Burnet church closes following threat fabrication
The Epicenter in Burnet is closing after 20 years of ministry following an Oct. 6 incident in which a fabricated security threat impacted the congregation and community. Staff photo by Elizabeth De Los Santos
The Epicenter ministry based in Burnet announced it will close after 20 years following a fabricated threat incident on Oct. 6. Founder and Apostolic Head of Frontline Ministries and the Epicenter Kyle Byrd first informed the congregation on Oct. 13, then announced the closing publicly on Oct. 28 via Facebook.
The Epicenter was founded in 2005 as a youth-focused extension of Frontline Ministries. It expanded over time to include local church services.
Although the decision to close had been under consideration since early 2024, Byrd said, he confirmed that the timeline was accelerated after an incident on Oct. 6, when a security volunteer at the church falsely reported an armed threat, later admitting the account was fabricated. He was arrested and charged with making a false report as well as deadly conduct for discharging a weapon.
“It was a really shocking event that devastated us,” Byrd said. “We weren’t prepared for the response that we got from the community, both at large and among the spiritual community … it was discouraging, and it just kind of helped us understand that it was time to make a change.”
Byrd announced the dissolving of the church on Sunday, Oct. 13, a week after the incident.
“We opened the floor for conversation and and let everybody ask whatever questions they wanted to ask,” he said of the congregation. “We wanted them to make sure they understood that this was not a running away from anything. It was actually more of an awareness that it was time for us to go and embrace something new.”
The congregation’s final gathering on Oct. 27 celebrated the ministry’s two decades of impact.
“When we got to the 27th, it was a celebration of 20 years … there was joy, there was excitement, there was testimony of people talking about the impact that this ministry had had in their lives,” Byrd said.
Looking forward, community members can stay connected through the Epicenter’s Facebook page and its website, which will be rebranded to reflect Frontline Ministries’ ongoing activities. The ministry’s Abide groups, house-to-house spiritual gatherings, will also remain active under local pastoral oversight, providing a way for members to gather and stay involved in ministry.
The Epicenter facility will be transferred to another owner, and its name dissolved. Byrd expressed a hope that the property would continue in faith-based service to Burnet and the Texas Hill Country, with discussions ongoing with nearby faith communities for potential future use.
“We just want everybody to know that we count our 20 years here as a blessing,” he said. “We believe that the purpose of our planting here has been tremendously successful, not perfect, but successful. And all the people that have been involved and that are in our office today can stand on that truth.”