Emmanuel Baptist Church stands on West Laskey Road on the north side of Toledo, Ohio, a single location that has gathered believers in this part of the city since the early 1960s. The congregation stretches beyond 600 people on a weekend and serves Northwest Ohio through a food pantry, free biblical counseling, international outreach, and ministry to every age group from babies to seniors. Its stated purpose is to glorify God by making disciples who know and make known Jesus Christ in Toledo and around the world.
A Long Story on Laskey Road
The church began in May 1898 when a small group of men and women in Toledo, drawn from the Heston Street Baptist Church, organized the Oakwood Avenue Baptist Church with forty-eight charter members and adopted Articles of Faith that remain in force today. Rev. D. S. Mulhern was unanimously called as the first pastor.
By May 1960 the membership had grown to 616 and the congregation purchased property on Laskey Road. With the old building needing to be vacated before the new one was finished, the church rented Elmhurst School from February 1961 until construction was complete. The first service in the new building was a prayer service of praise on Thursday, August 10, 1961, and the dedication was held on September 17, 1961. The same building still holds services today.
The years that followed brought steady expansion. In 1967 the congregation approved a Christian Day School, beginning with a kindergarten class taught by Mrs. Joan Engel and adding a grade each year until the school ran kindergarten through sixth grade. A revised church constitution was adopted on February 18, 1968, replacing the board of trustees and official board with a single board of deacons. In 1976 the church purchased property in the 4600 block of Laskey Road for a new high school building, paid off the $250,000 land cost through a "Free Our Land" campaign, and held its first high school graduation that June with nine students and commencement speaker Rev. Harold Amstutz.
May 1988 was designated anniversary month, marking ninety years of ministry and bringing together former pastors Dr. Ernest Pickering, Dr. L. George Hunt, Dr. Reginald Matthews, Dr. Joseph Bower, and Dr. James T. Jeremiah. The congregation buried another time capsule and raised more than $105,000 toward the high school mortgage that year. A 2005 fire destroyed the high school building, which was rebuilt the following year and renamed Emmanuel Christian School in 2006. The church has supported more than thirty missionaries in recent years.
Sundays at 10:30
Worship gathers in the main auditorium on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM, with services also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel. The preaching is expository, moving book by book through Scripture, with topical sermons from several passages when needed. A current sermon series is walking through the Gospel of Mark. Most of the music is contemporary worship, with hymns mixed in and a stated value on congregational singing, theological depth, and musical excellence.
The Lord's Table is celebrated about once a month, usually the first Sunday of the month, and is understood as a memorial of Christ's body and blood, a sign of fellowship in Him, and a look forward to His return. All Christians walking in accordance with Christ are welcome to partake.
A Sunday morning Bible Hour runs at 9:00 AM with classes for every age group: children's classes for nursery through fifth grade, middle and high school Bible study, men's and women's studies, a chronological study of Scripture using The Gospel Project, a study through Colossians, and a special needs Shepherd's class.
ekidz: Children from Nursery through Fifth Grade
Children's ministry, called ekidz, runs age-specific classes on Sunday mornings at both 9:00 and 10:30 AM, with classes for nursery babies, nursery walkers, twos, threes, Pre-K, kindergarten, first through third grade, and fourth and fifth grade. The curriculum on Sunday is The Gospel Project, a Christ-centered chronological study of Scripture used from preschoolers through fifth grade and in two of the adult classes so that the same passage is studied across the church.
Wednesday nights add a fellowship dinner from 5:15 to 6:15 PM, followed by ekidz classes at 6:30 PM that work through the New City Catechism, a fifty-two-question and answer walk through the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. Children are checked in electronically and given a name tag matched to a parent security tag, and a parent or guardian is required to drop them off and pick them up. Classrooms sit behind a single secured entrance staffed during services, and a minimum of two background-checked, member-volunteers are present in every room. Parents can note significant allergies or medical needs at check-in, and a buzzer lets the nursery call a parent if needed.
