Gospel Light Baptist Church is an old-fashioned Independent Baptist Church with Bible preaching and teaching that is sound, relevant, and practical. You will hear evangelistic, Christ-honoring, traditional music and all this happens in a warm and inviting atmosphere. We would be honored to have you drop by any time. You are always welcome at Gospel Light.
The Bible says in Psalm 16:6: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Gospel Light Baptist Church indeed has a goodly heritage. Over the years, God has been faithful and gracious to us, and He deserves all the praise for those who labored to provide what we enjoy today. He is also to be praised for those who continue to build on that foundation.
In June 1949, Bro. D.W. Long organized Gospel Light Baptist Church with nine members. As God blessed the church, it quickly outgrew its facilities. In July 1956, Bro. Bobby Roberson was called as the next pastor. Over the course of 61 faithful years, God used Bro. Bobby greatly. Under his steady leadership, the church again outgrew its facilities, and numerous ministries were added, with thousands calling Gospel Light “home.” Bro. Bobby graduated to heaven in February 2018, and we are forever grateful for his steadfast service. Click here for more information about Bro. Bobby.
After supporting Bro. Bobby for over 30 years, Bro. Frank Shumate became the interim pastor. God used Bro. Frank to guide the church through a challenging time following the loss of its beloved pastor. His love and dedication demonstrated the steady hand of God. In June 2021, Bro. Frank became Pastor Emeritus and continues to serve the Lord at Gospel Light. At this time, Bro. Matt Morrison became the Senior Pastor after serving alongside Bro. Frank for two years. In February 2024, Bro. Matt Morrison retired as Senior Pastor due to his health. During his tenure, God used him to faithfully uphold the church’s heritage.
In October 2024, Bro. Justin Cooper became the pastor of Gospel Light Baptist Church. The church is thrilled about the future under his leadership and looks forward to seeing how God will use him and his family to continue the rich heritage of Gospel Light. We remain an old-fashioned, independent Baptist Church that loves God and reaches souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We trust that God will continue to keep His hand on this work until the day He calls us home in the rapture. To God be the glory—great things He hath done!
Senior Pastor
Secretary
Facilities Manager
Secretary
Spanish Pastor
Pastor Emeritus
Financial Secretary
Ministry Director
Assistant Pastor
There's something for every member of your family at Gospel Light
Our loving nursery caregivers provide a clean and safe environment for your child so you can have peace of mind while attending any of our services. All childcare volunteers are background-checked and screened.
Throughout the primary years, our kids will discover how they can be used by God even while still a child. All childcare volunteers are background-checked and screened.
Our Junior Ministry is geared toward keeping our young people in God’s Word, sensitive to the Lord, and having a great time together. All childcare volunteers are background-checked and screened.
The GLBC Teen Group fosters opportunities for fellowship through weekly Sunday School lessons, weekly Wednesday evening meetings, and monthly activities; fosters opportunities for growth through accountability partners to encourage spiritual growth in the Lord; and fosters intentional situations intended for gaining experience in serving the Lord.
Every Sunday, over twenty buses leave Walkertown to bring people to church. For more than 50 years, members of Gospel Light have canvassed neighborhoods to find riders, with Sundays dedicated to transporting them to church. Despite being seen as outdated, the crowds are a testament to God's faithfulness. Hundreds come to trust Christ each year through this ministry.
The Gospel Light Spanish Church was organized in 1990, starting as a small class in the mid-80s. In 2008, the church moved to the Faith Baptist Church property on Waughtown Street, following renovations. The Spanish Church also provides Sunday School classes for all ages. God continues to bless this thriving ministry.
Master Clubs is a discipleship ministry for 3-year-olds through 6th grade, focusing on verse memorization, citizenship projects, doctrinal lessons, and weekly activities. Meetings are held weekly at 7:00pm.
Mom's Morning Out meets the third Thursday of each month from 10:00am - Noon. Our Ladies Fellowship gathers every fourth Thursday from 6:00-8:00pm. We also host a Spring Banquet and a Ladies Conference in the fall!
