Love God, Love People, Grow Together on North National Avenue
National Heights Baptist Church sits just north of the I-44 and Norton Road interchange on North National Avenue in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in July 1889 as the third Baptist church in the city, the congregation carries a faith motto that shapes every program, every room, and every mission trip it offers: Love God. Love People. Grow Together. Pastors, members, and guests describe a single church family stretched across every stage of life - toddlers through seniors, college students through homebound adults - united by an open invitation to know Jesus Christ and serve Springfield, North America, and the world.
From East Avenue to a Springfield Landmark Since 1889
The church's story begins in July 1889, when it was established as the third Baptist congregation in Springfield. For nearly ninety years it met under the name East Avenue Baptist Church, gathering generations of families in its original building. In 1979 the building was relocated to its present site at 3050 N National, and the church adopted the National Heights name. The campus now serves as both a Sunday gathering place and a hub for weekday ministries that reach into every part of Greene County. NHBC is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention through the Missouri Baptist Convention and the Greene County Baptist Association, partnerships that bring cooperation with the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, Women's Missionary Union, and Lifeway.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like
The Sunday schedule at NHBC is built for unhurried connection and worship. Coffee Time opens the morning at 8:30 AM. Bible Study follows at 9:00 AM, with age-graded Life Groups for children, youth, young adults, adults, and senior adults gathered around God's Word in a small-group setting. The main Worship Service fills the auditorium at 10:15 AM, led by a praise team and worship band with a message rooted in Scripture and applied to daily life. The congregation that gathers is a warm blend of dress and background - members arrive in everything from coat and tie to jeans and T-shirts, all worshiping the Savior together. Each Sunday service is livestreamed through the church's video stream, YouTube, and Facebook Live, so members who are traveling or homebound can still follow along.
Wednesday Evenings at 6:30
Midweek life at NHBC centers on three gatherings running simultaneously at 6:30 PM. The Prayer Meeting and Bible Study opens the Scriptures and lifts up one another's needs. Youth Volume Ministries offers a high-energy worship service designed specifically for growing students. Stretching with Scripture is a unique offering that combines gentle movement with Bible reading and reflection, led by Children's Director Donna Moore. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade gather at the same hour for Team Kid, while babies through pre-kindergartners are cared for in the Nursery and Preschool area just inside the South Entrance.
NHBC Kids: Safe, Age-Graded, and Full of Laughter
The children's ministry uses a secure, fast check-in system at the Welcome Desk just inside the South Entrance to give parents peace of mind. From infants through fifth grade, every child is placed in an age-appropriate class. Sundays at 9:00 AM bring Bible study for toddlers through fifth grade, with activity-based teaching that makes God's Word enjoyable, plus childcare for infants. At 10:15 AM, Junior Church gathers kindergartners through fifth graders during the worship service every Sunday except the last Sunday of the month, with free childcare for birth through pre-kindergarten. Team Kid returns at 6:30 PM on Wednesdays for the same elementary age group.
Children's Director Donna Moore grew up in nearby Strafford and has been a member of National Heights for more than a decade. She accepted the call to children's ministry in 2024 and is, by her own description, still a kid at heart. Her own calendar of favorite activities - art, Refit, Stretching with Scripture, fishing, kayaking, and gym time - shapes the playful energy in NHBC Kids, and her love for animals (her miniature schnauzer, Holley, often comes up in conversation) shows up in the warmth of the classrooms she oversees.
Volume: A Youth Worship Service Built Around Students
The middle school and high school years are treated at NHBC as an extraordinary opportunity for growth and service. Youth Director Micah Gugel, who grew up in Missouri and began working with the youth department in 2021 (interim in early 2024 and confirmed in June 2024), oversees a program designed to help students love the Lord and have a servant's heart. Sunday mornings bring student Bible study classes organized by grade level - middle school, high school, and college - and weekly Bible studies also meet on Monday nights in the fall and spring.
Volume Wednesday nights are the youth worship service the church built specifically for students: high-energy worship, relevant Bible study, and real relationship with God and with each other. Every year NHBC students travel around the country for mission projects, and every two years the group heads overseas for service in places like South Africa and Malta. Micah and her husband Jason, who married in 2003 and have two children, Elizabeth and Zachary, see the mission trips as the heart of how this generation learns to live out the gospel.