Emmanuel Student Ministries for Grades 6 through 12
Emmanuel Student Ministries, or ESM, brings middle and high schoolers together on Wednesday nights for food, games, and expository preaching from Scripture that works through the Bible verse by verse, with small groups for real relationships and worship that the leaders describe as rich in theological truth. Students in grades 6 through 12 also gather for Bible hour on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM. The annual rhythm includes seasonal retreats like the ESM Winter Retreat.
Lifeline Young Adults on Thursday Evenings
Lifeline is a ministry of college-aged adults that meets on Thursday nights at 7:00 PM. The focus is the gospel, the Bible, and building deep and intentional relationships with Christ and others, with an emphasis on small groups, discipleship, and reaching other young adults in the community through leadership and friendship. The ministry also takes an annual fall retreat and travels together to Cross Conference in St. Louis over New Year's.
Flourish Women's Ministry and Rooted Motherhood
Flourish is the women's ministry of Emmanuel, with fall book studies forming in host homes and at the church and a seasonal gathering called Flourish in the Fall for women eighteen and over. Rooted Motherhood is a monthly gathering for moms with children still at home, designed for meaningful connection, spiritual growth, and honest conversation centered on being rooted in faith, purpose, and community.
Seniors Ministry: Emmanuel Lights and Women of Hope
Emmanuel Lights, the senior fellowship of the church, gathers on the first Thursday of each month at 10:30 AM with a program designed with seniors in mind and a meal prepared for those who attend. Women of Hope, a monthly outing for ladies, meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM for a short trip to a local site and lunch together. Both groups are led by Seniors Ministry Pastor Bill Baker.
International Ministry
The International Ministry, led by Leo, exists to build a multicultural community that worships and serves the Lord together with believers from around the world. Friday nights include a dinner and Bible study from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, the regular Sunday worship service is available with free transportation, and free biblical counseling is offered by appointment. Cultural celebrations and trips, social gatherings, and visits with American families run throughout the year, and all church-wide programs for children, youth, men, women, and families are open to international friends. The church welcomes anyone, whether a Christian, curious about Jesus, or simply looking for meaningful relationships.
Groceries for Life Food Pantry
For more than twenty years, Emmanuel has run Groceries for Life, a food ministry that has provided more than one million meals to individuals and families in need in the Toledo area. Groceries are distributed on the first and third Monday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, along with biblical resources, encouragement, and prayer. The stated desire of the team is to meet physical needs while sharing the hope of Jesus Christ.
Biblical Counseling
Free biblical counseling is offered every Thursday by appointment, with most sessions between 2:00 and 9:00 PM at the church. The team is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors and operates on the conviction that Scripture is sufficient for the burdens of life, with a typical course of counseling running eight to fifteen weeks. Sessions last fifty to seventy-five minutes and are open to members, attenders, and anyone in the community. Appointments can be made through the church phone line or by email.
Connection Groups and Discipleship
Connection Groups are small groups that meet in homes and at the church for food, fellowship, prayer, and mutual care, and they are described as one of the easiest ways to be introduced to the church. Several meet on Sunday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings across Toledo, Maumee, Sylvania, Oregon, Waterville, and Lambertville, Michigan, with both weekly and first-and-third or second-and-fourth schedules.
Discipleship also runs through men's and women's Precept studies, an English as a Second Language class on Wednesday nights, a Tuesday morning Precept study, biblical counseling, and a Membership Class that walks through what the church believes and its Baptist distinctions before an interview with two deacons. Baptism is by immersion and is reserved for those who have professed faith in Christ.
What Emmanuel Values
The values listed for the church are the Lordship of Christ, the ministry of the Word, dependency in prayer, relationship in community, growth in discipleship, and living on mission. Senior Pastor Duke Crawford leads the pastoral team alongside Bill Baker, Jeff Burson, and Paul Matthiesen, with Josh Rozek directing student ministry, Amanda Mariage directing children's ministry, and Leo coordinating the International Ministry. Giving is available online, by text, by check, or in person through black giving boxes placed throughout the building.