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Visiting a new church can be a little scary and overwhelming. We invite you to explore the information below to make your visit something to look forward to.
We are here because of the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are sinners who have been rescued from sin by Jesus Christ. Though we have different backgrounds, ethnicities, opinions, and personalities, we find commonality in the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We gather each week to worship the one true God revealed in the Bible. We're grateful for the privilege He has given us to worship, live, and serve in our local community.
We rely on God's grace to give us true unity to function together as one body in Jesus Christ, submitted to the Word of God and committed to living that Word out in our daily lives.
Who We Are
Our Culture
At Shenandoah we strive for an intentional culture of grace, vibrant worship, and discipleship.
A Culture of Grace
We seek to be a community characterized by grace. We pray for and actively strive for grace to permeate every aspect of our church culture. Because we recognize our deep gospel neediness, we are quick to extend grace to those in our church family, to other local churches, and to the people of our community.
A Culture of Vibrant Corporate Worship
We seek to be a community characterized by vibrant, full-hearted, participatory, unified, Christ-centered corporate worship. Because we believe that the worship of the gathered church should be corporate, not individual, we see every aspect of worship as an act the entire congregation joins in, rather than observes. We strive to sing, pray, and preach the Word in a way that encourages the participation of the entire congregation in our worship.
A Culture of Discipleship
We seek to be a community characterized by disciple-making followers of Jesus. Because we believe that the mission of the church is making disciples of Jesus Christ, we develop intentional relationships for the purpose of encouraging each other to pursue Christ, and we actively pray for and seek out relationships for the purpose of calling others to follow Christ.
What to Expect
Walking into a church for the first time can be intimidating, so we want you to help you know what to expect when you visit.
We promise not to embarrass you or point you out. If you wish you can fill out a guest card and we’ll follow up with you later. You can come knowing you are in the midst of a group of broken people, who all need God’s grace.
What to Wear
We have a diversity of people attend our services and are thankful for a congregation with a variety of dress. You'll find anything from very casual jeans and t-shirts to polos and slacks to suits. We encourage you to come as you are.
Sunday School
On Sunday morning at 10 am, we come together for Sunday School for all ages, where we learn topically about God’s Word and its application to all areas of life. Following Sunday School we have our worship service in the sanctuary beginning at 11 am.
Sermon
Preaching is generally expositional, meaning that it seeks to systematically work through passages of Scripture, declaring the point of a particular Biblical passage, with practical application rooted in the redemptive story of Scripture. Sermons usually last around 30 minutes and are packed with material for reflection. All preaching is driven by the Gospel, the Bible’s main message of God saving sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Children
We are thankful to have a congregation with many children. We encourage all parents to train their children to worship as part of the church. We provide nursery for children up to age 2 for the entire worship service and dismiss children ages 3-8 for children’s church before the sermon. Some children remain in the service the entire time, and we welcome their presence.
Service Format
Our service is intentional, in that it follows a deliberate order of worship, but it’s not formal in style. We sing several songs, offer congregational and pastoral prayers to God, hear Scripture read, and give our offerings and tithes. We close each morning worship service with a benediction, with the typical service finishing around 12:15 pm. An hour later, you might still find folks talking over the sermon and events of the past week.
Music
We sing a blend of lyrically rich songs both recent and historic. Those of us who are comfortable with music from one particular era have discovered that we come to enjoy other songs we had not previously encountered. We strongly prefer congregational singing, which emphasizes the gathered body enthusiastically singing praise to God with one voice.
Meet the Staff
Tim Parker
Pastor
Pastor Tim and his wife, Karen, are natives of Rocky Mount. Pastor Tim served as Youth Pastor here at Shenandoah for 16 years before becoming Senior Pastor in October of 2018. They have 3 children, Alex, Lauryn, and Harrison who serve alongside them here at the church. As life long residents they share a strong desire to see their community reached for Christ, to see the family of God united in love, and to see God’s children serving and enjoying Him forever.
Taylor Whitley
Assistant Pastor
Taylor Whitley is a native of Rocky Mount and began serving as the Worship Leader at Shenandoah in March 2013. He was ordained into the ministry on May 6, 2018 and in October of 2018 became Assistant Pastor. He and his wife, Emily, look forward to working alongside those in the children’s department and developing a love for God at an early age in the lives of the kids at Shenandoah. As a major focus of his ministry, Taylor enjoys leading the worship of our great God and pointing others to Him through the avenues of music and teaching.
Zach Zervas
Youth Pastor
Zach began serving as the Youth Pastor at Shenandoah in February of 2020. He and his wife, Casey, with their daughter Hadley, have an intense desire to see young people fully equipped with the Word of God to live a life that is glorifying to Him. Having not grown up in a Christian home, and not becoming a believer until his teenage years, Zach has seen the lifechanging power of God through the Gospel and therefore wants to be used of God to make a lasting difference in the lives of students.
Glenn Hill
Pastor Emeritus
Pastor Glenn Hill and wife, Dale, have served at Shenandoah for over 50 years. Pastor Hill began as Senior Pastor back in the ‘60s and stepped down from that position in 2018. With his wife by his side, his three children, and multiple grandchildren, they continue in their desire to reach the lost for Christ and see His church prosper.
What We Believe
We seek to be Word-driven and Christ-centered.
The Word of God governs our life, and we believe the Bible points to Jesus Christ. The Bible is God's written Word—His communication to us of who He is, what He does, and what He expects of us. The Bible alone holds the authoritative answers to the questions of life and eternity.
The written Word is a reflection of the Living Word, Jesus Christ. It is our reliable, sufficient rule for faith and practice.
We seek to be timeless in our message.
Because we believe the gospel is central and that our church life should be governed by the Word of God, we practice expository, Christ-centered preaching. We strive to make our message accessible to everyone, while still preaching the full counsel of God.
Our message is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We seek to share this message compassionately with the hurting to make a difference in our community, while also engaging in committed missions efforts throughout the world.