Southside Fellowship is led by a team of Elders that we recognize (not elect) as those whom God has gifted, equipped, and empowered to serve and lead. As they make decisions directing the body of this fellowship, these elders are consistent in their desire to examine and emulate the will and Word of God.

No two churches do things exactly alike. That’s what makes each church distinctive. At Southside Fellowship, we’re very intentional about the way we do ministry. We believe God has called us to carry out our mission and vision through:

Expositional Teaching
When a particular issue is of significant importance to the congregation, you might hear a message or series devoted to that particular topic. However, our typical approach is to walk through a passage or book of the Bible seeking to hear what God might say to us. We teach “expositionally” (which means “to explain out the meaning” of something) striving to help you understand scripture and apply it to your life. ~Acts 2:42 and 8:30-31

Team-oriented Leadership
Because we do not think that God has entrusted the leadership of any local congregation to a single individual, we do not have the common “senior pastor” model of leadership. We are guided by a team of Elders, men gifted by God to oversee the church and affirmed by those in our congregation as men who meet the Biblical standards set forth in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. While Charlie Boyd is our Directional Leader and one of the Teaching Pastors, he carries out his duties as part of a team of pastors, sharing responsibilities for such things as the daily oversight of the church, planning worship services, teaching, etc. That team approach to leadership and service is carried out throughout the life of this church.

Equipping Emphasis
To be an “equipping church” means that we are committed to teaching and training those who are a part of this community to live out, in their own lives, the purpose and personality of Jesus. We want those who are part of our fellowship to not just “attend church” but to “be the church.” The Bible makes it clear that every believer is to participate in the life of the community of faith consistent with his or her gifts, talents, and passions. We strive to create environments that provide the best opportunities for those in our church to use their gifts in the work of the ministry as they grow in their relationships with God, with each other, and with those outside our body. ~Ephesians 4:11-12 and 1 Peter 4:10

Participatory Worship
Our time spent together in worship is designed to draw you into a personal encounter with God. We do not think it is enough to watch others worship or to listen as songs are sung. As in any relationship, if you don’t participate you don’t make a personal connection. We don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, but we do want to invite everyone to respond to God celebrating who He is and what He has done for us in and through Jesus Christ. We are convinced that only in this way can we give to Him the praise and glory of which He is so worthy. ~Psalm 150, John 4:23-24, and Ephesians 5:18-20

Pneumatic Ministry
“Pneuma” is the New Testament word that is most commonly used to refer to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. And we want to live out this life we have with Jesus in the presence and power and prompting of the Spirit. Both corporately and individually, we want to learn to live in dependence on the Spirit. We depend on the Holy Spirit to direct us to make decisions in line with the will of God and Word of God. We don’t move our ministry forward based solely on reasonable, practical, well-thought-out solutions. Rather, through prayer, our leaders seek to know the mind of the Spirit in every decision that shapes the contours of our life together as a church. ~Romans 8:4-9, Acts 13:2, and 16:6-7

At Southside Fellowship, we desire to see people get to know God and one another better. As we do life together and encourage each other through life’s inevitable challenges, we discover the heart-beat of true community. The New Testament says we are to love, serve, encourage, teach, admonish, and comfort one another. These are concepts that must be lived out rather than just heard and discussed. God wants us to model His love and acceptance as we extend love and acceptance to each other.

A Community Group is a small group of people who meet together on a regular basis to develop deeper relationships with God and with each other. It’s a place where we can simply pursue Jesus together and model for one another the kind of life Jesus desires for us. It’s an opportunity to help each other grow spiritually through shared prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and service. At Southside Fellowship, Community Groups are the primary environment where those in the body “do life” together.

If you are interested in learning more about the beliefs of our fellowship, meeting some of our church leaders, and getting to know others in the body, we invite you to take our Discovery Classes.