.O.R.D. and S.N.L.: Student Discipleship on Two Nights
Middle and high schoolers at Woodlawn have two weekly touchpoints. On Sunday nights from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, S.N.L. - Sunday Night Live - is the church's flagship student discipleship gathering. Students come for high-energy worship, Bible study, fellowship, prayer, and small-group time. The stated aim is that students would surrender to the gospel, be transformed by it, be empowered by it, and emboldened to share it.
On Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, F.O.R.D. - Focusing on Radical Discipleship - meets. F.O.R.D. is the more intensive discipleship track, where students are "challenged, encouraged, and equipped to grow in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ" and "trained to make Jesus Christ known in every facet of their lives." Matthew 5:14-16, the salt and light passage, is the Scripture the student ministry names as its anchor. The student ministry is led by Rev. Tanner Schantz, Pastor of Student Ministry.
The Worship Choir and the Contemporary Team
Worship at Woodlawn is led by two ensembles. The Worship Choir meets every Wednesday night at 6:30 PM and is described as "a family of fellowship, prayer and spiritual growth" - a group of dedicated singers who lead the 10:30 AM blended and traditional service. The Contemporary Worship Team meets every Wednesday night at 8:00 PM and leads the 9:00 AM contemporary service. Both rehearse in the Worship Center.
The worship ministry's mission page restates the church's larger calling: "Our mission at Woodlawn is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all by following Matthew 28:19-20." Psalm 95:6 sets the tone: "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker." Vocalists, instrumentalists, and any musician who wants to serve are invited to plug into either ensemble.
Adults Walking by Faith
The adult ministry umbrella covers Sunday School, Women's Ministry, Senior Adult Ministry, and Young Adult Ministry. The unifying verse is 2 Peter 3:18: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." The Wednesday Bible study at 11:00 AM makes room for empty-nesters, retirees, and shift workers who don't have other daytime commitments - or simply prefer a mid-morning hour of Scripture and prayer over a night meeting.
2 Corinthians 5:7 is the line the adult ministry page leans on: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." The goal across every adult ministry is for members to grow closer in their walk with God and share His love across the world. A prayer ministry supports all of it; the church's prayer guide can be downloaded, and prayer requests submitted through a confidential form are forwarded to the pastors.
WBYA: Young Adults at Woodlawn
The Young Adult ministry, called WBYA, is led by Rev. Matthew Eades, Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Administration. The group gathers for seasonal events rather than a fixed weekly meeting time: summer cookouts, country BBQ nights at Sims Barbecue, trips to the Sea Life Aquarium at Concord Mills paired with dinner and games at Dave & Buster's, the annual Balls Creek Camp Meeting outing in August, and the September Cookout in the Courtyard that welcomes back incoming high school graduates with yard games and fellowship.
Joshua 1:9 frames the page: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." RSVPs are coordinated by text with Pastor Eades or through a GroupMe chat. The young adult calendar runs heavier in summer and lighter through the rest of the year, with the September courtyard cookout standing as the kickoff to the fall rhythm.
From Catawba County to the Ends of the Earth
Woodlawn supports four named missions partnerships, all rooted in the Southern Baptist Convention.
- Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina. The mission is "sharing hope, changing lives," with a vision of providing the highest quality of Christian services to children, adults, and families in a caring culture of measurable excellence.
- Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan's Purse). The mission is to provide God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
- Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (International Mission Board). An annual offering collected by churches around the world to support international missionaries, named in 1918 by Woman's Missionary Union in honor of the missionary to China who urged churches to begin the offering.
- Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (North American Mission Board). More than $1 billion has been given through this offering across its history, with 100% of gifts supporting thousands of missionaries in church planting and compassion ministries across the United States and Canada.
Mark 16:15 anchors the outreach page: "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." The congregation is invited to give, to pack shoeboxes, and to pray for missionaries through these partnerships.
What Woodlawn Believes
Woodlawn adopts The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 - the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention - in full, and publishes the text on the beliefs page of the church's online home. A few of the cornerstones:
- The Scriptures. The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. All Scripture is totally true and trustworthy and is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.
- God. There is one and only one living and true God, infinite in holiness and all other perfections, who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - distinct in person without division of nature, essence, or being.
- Man. Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image, male and female, as the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race, so that his posterity inherits a nature inclined toward sin.
- Salvation. Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
- The Church. A New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ (baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper), and governed by His laws. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons.
- The Family. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
- Religious Liberty. God alone is Lord of the conscience, and church and state should be separate. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal.
The beliefs page is, in effect, the church's confession of faith - a public statement of doctrine rather than a topical discussion of contemporary issues, written to be read in worship services and studied in small groups.
Pastors and How the Church Is Led
The pastors and ministry directors who lead Woodlawn are:
- Rev. Matthew Eades, Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Administration, and the primary pastor for the WBYA young adult ministry.
- Rev. Tanner Schantz, Pastor of Student Ministry, who oversees F.O.R.D. and S.N.L.
- Erica Whitener, Director of Preschool and Children's Ministries.
Supporting them is a staff that includes an Executive Ministry Assistant (Lisa Hefner), a Receptionist and Ministry Assistant (Charity Travis), a Facilities Manager (Bob Riddle), a Custodian (Nicky Hayer), and an Instrumentalist (Susan Allen). The church is led, at the governance level, by a pastor, supported by deacons, and structured around teams. "Major decisions such as calling senior staff, electing officers, leaders and teachers, acquiring property, and adopting an annual budget, are congregationally approved."
The operating principles, spelled out in the "New to WBC" guide, are: faith-based, Christ-honoring, Bible-driven, prayer-powered, pastor-led, staff-managed, deacon-served, team-structured, and congregationally approved. The priorities that keep those principles anchored are six: exaltation of the Savior, evangelism of Catawba County and beyond, equipping of believers, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, prayer, and worship.
Planning a First Visit
First-time guests are walked through what to expect on the "New to WBC" page. Services begin at 9:00 AM (contemporary) and 10:30 AM (blended and traditional) on Sundays, and Sunday School is offered during both. The page addresses when to arrive (a few minutes early), what to wear (the church is casual), and what is offered for children (an interactive Christ-centered Bible study across both morning hours).
The campus is accessible from Highway 70 and Interstate 40, and a campus map helps visitors identify where to park and which building houses their ministry. The church office at 440 7th Street Pl SW is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday from 8:00 AM to noon. The mailing address is P.O. Box 609, Conover, NC 28613. The phone is 828.464.6921, and the general inbox is info@wbcnc.org. Online giving, a weekly bulletin, livestreamed services on YouTube, and a downloadable prayer guide are all available for those at home as well as those in the pews.