At Mayflower Hills Baptist Church, we believe that our greatest purpose is to worship God. Worshiping God is an eternal calling, it is an act that believers will be doing for all eternity. Our goal on Sunday mornings is that God would be glorified through our worship: through the reading and proclamation of His Word, through the singing of Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and through coming before the Lord in prayer.
The worship at Mayflower is Gospel Centered. We recognize that the Gospel is what gives us cause to rejoice each Sunday morning—we rejoice because Christ has won our salvation for us through His death and resurrection, freeing us from the wrath of God, and breaking the chains of our sinful nature.
When we worship together, we recognize that our worship isn’t limited to our small venue, but rather, we join together spiritually with all the saints of God throughout all the earth, as well as those in Heaven and with the Angels, all rejoicing and praising God.
Christ centered, Gospel focused worship accomplishes two things: we glorify God by pouring out ourselves in love to Him, and we encourage those around us by building each other up through the Word. Gospel centered worship unites us in faith for the purpose of furthering God’s Kingdom. And as we confess sin, seek God’s grace, are assured of His mercy, give Him thanks, and seek His instruction, we are proclaiming the truth of the gospel, and reflecting back to God the beauty of His holiness.
The primary goal of our music ministry is the glory of God and the edification of the church. We believe that every aspect of music must be submitted to the Lordship of Christ. To be truly Biblical, our music must find its themes, principles, and qualities in Scripture.
We recognize that music properly fulfills three distinct roles within the context of gathered worship:
Giving glory to God, praising and thanking Him for His acts and attributes, acknowledging His supremacy in all things.
Communication addressed directly to God. Many of our hymns and psalms are written prayers that help us approach God rightly with the “mind and the spirit.”
Music that teaches and preaches God’s truth. Preachers and musicians share the ministry of the Word. Good hymnody impresses the truth of Holy Scripture upon the heart.
Music is offered principally to God, who is both the subject and object of our worship. We seek to avoid man-centered entertainment or cultural trends that prioritize consumer desires over biblical principles.
God is worthy of our best; therefore, we offer to Him the best of our ability. Musicians should be trained and skillful, offering music that is well-prepared and adequately rehearsed. “Play skillfully with a shout of joy.” — Psalm 33:3
We prioritize live musicians and acoustic instruments to afford flexibility in tempo and nuance. We believe that live music offered in worship to God is better than something synthesized by a computer.
The most important worship music is congregational song. While we may use instrumentalists and soloists to edify the body, their primary role is to lead and support the congregation in one voice.
The sound of the Church is the voices of God’s people. And as such, the primary sound of a worship service should be the voices of the congregation, not overwhelmed by music coming from a stage.
Our music leaders are viewed as pastoral musicians. They are responsible for guarding the people’s praise, ensuring that all musical offerings are intelligible, authentic, and biblically sound.
We reject the “dumbed down” approach to music, seeking instead to feed the congregation with substantive, Christ-centered truth.
Serving as a teaching Elder for more than 30 years, Pastor Steve always had a heart for church planting. In 2009, while serving as an elder at Calvary Memorial Church, Steve felt called to start a new church plant. After much thought and prayer, Steve became the pastor of Roanoke Valley Bible Church, which held its first service on November 1, 2009. In February 2022, RVBC merged with Mayflower Hills Baptist Church.
Through his pastoral responsibilities of shepherding, preaching, and teaching, Pastor Steve’s main goal is to glorify God. Pastor Steve finds great joy in demonstrating the glory of Christ and the relevancy of the Bible today through Bible Study, exposition and teaching.
He also enjoys visiting and discipleship: “Ministering involves helping people through difficult times and difficult relationships,” Pastor Steve says. “Shepherding people through difficulties is never easy. Sometimes people reject Biblical counsel and choose a path that leads to suffering—for them and for me. But many respond to counsel, and there are few joys as great as being used by God to help people continue in the Christian Life.”
Steve’s educational background includes Washington Bible College, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Capitol Bible Seminary. Pastor Steve’s favorite pastime is spending time with his family—his wife, Vicki, and their three children, Jared, Rachel and Justin.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
— Colossians 3:16