Sundays at 9a + 11a
We would love to have you join us at our Sunday gatherings. You’ll find a community of people humbled by the grace and love of Jesus. Local Church St. Pete is a place where everyone can grow in their faith, ask hard questions and take time to explore the truths of who Jesus is and what it means for their lives today.
If you’re exploring a Sunday gathering for the first time expect to meet some friendly people, feel free to dress casually (however you like), grab a complimentary cup of coffee or two, and when the service begins expect some music and a talk based on a selection from the Bible.
We always make it a priority to meet with people who have questions or want to know more about Local Church St. Pete. If that’s you, we invite you to email us to set up a time.
Below you can find more information relevant to your visit.
Location & Time
8:25a / Pre-gathering Prayer (Come early to our Sunday Gathering for a time of prayer)
9a + 11a / 2750 5th Ave N St. Petersburg, FL 33713 (Sunday Gathering)
Parking
There’s a large parking lot on the East side of the building along 5th Ave N. There’s also a small parking lot on the South side along 28th St N. There’s Additional parking across 5th Ave N at St. Pete High School. Please park legally and respectfully of our neighbors.
Children (LOCAL Kids)
Children and families are very important to us. Every Sunday we will have children’s ministry (LOCAL Kids) for kids that are 6 months old through 5th grade. Our volunteers are trained, background checked, and of course they love kids!
Your children will be taught a lesson from the Bible and take part in a craft and / or activity which will reinforce the lesson. They’ll love it.
- Check-in starts 15 minutes before the gathering begins at the LOCAL Kids check-in table.
- Check-out time is within the first 15 minutes after the gathering. Please pick up your child from their classroom.
- Nursery will meet for the entire gathering, while K4 through 5th grade will meet after our time of singing (praise and worship).
- Snacks will be provided (please let us know if your child has any allergies).
- If we need to contact the parent / guardian during the gathering, we will do so via your child’s ID number posted on the main screen in our main meeting space (or we will do so via text message).
Connect Card
If you’re brand new to Local Church St. Pete please take time to fill out this Connect Card. This will help us get to know you better and learn how to best serve you.
Prayer Requests
Are you in need of prayer? Fill out this Prayer Request Form.
Story
Disciples who make disciples to impact the city of St. Pete for Jesus.
St. Petersburg has an average of 361 days of sunshine each year; because of this the city has been nicknamed “The Sunshine City.” It’s no wonder why St. Pete is the largest city in the most densely populated county in the state. St Pete is a diverse, eclectic, artistic and active city.
I love St. Pete. I love its quirkiness and diversity; I love its passion and beauty. Our hope is for Local Church St. Pete to be a place to grow in faith, ask hard questions and take time to explore the truths of who Jesus is and what it means for our lives today. Simply put, we are disciples of Jesus. An imperfect community of people called out of brokenness and shame and called into a relationship with Him. We believe in the mission Jesus gave his disciples to love one another and make disciples. We’re humbled by God’s grace and eager to share the joy and hope we have in Him, and we understand the local church is God’s missionary strategy to reach a broken world.
In 1 Peter 2:9-10 we find the church (followers of Jesus) has a “double identity.” The church is called out of the world to belong to God and sent back into the world to declare His praises. Our temptation can be to either withdraw and isolate ourselves or to blend in and compromise. Instead, we’re called to be set apart while at the same time deeply involved in the world, entering the pain and suffering of those around us. We believe God has called us to be a church in the city of St. Pete that understands it’s identity as the called out and sent in people of God.
Our story is still unfolding and we can’t wait to see who God brings into it. We’re forever grateful for the people we get to walk out our faith alongside and we’re excited to move forward. We would love for you to join us!
With Joy and Faith,
Daryn
Lead Pastor
ELDERSHIP TEAM
Daryn Kinney | Lead Pastor
Daryn has pastored for 24 years in the Tampa Bay area, 19 of those years in St. Pete. His passion for the local church and his love for discipleship has been a focus for him over the years. He enjoys music and has led worship teams longer than he’s pastored. Originally a visual art major, he has a deep appreciation for the arts. Daryn married his high school love Valerie in 1999 and has three boys (Jude, Shay and Silas).
Mark Culton | Pastor
Mark has pastored over twenty years in Pennsylvania, Indiana and now Florida. He enjoys building relationships with different types of people – all with the heartbeat of making disciples who make disciples. He can be found spending time with his girls, reading, playing sports, enjoying live music, and at the beach with his family. Mark married Jen in 2001, and they have three teenage daughters (Avery, Quinn and Preslie).
Trevor Shultz | Pastor (Non-vocational)
Trevor has served in ministry leadership the past 10 years in St. Pete in both vocational and non-vocational areas. He’s passionate about serving and building up Christ’s church. He’s a financial advisor in the Tampa area. When not working or with the church, he’s hanging out with his wife (Emily) and two boys (Theo & Luke) or spending time on the water diving.
