The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) is a network of more than 1,700 self-governing Southern Baptist churches that work together to carry out the Great Commission. Missouri Baptists elect an Executive Board that oversees the convention’s ministries, which are carried out by MBC staff under the direction of an executive director-treasurer.
Missouri Baptists recognize eight regions of ministry in the state and work cooperatively with nearly 60 Baptist associations into which local churches are grouped for more effective ministry.
Missouri Baptist churches faithfully fund MBC ministries through their gifts to the Cooperative Program and through the annual Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering.
Our Vision
The MBC exists to help churches transform lives and communities with the gospel. From its founding in 1835, we have enabled Missouri Baptists to labor together for the Kingdom of God.
Our Membership
The Missouri Baptist Convention (“MBC”) is composed of Messengers from Southern Baptist churches singly aligned with the MBC, and cooperating with the MBC in its program of single alignment with the Southern Baptist Convention (“SBC”).
Baptist churches are autonomous and may associate with other organizations, conventions, associations, or affiliations, so long as no part of those associations is incompatible with the MBC’s Charter, Constitution, Bylaws, and statement of faith, as determined by the MBC. The MBC always has the right to determine the qualification of its own Messengers and affiliated churches. The MBC may at any time accept, decline, or discontinue a church’s affiliation, or may seat, decline to seat, or remove as Messenger(s) any person(s) challenged as disqualified by reason of personal grounds or by reason of the character or attitude of the church sending such Messenger(s).Article II, MBC Constitution
Each messenger is elected by his/her local church and attends the MBC Annual Meeting to vote on convention business. Messengers vote according to their own consciences on matters ranging from the election of convention officers to the adoption of a budget for the coming fiscal year.
Attendance at the annual meeting is not limited to messengers. Although not eligible to vote on convention business, many visitors may attend the convention sessions for the benefit of worshiping with other Baptists from across the state.
Our Ministry Plan
Our role as a convention staff is to help local churches be faithful to their God-called missions. We carry out our servant role through seven initiatives:
- Prayer. Our statewide prayer ministry involves every Missouri Baptist and every MBC-affiliated church.
- Evangelism. We help our churches refocus and reprioritize their call to take the gospel to the lost.
- Missions Mobilization. We engage Missouri Baptists in missions at home and around the world.
- Church Planting / Send Missouri. Through our partnership with the North American Mission Board, we strive to help churches plant churches that will plant additional churches.
- Church Renewal. We seek to foster healthy pastors, healthy churches, and healthy associations through the Resound Network and Leader Care ministries.
- Media & Communications. We tell the story of what God is doing in Missouri Baptist life through print, web, social media, video, and other media.
- Entity Relations. We support, promote, and partner with the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries, the Missouri Baptist Foundation, Hannibal-LaGrange University, Missouri Baptist University, and Southwest Baptist University.