College and Career: Pancakes, Bracelets, and Pickleball
Young single adults at NHBC meet as the College and Career class, a ministry built around the same Love God, Love People, Grow Together motto. The hour opens with study and discussion of God's Word and prayer, then turns hands-on with mission projects that serve the local community: assembling Salvation Bracelets, putting together a card ministry for homebound neighbors, and crafting warm hats for local elementary school children. The group keeps conversations going over a homemade breakfast snack and a hot beverage, and a quarterly Pancake Breakfast has become a standing favorite.
Beyond the classroom hour, the College and Career ministry hosts cookouts, community and church improvement projects, and home cooking projects. NHBC's onsite gym hosts regular basketball, pickleball, and corn hole games for the group, and the ministry gathers quarterly to plan inclusive social events designed to draw young adults into a community of believers their own age - a place where faith is studied, prayer is shared, and the day's challenges are faced together.
Prime Timers and the Homebound: Senior Adults at NHBC
Senior adults at National Heights stay active through the Prime Timers, which meets on the third Thursday of every month for special speakers, concerts, and a covered dish luncheon. During spring and fall the Prime Timers take day trips to area attractions - museums, Branson theaters, and other sites around Southwest Missouri. Many seniors also serve throughout the church as Bible Study teachers, mission group coordinators, committee members, choir members, and more; the church counts seniors as a valued part of its ministry at every level. The Homebound Ministry keeps an active connection with senior adults who can no longer attend in person through visits, communication, and the regular delivery of recorded worship tapes.
A Music Ministry for the Glory of God
Minister of Music Mike McGee leads a program built around an attitude of worship rather than a strict schedule. True worship, the church says, is not an occurrence of certain religious actions during set times each week, but is actually a believer's tendency to allow the ordinary everyday happenings of life to be used for the greater good of God's purpose and power in the world around us. The Adult Choir prepares music for weekend services while gathering hearts through devotionals, fun fellowship, and the work of selecting music together. Other ways to be involved include the Praise Team, Instrumentalists, Vocal Ensembles, Quartets and Trios, a Christmas Choir, and an Easter Choir, and the doors stay open for anyone who wants to use their gifts for the glory of God.
From Springfield to Guadalajara, Joplin, and Beyond
National Heights believes God has called every believer to take the message of Christ around the world. Locally, the church partners with Grand Oak Mission, Lifebuilders Ministry, and Ozark Food Harvest, and supports students in neighborhood schools. Through the Greene County Baptist Association and under the leadership of mission leader Robb Chandler, NHBC participates in annual trips to partner with Nazareth Baptist Church in Guadalajara, Mexico. Recent adult mission trips have stretched to Joplin, Wyoming, Malta, and Taiwan; annual youth mission trips have reached Sedona, Panama City, Kansas City, and South Africa. The Women's Missionary Union continues a long history at the church through women's mission groups that study the work and serve through Grand Oak Mission, Mexico, and other points beyond. NHBC also supports the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention through the Cooperative Program and special prayer emphases, partnering in ministry with like-minded congregations across North America.
Next Steps, RightNow Media, and Online Giving
NHBC lays out a simple path for guests who want to move forward: Follow Jesus, Join the Mission, Share Your Story, Connect (through Bible study groups and ministry teams), and Give. Visitors can fill out the NHBC Online Connection Card to ask spiritual questions or share decisions made during the livestream. Members and guests alike have free access to RightNow Media, a streaming library with more than 20,000 video Bible studies featuring teachers such as Francis Chan, Jennie Allen, Matt Chandler, and Dr. Tony Evans. The library is available on all major streaming devices through a free app and includes sections for kids, marriage, parenting, finances, mental health, and more. NHBC also provides safe and secure online giving, opportunities to give during each worship service, and a mailing address for donations: 3050 N. National, Springfield, MO 65803.
Senior Pastor Chad Pollett and the Ministry Team
Chad Pollett joined NHBC as Senior Pastor in August 2023. A Missouri native, he holds a bachelor's degree in Pastoral Ministry from Southwest Baptist University and a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before moving to National Heights he served as pastor in Urich, Missouri. He and his wife Cinasee were married in 2019, and their deepest desire is to see the gospel flourish in the community God has blessed them with. Chad loves classic cars, adventures, animals of all shapes and sizes, and aspires to one day make the perfect Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Alongside Chad, the ministry team includes Micah Gugel as Youth Director, Donna Moore as Children's Director, and Mike McGee as Minister of Music. The church office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and guests can reach the staff at (417) 833-4111 or nhbc@nationalheights.org.