Gospel Light Christian School, founded in 1972, offers a Christ-centered curriculum for over 450 students, from 3-year-old kindergarten to 12th grade. Using ABeka and Bob Jones materials, we provide traditional classrooms, electives like music, art, and sports. Contact us online, in-person, or at 336.722.6100.
In 1972, Brother Bobby Roberson's vision to guide youth became reality. Gospel Light Baptist Church purchased Camp Virginian in the Blue Ridge Mountains, outside of Hillsville, VA. GLCC helps churches with evangelism and discipleship, fostering juniors’ and teens’ growth in Christ. Contact 336.722.9700 or click here for details.
Join us for this nationally recognized program to help those struggling with addiction. We meet Fridays from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, offering support and encouragement to overcome drug, alcohol, pornography, gambling, marriage issues, and more. A Christ-centered support system is in place for you and your family.
Each year, on the first weekend of September, we host a Preacher's Retreat at our Christian Camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Join us for a time of spiritual renewal and refreshing!
Tune in for our live radio broadcasts:
WPIP 880 AM (Mon. - Fri.):
8:15am - 8:30am:
WDSL 1520 AM (S.S.):
10:15am - 10:45am:
WDSL 96.5 FM (S.S.):
10:15am - 10:45am:
WDSL 1520 AM (Sun. AM):
11:00am - 12:00pm:
WDSL 96.5 FM (Sun. AM):
11:00am - 12:00pm:
WTRU 830 AM (Sun. PM):
7:00pm - 8:00pm:
WTRU 97.7 FM (Sun. PM):
7:00pm - 8:00pm:
The Statement of Faith of Gospel Light Baptist Church
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed and are, therefore, the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21).
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations – the age of law, the age of the church, and the age of the kingdom – are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Genesis 1:28, 3:13-25; I Corinthians 9:17; II Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10, 3:2-10; Colossians 1:24-25, 27; Revelation 20:2-6).
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each are co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26).
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God. However, because of Adam’s sin, the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19).
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19).
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God (Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11).
We believe in the “blessed hope” – the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the Nation of Israel (Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10, 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man. He shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11, 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Day-Age Theory, and theistic evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11).
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the church; and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities; but all – including the authorities themselves – are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. We believe that we must obey the state unless it requires us to act contrary to our faith at which time we must obey God rather than the state (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14; Matthew 22:15-22; Acts 5:29).
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex (Genesis 2:24; 19:5,13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).
We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the office of pastor or deacon (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; I Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20; 15-18; Luke 1:44).
We believe that God has given the church a Great Commission to proclaim the gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:20). Moreover, we believe that the boundaries of the mission field lie at the threshold of our church door. It is not our intent to proselyte members from other churches for our buildings would surely not hold all the people who have never heard the gospel or who never attend any church. It is these people whom we believe it to be our mission to evangelize as well as those in foreign countries.
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32).
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to them, is obligated to support their local church financially through tithes and offerings. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, assist in the relief of those in need, and aid in the spread of the gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17).
We feature classes for all ages: men, women, couples, senior citizens, young married couples, and families. We use the King James Version of the Bible for our textbook.
This service features congregational singing, adult choir numbers, special music, and old-fashioned preaching. Separate services for beginners, primaries, juniors, and teens are also available.
This service is a time for families to sit together and enjoy old-fashioned singing and preaching. The adult choir sings in each service, the children’s choirs sing the first Sunday night of each month, our hand bells provide music on the second Sunday night of each month, and our orchestra provides music on the third Sunday of each month.
A special time of singing, sharing special prayer requests, and studying the Word of God.
Master Clubs is a curriculum-based discipleship ministry for 3-year-olds through 6th grade that utilizes verse memorization, citizenship projects, doctrinal lessons, and various weekly activities.
The teens meet weekly for a “Power Hour” with refreshments, games, singing, and preaching. There is also teen soul winning each Wednesday at 3:45-5:30pm.
A personal discipleship program using a 33-week curriculum designed to root the disciple faithfully into the Word of God daily, be a witness, and develop leaders with a loyalty to the Lord and His church.