On a quiet block in downtown Lee's Summit, just steps from the railroad tracks that once gave this town its reason for being, First Baptist Church of Lee's Summit has been gathering for worship since April 14, 1860. More than 165 years later, the congregation still meets at 2 NE Douglas Street, still opens its doors every Sunday morning at 9:30, and still describes its work in three simple phrases: Love God. Love People. Make Disciples. The faces have changed - from the original handful of frontier Baptists who first organized in a borrowed Methodist building to today's multi-generational, multi-ethnic family - but the calling has not.
From Big Cedar Church to a Multi-Generational Family
The church's first members called it Big Cedar Church. They came together with letters of recommendation from Greenwood Baptist Church, their "mother congregation," and spent their first meeting adopting Articles of Faith and a Church Covenant, praying together, and receiving a charge to begin a new work in eastern Jackson County. The timing was tough: the Civil War was only months away, and the border fighting between Kansas and Missouri would soon shut down most church activity. For long stretches of the war years, the congregation could barely meet.
The spark never went out, though, and for the next eight decades the church wrestled with financial hardship and the simple challenge of staying alive. After World War II, a new season began. Through the sacrificial giving of its members, the church expanded its ministries, built new facilities, and called leaders who challenged it to look beyond its own walls. By the time of its 150th anniversary in 2010, the church had become a vibrant, multi-generational family of faith reaching not just Lee's Summit but also communities across the country and the world. Today's congregation describes itself as a multi-generational family that is "becoming a church that looks like the neighborhood around us."
Sunday Mornings at 9:30
The Sunday worship gathering is the rhythm around which everything at FBCLS turns. Each service lasts about an hour and includes live music, prayer, and a biblical, practical message. The music is led by a choir, orchestra, and band - people of every age using their gifts together, from preschoolers whose giggles are part of the sound to elders whose voices have been lifting there for decades. Some Sundays the room shakes with joyful praise and clapping hands; other Sundays it is still and quiet, a sacred hush. Both belong here.
Visitors are greeted at the door by volunteers who answer questions and walk families to the worship center, a kids' room, or the morning coffee. Dress runs from athletic wear to business casual. Guest parking sits right up front. There is a Next Steps Desk in the main lobby where newcomers can pick up a small welcome gift and learn how to get connected.
Sunday mornings also include two rounds of Community Groups, meeting at 8:15 and 10:45. At 10:45, preschoolers, kids, and students break into age-appropriate groups while adults connect with friends walking through a similar season of life. Those who cannot attend in person can watch the 9:30 service live at fbcls.com/live, where they can also join the chat and request prayer; the same service streams on YouTube and Facebook.
First Preschool: "God Made Me. God Loves Me."
From birth through Pre-K, the church's preschool ministry - First Preschool - fills the building with laughter, music, and the unmistakable sound of children discovering that God made them and loves them. Worship Care opens at 9:30 during the main service, giving little ones a safe, sensory-rich environment designed just for them while their parents worship. At 10:45, preschoolers move into age-appropriate Community Groups where they build friendships, experience Bible stories, and grow in faith together. Children are welcome to stay for both hours every week.
Twice a year - in October and March - the preschool ministry adds Sunday-evening programming called Spark, running from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. and filled with music, crafts, Bible lessons, and plenty of wiggles. Rachel Esely, the church's Pastor for Preschoolers and Families, leads the team and is the one to contact when families want to talk about a child's next step, including baptism.
First Kids: Big Hearts, Big Questions, Big God
First Kids welcomes children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The rhythm begins in multi-generational family worship, where everyone sings, prays, and hears God's Word together, then moves into small groups where caring leaders help kids explore the Bible in ways that are hands-on, memorable, and fun. The ministry focuses on age-appropriate Bible teaching, curiosity-sparking learning, lasting friendships, and experiences that connect Sunday faith to everyday life.
Sunday nights in October and March bring First Arts, a creative track where kids learn to lead worship through music, drama, visual arts, and other gifts, eventually serving in the main worship gathering. Bible Drill helps children hide Scripture in their hearts, and CentriKid summer camp gives kids a high-energy week of worship, recreation, and Bible study designed just for them. From VBS at Night! to seasonal family events, First Kids always has a next step in view.
First Students: A Place for Real Questions
First Students (grades 7-12) calls itself "a community made for connection." Three weekly touchpoints give students a place to belong. On Sunday mornings from 10:45 to 11:45, students meet in a space called The Underground for Community Groups - smaller, relaxed gatherings built around real conversations and Scripture. On Sunday nights in October and March, Mosaic runs from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., offering hands-on tracks in music, tech, hospitality, cooking, and other service areas, with students putting their skills to work alongside adults in real ministry.
Midweek, Refuge fills Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 for snacks and games in the gym; worship kicks off at 6:30 in The Underground, followed by small groups and hangout time in the gym until 8:30. The ministry is led by Matt Parker and a team of adult mentors who invest in students year-round, including at summer camp. Parents can trust that every gathering is designed to be safe, Christ-centered, and relationally rich.
