Pennies from Heaven Part II: Churches break from tradition

Tim Daughton and his family wouldn’t be members of High Street Baptist Church if not for 10th Inning Kids, a youth baseball league the church started in 1999.

“We absolutely just fell in love with the program,” he said. “That’s what brought us to High Street. A church that was doing something that neat, we definitely wanted to check out.”

Daughton, the man in charge of buying Bass Pro Shops’ fly-fishing inventory, heard about 10th Inning Kids through a friend in 2002. His family wasn’t going to church anywhere at the time. Now, he even coaches his two sons’ teams.

The league is just one example of area churches running nontraditional church operations in hopes of getting more people in the pews on Sunday.

“Although it is baseball, there’s a bigger picture,” said Stephanie O’Donnell, who manages High Street’s outreach effort.

Ridgecrest Baptist Church uses another nontraditional tool to win new members.

It bought the former Remington’s nightclub on Republic Road in fall 2004 for $3.3 million. There, it holds student ministries and even secular concerts that are meant to give church leaders a way to rub elbows with non-Christians in a low-pressure setting.

“At the very least, we hope to give them a sense that we are not strange people with two heads,” joked Senior Pastor Hosea Bilyeu.

Church business

There is a lot of competition in the business of winning souls.

The Association of Religion Data Archives, an initiative of Penn State University, reported 431 congregations in 2000 in the Springfield area. Church listings occupy 10 pages of the Springfield and Branson area AT&T Yellow Pages.

Rising above the pack are a few churches that boast more than 1,000 members. The biggest church in the area seems to be James River Assembly in Ozark, which has 6,000 members according to Assemblies of God data.

It offers unique amenities such as a Starbucks coffee shop and a fitness center that charges membership fees. Starbucks spokeswoman Lisa Passe said James River has a food service contract with the company. The church receives no discounts, she said, though she was unable to offer more details.

James River’s leaders, including Senior Pastor John Lindell, declined numerous interview requests.

Second to none

The largest church within Springfield’s borders is Second Baptist Church on East Battlefield Road.

Second Baptist, established 117 years ago, has been at its current location for 12 years. Executive Pastor John Edie said Second Baptist played an instrumental role in the explosion of development at Highway 65 and Battlefield Road.

“Nothing moved until Second Baptist Church came here,” he said. “Did we do that? No. But I think we led the way to this part of the city.”

Second Baptist draws 2,700 people weekly and operates on a $4.6 million annual budget. Edie said the congregation has been blessed to exceed its budget every recent year, though he declined to disclose revenue and expense figures.

Second Baptist, led by Senior Pastor John Marshall, employs 50 people and routinely supports outside charities, including The Salvation Army, Springfield Victory Mission, The Kitchen and Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks.

Ridgecrest Baptist, meanwhile, let the American Red Cross use Remington’s as a staging area for Hurricane Katrina evacuees and raised $50,000 in one day for Victory Mission.

Second Baptist sends 500 missionaries out every year. Many go to Mexico, Nicaragua and China.

It also gives community groups free access at times to its 200,000-square-foot building. St. John’s School of Nursing of Southwest Baptist University will hold a pinning ceremony there in December.

Edie said that’s the church’s way of paying property tax, given that it really doesn’t pay any as a nonprofit.

Second Baptist is pretty media savvy, too.

It broadcasts sermons on Sunday mornings on KSFX. Edie said the audience is mostly Christians who are getting ready for church or who are homebound.

Second Baptist also advertises on billboards, radio and in newspapers, usually for special events such as its recent production of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.”

Fresh brew

While Second Baptist doesn’t operate a Starbucks outlet, it does offer Churchill Coffee Co. items in a gathering room between services using a donation system. Churchill owner Cary Summers is a member of the church.

Nu Brew Church not only offers coffee – it’s built on the coffeehouse concept.

The Rev. Richard Yasinski started Nu Brew, which is next to Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church, in 1999 as a place to serve coffee and hold Christian concerts for college students.

Yasinski, a pastor at Jefferson Avenue at the time, eventually started holding Nu Brew Bible studies. In 2001 he resigned from Jefferson Avenue and started Nu Brew as its own church, holding Sunday morning services and renting space from Jefferson Avenue.

Nu Brew now has 100 members and holds concerts every Saturday night during the school year.

It buys coffee from Kuhlman’s Koffee in Nixa, and Yasinski said he hopes to eventually operate the coffeehouse with expanded business hours. However, he was quick to draw a line of distinction between his operation and commercial coffeehouses.

“We’ve never been in competition with the existing coffee houses, like the Mudhouse and other things,” he said. “They have their own goals and purposes. Ours is ministry-focused.”

Child’s play

Children are often a focal point for churches, and many offer daycare or preschool services for a fee.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Immaculate Conception parishes are Springfield’s largest Catholic churches with 1,400 registered families.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton may not be small, but it started that way in 1981. Until the church’s multipurpose building was completed in 1982, it held masses with 32 people at Springfield Skateland.

Two additions later, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton has 60,000 square feet under roof and a budding grade school that began last year.

The Rev. Tom Reidy and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton plan to expand the school until it can offer eighth-grade classes, along with a library and computer lab. The church’s present facility can accommodate classes through fifth grade.

Two months ago, 92-year-old Central Assembly finished a $5 million youth center addition and sanctuary renovation.

It also partners with Pipkin Middle School for an after-school program.

The grand scheme

Central Assembly, once known as the “headquarters church” due to its proximity to the Assemblies of God headquarters, draws 1,800 people on Sunday mornings and has a $3 million annual budget.

Senior Pastor Jim Bradford said large churches have their pros and cons. However, he said, size is mostly a benefit.

“Our size of church isn’t for everybody,” he said. “However, because of our size, we are able to offer a comprehensive breadth of quality ministry resources to every age group.”

Second Baptist’s Edie said he’s heard criticisms of large churches many times. Common misconceptions, he said, are that Second Baptist is materialistic and snobby. Both portrayals, he asserts, are inaccurate.

“Amenities for amenities’ sake is arrogance and pride, and the Bible says that’s a sin before God,” Edie said. “But, I think we’re past that, and I think James River’s past that. If someone is eternally going to spend their life in Heaven with God, then you can’t put a price on that.”[[In-content Ad]]