Josh Allen | Pastor (Bi-vocational)
Josh has been with Local Church St Pete since its inception. Josh and Brooke have been married since 2005 and have four children. While Josh is a full time Firefighter and Paramedic, he’s also on staff with Local Church St Pete one day a week with a focused attention on pastoral care.
Micah Singleton | Pastor (Non-vocational)
*Bio coming soon!
STAFF
Daryn Kinney | Lead Pastor
Mark Culton | Pastor
Josh Allen | Pastor (Bi-vocational)
Ryan Collins | Pastoral Intern
Katie Eiland | Director of Operations
Matt DiPietro | Worship
Luisa Fernanda | Director of Local Kids
Tara Leitz | Photography, Social Media & Graphics
TJ Graf | Production
Lexie Aurie | Administrative Support
Stephen Birge | Facilities
Beliefs + Resources
Our hope is for Local Church St. Pete to be a community where you can grow in your faith, ask hard questions and take time to explore the truths of who Jesus is and what it means for your life today.
Here are some truths we treasure and resources we love to share. Enjoy exploring them.
GOSPEL STORY
God himself has come to rescue and restore us in and through Jesus Christ. When we change our mind about who is God in our lives and by faith believe that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection has secured our rescue and restored us to a right relationship with God the Father, we’re then made new in Jesus. Through Jesus, God has graciously provided a way for our broken relationship with Him to be restored and made right again. It’s this very message of reconciliation and hope that defines who we are as a church. We get to come alongside others and say, “Look at what God has done in Jesus!…Jesus is God’s answer to the hurt, pain, brokenness and longing in our own hearts. God has not left us alone, He has provided a way for us to be at peace with him – this story of Jesus grows out of a bigger story – one that’s been shouting promises of forgiveness for ages and now in Jesus we see how those promises have been answered!” Nothing shapes the identity of Local Church St. Pete more than this Gospel Story.
GOSPEL IDENTITY
Tim Keller: “When we experience Christ’s radical grace through repentance and faith, it becomes the most intense, foundational event of our lives…In Christ we have both spiritually died and been raised to new life.” Our identity is not in how we dress, what we look like, how much money we make or where we live. It isn’t something we have to earn either. Our identity is found in Jesus and this means we’ve entered a new family, a Gospel community, where we are loved and accepted, not because of our work and effort but because of the work and effort of Jesus. As adopted sons and daughters we want to share the same kind of compassion and grace we’ve received from God our Father. Completely captivated by this new identity we have in Jesus, we know it’s best lived out in the context of Gospel community.
GOSPEL COMMUNITY
We were never meant to live our life in Christ on our own. Jesus said John 13:35, “all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” The New Testament exhorts us to be joined to, devoted to, counsel, honor, confess your sins to, forgive, bear with, carry the burdens of, be kind to, teach and admonish, build up, pray for, love one another. In other words, we’re called to be and do something together that we could never be and do on our own. Through this new “Gospel community” God continues to gather a people from every tribe, tongue and nation – including the people of St. Pete. Life is messy, no one is perfect and community can be tough at times, but we understand the church is God’s idea for our good and His glory.
GOSPEL INTENTIONALITY
In Thessalonians 1:5 we read that the Thessalonians heard the Gospel of Jesus in a way that came not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. The result? They became imitators of those who preached the gospel, imitators of the Lord Jesus himself. In other words they connected what they heard to their very lives. The message they received rang out not because they planned an event that would demonstrate their faith but because their very lives gave them away! Their faith in God had become known everywhere because their passion was to serve the living and true God. We want this to be said of Local Church St. Pete. We understand that intentionality in serving God’s mission happens when there’s an overflow of love and joy for God and a true brokenness for the lost. We’re humbled by God’s grace and that translates into active, ongoing service. We aren’t striving to prove our own significance or aiming to build a name for ourselves, instead we want the people of St. Pete to see Jesus for who He is and bring honor to His name.
John Stott: “He (Jesus) did not stay in the safe immunity of His heaven. Instead He emptied himself of His glory and humbled himself to serve. He actually entered our world. He took our nature, lived our life and died our death. He could not have identified with us more closely than he did…And now he calls us to enter other people’s worlds, as he entered ours…We are called to enter other people’s social and cultural reality: into their thought-world, struggling to understand their misunderstandings of the gospel, and into the pain of their alienation, weeping with those who weep. And this without compromising our Christians beliefs, values and standards.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
Local Church St. Pete is a non-denominational church. Our statement of faith is The Gospel Coalition Confessional Statement.
