Hyland Heights Baptist Church: Local church spreads the love of Christ through missions

Champions for Christ are mission-minded, share the love of Christ and value the local church. Hyland Heights Baptist Church is located in Rustburg and strives to equip members to live on mission and fulfill the Great Commission.

“Our church is a spiritual family with a global mission to glorify God, make disciples for Jesus and plant churches,” Josh Carter, senior pastor of Hyland Heights Baptist Church, said.

Carter began serving as senior pastor in April 2020.

“It has been four years since coming as pastor here at Hyland heights,” Carter said in his sermon Sunday, April 14. “We are here because God put a prayer on Mandy and my hearts.”

Carter is grateful for the opportunity to lead his church members in becoming devoted followers of Christ who make disciples and live on mission.

“What I mean by being mission driven is that we desire to equip every church member, … every part of the body of Christ to be a person who is living on mission in their everyday life,” Carter said.

Carter enjoys developing a sense of community within the church’s congregation and
witnessing the discipleship that takes place in the community.

This year, Hyland Heights Baptist Church is offering global mission opportunities for members to share their faith in places such as Uganda, South Asia, Brazil, Cuba and Hungary. In Uganda, Hyland Heights Baptist Church will be partnering with the Women’s International Ministry to provide hygiene items and help women develop life skills. 

In Brazil, members will have the opportunity to share the gospel in several schools. In South Asia, Hyland Heights will be helping put on a conference to encourage and equip over 70 pastors in the region. Similarly, in January, members of the church had the opportunity to train Cubans in how to share their faith. 

Not only does Hyland Heights focus on reaching the nations, but it also prioritizes reaching its local church body. Hyland Heights Baptist Church encourages its members to be involved in life groups at church so they can grow in community with fellow believers and spur one another on in their faith. The church also offers a service at 11:00 a.m. for members to worship together as a church body.

Each year, the church also holds “Go, Love, Serve Sunday” with a shortened service to provide time for each life group to go out and serve in the community. 

“On ‘Go, Love, Serve Sunday,’ it is a natural thing for us to take part in serving our community … and looking for opportunities to share the gospel,” Carter said.

One of Carter’s favorite ministries at Hyland Heights Baptist Church is the young adult ministry because he enjoys shepherding young adults alongside his wife in their home. Another helpful ministry for young adults is the marriage mentorship program, where engaged couples attend marriage classes and pair with a married mentor couple. 

As a result of investing in the spiritual health of fellow church members, members are equipped and encouraged to serve their local communities. At Hyland Heights, members engage the local community by going on monthly prayer walks, where they knock on doors to share their faith and the hope they have in their relationship with Jesus.

Other ministries at Hyland Heights Baptist Church include a partnership with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which allows church members to serve the community with food every Wednesday, and a Vacation Bible School to reach children in the local community with the gospel message every summer. Hyland Heights Baptist Church also plans to launch a church plant in September to further its mission of bringing more people to Jesus.

Jewell is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion