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Our Story

OUR HEART

Our Values

Our Mission

Our Beliefs

Our Story
In obedience to God’s call, Pastor Greg and Suzanne Hales left Raleigh and took a bold step of faith to plant Coastal Community Baptist Church in Wilmington, NC. On October 10, 2010, with just 22 faith-filled pioneers, Coastal began meeting at Murrayville Elementary School, believing God had something incredible in store.

But from the very beginning, Coastal wasn’t just about a building—it was about building something real. A thriving, welcoming faith community where individuals and families could find and follow Jesus together. A place where faith is active, friendships are authentic, and lives are transformed. At the heart of everything we do is our purpose: Passionately helping people find and follow Jesus.

Just one year later, God provided beyond expectations—Coastal secured 13 acres of land, the place we now call home. And He didn’t stop there! In the years that followed, He blessed us with an additional 10 acres, expanding our vision, growing our reach, and giving us even more opportunities to serve families, invest in the next generation, and create spaces where faith can flourish.

What started as a small group with a big dream has grown into a thriving church family where people of all ages can know God, grow in faith, serve others, and make disciples. Whether you're new to faith, raising a young family, or searching for a place to belong, there’s a home for you here.

The journey is just getting started! Join us as we continue to trust God, step out in faith, and impact lives for His glory—now and for generations to come!

The future is now and the future is bright for Coastal.

Our Heart

Jesus first

We trust His Word, follow His lead, and honor Him above all.

Everybody matters

We care about the heart, not the skin, clothes, or social status

We think big

God dreams are big dreams

We keep it simple

and stay fast, fluid, and flexible. We get creative to reach more people

We are driven by purpose

not by programs, personalities, buildings, or budgets

We discover our gifts 

and grow from consumers into contributors and spectators into participants 

We keep it real

and fight against fake. We live and lead with authenticity

We grow 

larger and smaller at the same time. We gather together and scatter together

We are broken people

discovering healing together. We embrace messy ministry and messy people

We partner with the community 

and go to the ends of the earth

Our Values

Worship

Corporate Worship

Community

We Are better Together

Generosity

Jesus gave so we give

Service

Saved people serve people

Evangelism

Share the greatest news

Discipleship

Found people find people

Excellence

Excellence honors God and inspires people

OUr Mission

As a church, here are the four ways we help people find and follow Jesus

Know
God

We are passionate about helping everyone come to Know God personally. If you’re interested in being baptized, learning more about salvation, or starting a relationship with Jesus, we’re here to help.

Grow In
Your Faith

Groups are the heartbeat of our church here at Coastal. It's the place where connection, care and growth happen. Step into freedom and find a group that is right for you.

Serve
OThers 

Grow deeper in your relationship with God and uncover the unique ways He has gifted you to serve His kingdom. Join us at Discover Coastal to learn more about our mission, ministries, and how you can take your next step in faith.

Make
Disciples

There is no greater joy than to share the hope of Jesus with others. You can use your life to point others to Jesus and more more disciples.

Our Statement of Faith
God
We believe there is one only true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each of Whom equally possesses all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, is both fully God and fully human.  He was united with true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth.  He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him.
He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He is the only Mediator between God and humanity.  He will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to fulfill God’s eternal plan and conclude human history.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity.  He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to humanity the saving work of Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit awakens in us an awareness of our sin and our need for the Savior.  At the point of salvation, He permanently indwells every believer and becomes the source of comfort, strength, wisdom, and assurance of salvation.  The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the scripture.  His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bring glory to God the father.  He also gives every believer at least one spiritual gift for the building-up of the body of Christ.
The Bible
The basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.  We believe the Scripture originated with God, was written and recorded by men divinely inspired by God, and is infallible and without error. 
Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Him. Originally created to have fellowship with God, mankind voluntarily chose to defy God and go their own way.  They were separated from God and suffered the corruption of their nature from the original sin of Adam and Eve to the latest person born today.  Sin entered the world at the beginning of human history and all individuals since have suffered the broken fellowship with God and, thus, are in need of the saving grace of God.  Our inability to re-establish our relationship with God through our own power leaves us dependent upon God’s mercy.  God graciously provides the means to reconcile ourselves to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Our relationship with God is re-established when we repent of our sin and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.
 