Young Adults, Adults, Men, and Women
Young Adults ministry at FBCLS welcomes people in their twenties and thirties who are figuring out careers, relationships, and what they believe. The ministry centers on home groups, Sunday-morning Community Groups, and shared service in the city, with a focus on friendships that make faith feel real.
For adults of every other stage of life, Community Groups are described as the place "where Sunday inspiration becomes everyday transformation." Most groups meet on Sunday mornings before or after the worship service, with extra gatherings in homes throughout the year. Singles, married couples, new parents, empty nesters, and retirees find groups organized around the season they are walking through.
Men's Ministry gathers on Saturday mornings from 7:30 to 8:30 for a weekly Bible study, with seasonal Tuesday-evening studies in the spring and plenty of cookouts, service projects, and hangouts. Women's Ministry offers fall and spring Bible studies on Tuesday mornings or evenings, a Women on Mission group that meets the first Tuesday of each month, and special events like an annual Christmas potluck and Crafters for a Cause. GriefShare is also available as a support ministry.
Missions: Across the Street and Around the World
Missions at FBCLS is woven into the church's identity rather than tucked into a single program. Local partners include Lee's Summit Social Services, Hillcrest Transitional Housing, ReHope, Resource Health, and the Blue River / Kansas City Baptist Association. Throughout the year, individuals, families, and Community Groups take part in hands-on projects - delivering meals, offering a listening ear, cleaning up a park, creating care kits - that open doors to real conversations.
Globally, the church has partnered in Guatemala since 2008, supporting Tabitha Ministry in Guatemala City, where children growing up near the city dump receive education and the message that they are deeply loved by God. Since 2016, the church has walked alongside Pastor Joey Hernández in the Caribbean, offering friendship, leadership training, and resources. FBCLS also partners with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions and the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, and operates two mission homes where returning workers can stay rent-free while they rest and reconnect.
What We Believe
FBCLS describes its beliefs as the story that shapes how the church lives and loves. The official statement of faith is the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention on May 9, 1963. The Bible is held to be divinely inspired, without error, and the ultimate standard for Christian life and belief, with Jesus Christ as its central interpreter. There is one true God who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each distinct but sharing the same divine nature. Humanity was created in God's image but fell into sin through disobedience, and salvation comes only by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ - a salvation that includes regeneration, sanctification, and ultimate glorification.
The church practices two ordinances: baptism by immersion for believers, as a symbol of faith in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection and a prerequisite for membership and the Lord's Supper; and the Lord's Supper, observed in remembrance of Christ and in anticipation of His return. A local church is described as a self-governing body of baptized believers, with pastors and deacons as its scriptural officers. Members are also expected to engage in evangelism and missions, support Christian education, give cheerfully and systematically, cooperate with other Baptist bodies, seek peace, defend religious liberty, and keep church and state separate.
Meet the Pastoral Team
Blake McKinney has served as Lead Pastor since 2010, after earlier ministry in Arkansas, Ohio, and Georgia. He holds degrees from Ouachita Baptist University, Southern Seminary, and Fuller Seminary, and writes at audaciousjesus.com.
Gary Snowden, Pastor for Missions and Care, joined the staff in 2003 after sixteen years of missionary service in Argentina and Mexico.
Matt Parker, Pastor for Students and Families, came to FBCLS in 2020 with a passion for student ministry and family discipleship.
Lee Barnett, Pastor for Worship and Next Steps, joined in 2022 after years of worship ministry in Arkansas and now helps people move forward in faith through worship and connection.
Rachel Esely, Pastor for Preschoolers and Families, has more than a decade of preschool ministry experience and a degree in English from Mizzou.
Jaron Moots, Ministry Director for Worship and Young Adults, joined in 2019 to serve in worship and young adult ministry, and Carl Gregory serves as Ministry Director for Technical Production.
Getting Connected, Giving, and Next Steps
Anyone exploring faith, looking for community, or simply curious is invited to take a next step at their own pace. The Next Steps form on the church's Church Center walks newcomers through baptism, membership, groups, and volunteering. Baptism itself is described as "a visible picture of an invisible change," practiced by immersion after a brief conversation with a pastor; the church also helps families talk through children's baptism questions.
Community Groups meet in seasons that fit real life, with options to join at any time. Volunteering is open in nine areas, from preschool and kids' ministry to worship and tech, welcome and hospitality, missions, community groups, and operations - and every volunteer working with minors or vulnerable people completes a background check through Checkr.com before joining a team.
Generosity fuels everything the church does. Giving is available online, in person during services or at the church office Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or by mail. Designated gifts follow a finance-team policy adopted by church vote in 2012, and non-cash donations follow a 2008 policy reviewed by the Finance Committee and Trustees. Operations Director Karen Sherman is the point person for giving questions.
For more than a century and a half, First Baptist Church of Lee's Summit has been gathering on the same corner of Douglas Street to worship the same God. The faces keep changing, the ministries keep growing, and the calling stays the same.