Expectation and Dependency
We believe God will do great things for our good and His glory. We want to trust him and lean on him through prayer in every way.
Humility and Compassion
We know we are not the “saviors” of St Pete, there’s only one. We are not the only thing going on in St Pete. God is at work through many people and in various ways but we get to be a part of His mission. We will always have something to learn from others. We have been shown compassion, and want to show it to others.
Love and Mercy
Jesus said, “The world will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.” We want to walk in love. This will require sacrifice and patience, sincerity and time. We have been forgiven and shown mercy through Jesus and want to show forgiveness and mercy to others.
Intentionality and Hospitality
The time is now and the mission is before us. We want to move about our day-to-day lives with intentionality. We want to listen to, learn from, eat with and welcome people into our lives.
Tolerance and Community
We do not have to agree on everything with someone else to show them love and respect. We do not need to accept their belief system as true to be their friend. We want to bring honest questions and honest answers where we have them. We know this happens best in the context of genuine community.
DISCIPLE-MAKING RESOURCES
Disciples Who Make Disciples (one page in-depth resource for disciple-making)
Discipleship Groups (resources, tips and FAQs)
Eight weeks through Mark’s Gospel (a “one to one Bible reading” resource)
One to One Bible Reading (Sunday PM class notes)
BAPTISM
Baptism is an outward act of a person’s inward confession of faith and acceptance of Christ as savior. It is symbolic of Christ’s death and resurrection, and the washing away of our sins. A person chooses to be baptized out of obedience to Jesus, to testify of the work of Christ Jesus in their life and to fully identify with His death, burial and resurrection.
Interested in baptism? Fill out this brief form and we’ll be in touch.
PARTNERSHIPS
Acts 29 Network – A diverse, global family of church-planting churches. Learn more HERE.
Leader’s Collective – Helping pastors and church planters sustain healthy, fruitful ministry so they – through Jesus’ church – can advance the gospel throughout the world. Learn more HERE.
Start Here
A brief introduction (10 minutes) designed to welcome and connect you to Local Church St. Pete. If you’re new to Local Church St. Pete, this is for you! We’ll share our mission, vision and values and help you get connected to House Group, Sunday Gatherings and the LOCAL mission we’re on together. START HERE w/ Local takes place the first Sunday of every month immediately following both Sunday Gatherings.
Connect Card
If you’re brand new to Local Church St. Pete please take time to fill out this Connect Card. This will help us get to know you better and learn how to best serve you.
Belong Here
BELONG HERE w/ Local is a class designed to welcome you to Local Church St. Pete and is a necessary step in the pursuit of membership. We’ll share our history, Core Desires and spend time talking about the mission we’re on together. We’ll also help you find a House Group and a place to serve during our Sunday Gatherings. BELONG HERE w/ Local takes place quarterly on Sundays from 12:30PM-2:30PM. Lunch is provided and childcare is available at no cost.
Register HERE for next BELONG HERE on Sunday, March 26th.
View the Belong Here Booklet HERE.
Membership Profile HERE.
Lead Here
A leadership development track that involves small group study and discussion, one to one Bible reading, hospitality, community, leadership opportunities and ministry partnerships. Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Serve
Serving connects us to people, guarding us against isolation, and connects us to God’s work, a privilege like no other.
Join a Sunday Serve Team
- Please fill out the Sunday Serve Teams form to initiate the process.
- If you’re interested in serving with Local Kids or our Student Ministry you will need to fill out the Local Kids and Student Ministry Application as well. If interested in LOCAL Kids please download the LOCAL Kids Policy and Procedures Handbook HERE.
Join a House Group
- We typically meet in homes two to three times a month across St. Pete, where we spend time together often sharing food, discussing the Scriptures, praying, and looking for opportunities to serve one another and the city. Find one HERE.
Connect with LOCAL mission
- Our House Groups partner with, learn from and come alongside local ministries reaching the marginalized, hurting, abused and neglected of our city. If you want more information on how to get involved with one or all of the ministries please reach out to the designated point of contact. Learn more HERE.
Want some tools that will help you stay connected?
Church Center App
Download the Church Center App today and have access to all our group info, event details, Sunday handouts, online giving and more. Download the Church Center App for your IOS device HERE AND download it for your Android device HERE.
Planning Center App
We use Planning Center for all volunteer scheduling. It’s an easy and helpful way to keep track of where you’re scheduled to serve. Here’s a brief video that will help you become more familiar with Planning Center. Download the Planning Center App for you IOS device HERE AND download it for you Android device HERE.
News + updates
Please sign up to receive News + updates by entering your email address at the bottom of our webpage.
Calendar
You can also stay up to date on ways to serve through the news section at the top of our webpage, social media and the Local Church St. Pete calendar.
Talks
Give
PO BOX 7664 St. Pete, FL 33734