The salvation of humanity is wholly the work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness. Every individual must personally appropriate salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.  Practically speaking, this faith and acceptance is demonstrated through both a private and public commitment.  We demonstrate our commitment privately by faith and repentance.  We publicly express our commitment by demonstrating our acceptance of God’s salvation through submitting ourselves in Christian baptism by immersion.
Baptism and Communion
Jesus Christ established two ordinances for the church – baptism and communion.   Once a person becomes a Christian (repented from sin and turned to Christ for salvation), the Bible says the watching world needs to know.  Baptism has always stood as a kind of public test for people who have accepted God’s salvation.
Just as a bride and groom tell of their love for one another through the symbol of rings, so should the Christian demonstrate to the world, through Baptism, their union with Christ.  (cont.)
Being baptized is the means by which Christ’s followers are identified.  The process of baptism by immersion identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is a solemn assembly where believers take time for self-examination.  It should not be approached lightly or haphazardly.  Believers partake of the bread and juice, representing the body and blood of Jesus, and reflect on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for them on the cross. Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:22-23; Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:36,39; 10:47-48; Romans 6:1-11: 1 Corinthians 11:26.
Eternal Security
Human beings were created to exist forever.  Each person will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally united with God through forgiveness and salvation.  To be eternally separated from God is Hell.  To be eternally in union with God is Heaven.  Heaven is an actual place of eternal bliss and joy in the presence of God.  Hell is an actual place of eternal torment, pain, and sorrow.  God gives each human being free will to choose his or her destiny.  He desires for all people to come to Him and share in the fulfilled promise of eternal life in Heaven.  A person who genuinely accepts salvation through Jesus Christ cannot lose his or her salvation.  Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian.  John 3:16; 14:17; Romans 6:23; 8:17-18; Revelation 20:11-15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9; John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12;
The Church
The universal church is a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior are members.  The local church consists of a local group of baptized believers.  The scripture commands believers to regularly gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, and fellowship.  Baptism and Communion are the two ordinance observed by the local church.  Service to the local and universal body of Christ as well as outreach to the world is accomplished through the development and use of the gifts and talents given to believers by God.  Members of the local church are to work together in love and unity, under the watch care and guidance of the appropriate leadership, with the ultimate purpose of glorifying God. Matthew 16:15-19; 28:19-20; Mark 14:22-26; Acts 2:41-42, 47; 9:31; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 4:11-12; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 5:1-3.
The Bible
The basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.  We believe the Scripture originated with God, was written and recorded by men divinely inspired by God, and is infallible and without error. 
Last Things
Jesus Christ will visibly return to earth one day and establish His kingdom.  We believe in the bodily resurrection of all, the everlasting blessedness of the believers, and the everlasting punishment of the nonbelievers.  Matthew 16:27; 24:31-46; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 24:15;  Philippians 3:20;
The salvation of humanity is wholly the work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness. Every individual must personally appropriate salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.  Practically speaking, this faith and acceptance is demonstrated through both a private and public commitment.  We demonstrate our commitment privately by faith and repentance.  We publicly express our commitment by demonstrating our acceptance of God’s salvation through submitting ourselves in Christian baptism by immersion.
Spiritual Gifts and the Ministry
We believe the Holy Spirit bestows His spiritual gifts on members of the body according to His will for the purpose of winning the lost and strengthening believers.  Initially, some of these gifts were for use as signs for confirmation of the spoken word of the apostles.  With the completion of the written Word of God in the New Testament Scriptures, these miraculous gifts (such as the ability to speak in other languages without having learned these languages, the power to receive and communicate divine revelations and the ability to perform supernatural healings and other miracles) were gradually replaced by permanently needed gifts such as those of pastoral guidance, evangelism, teaching the Written Word and others.  This does not imply that God can no longer answer prayer in miraculous ways when in accordance with His own will, nor that He is not sovereign in the use of means for the accomplishing of His purposes.  However, such occurrences are not to be considered as specific “gifts” or powers to be possessed by individuals, nor are they to be considered evidences of spirituality on the part of those experiencing them, nor are they to be considered as signs supporting the testimony of believers.  Therefore, seeking after such signs or other sensory experiences in the services or ministries of the church can lead to confusion and divisions and should be avoided. I Corinthians 12:4-11; 28-30; Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4; I Corinthians
Christian Conduct
We believe a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.  I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15, 23-24; I John 2:3-6; II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2;
Our Lifestyle Statement is on page 6. These are the things we practice because beliefs don't really matter a whole lot unless they're actually translated into action.  Here are some things we believe and teach strongly.