A Church on Olive Boulevard
Parkway Baptist Church stands along Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur, just east of Barnes-Jewish Hospital West, in a stretch of west St. Louis County where the city's western suburbs meet I-270. From its single campus at 12465 Olive Boulevard, the church has built a varied ministry that fills the calendar from Sunday morning Bible study and worship to a midweek gathering for teenagers, an after-school fine arts academy, and a weekday preschool that has served the neighborhood for more than forty years.
The church affirms the Baptist Faith and Message, the confession of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the pastoral staff includes graduates of Southern Baptist theological seminaries. Planning a first visit is encouraged through the church's online guide.
Sundays at Parkway: Bible Study and Worship
The Sunday rhythm at Parkway centers on two gatherings. At 9 AM, Bible study groups meet across the building in rooms labeled with numbers and in various fellowship halls. At 10:30 AM, the congregation gathers in the Worship Center for a service that is also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, and recorded for later viewing. A weekly worship guide with song lyrics, sheet music, and sermon notes is available to download, and the music sung corporately is collected on a public Spotify playlist so families can sing along at home.
The parking lot is laid out with first-time guests in mind. Reserved guest parking sits near the front middle of the lot, marked with directional signs, with handicap-accessible spaces along the front of the building and near the guest lot. Inside, a Welcome Center sits just to the left of the main entrance, where first-time visitors can pick up a small gift and information about the church.
What to wear, the church says, is up to the visitor. "We welcome you to come as you feel comfortable," the church notes, ranging from semi-formal to business casual to a casual look. The focus, the church adds, is on a person's heart rather than outward appearance. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
Kidzone: Children's Ministry from Babies Through 6th Grade
Children are at the heart of Parkway's family ministry. The Kidzone children's program serves babies through sixth grade on Sunday mornings, with age-graded Bible study at 9 AM and a high-energy Kidzone Worship Service for PreK through 5th graders at 10:30 AM. The Children's Check-In Center, staffed by volunteers, sits past the Welcome Center so parents can drop off their children securely. Children are also welcome to stay in the main worship service with their parents if families prefer.
Beyond Sunday mornings, Kidzone programming extends through the week. From September to May, three-year-olds through sixth graders attend a Wednesday evening club focused on teaching the gospel and training children to serve. In the colder months, the church fields a Christ-centered Upward basketball league for kindergarten through sixth grade, with Saturday games running through the season. Children's Ministry Team Leader Becky Wescoat oversees the program, and Cheryl Ferguson, a Parkway member of more than thirty years, leads the children's choirs.
For parents with infants, a private Mother's Room is available off the second-floor lobby, fully equipped and accessible by asking a Welcome Team volunteer.
Students: Wednesday Nights and Sunday Mornings
Parkway's student ministry works to develop seventh through twelfth graders into devoted disciples of Jesus, with a practical approach to Bible study and discipleship. The main weekly gathering is Wednesday Midweek, which meets from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Gathering Room on the second floor, with doors opening at 6:15 PM. Students play games, fellowship, worship, and study the Bible together. Sunday morning Bible study for students runs at 9 AM in the Gathering Room, with doors opening at 8:45 AM, and a large-group gathering with age-based small group breakouts. The student ministry also runs service projects and fellowship events throughout the year, including bonfires, girls' events, Friendsgiving, and a dodgeball tournament. Associate Pastor of Students Evan Morris and his wife Savannah lead the ministry.
Grow Groups: A Sunday Morning Hub for Every Stage
Grow Groups are the church's name for its Sunday morning small-group ministry, and the list of groups covers nearly every life stage. Children's groups run from Babies (in room N106) through Older Toddlers, PreK and Kindergarten, 1st-2nd Grade, 3rd-4th Grade, 5th-6th Grade, and 7th-12th Grade in East Hall, each led by named volunteer teachers. For adults, options include a College and Young Adults group, Younger Singles and Couples, Family with Young Children, several co-ed couples and singles groups, multigenerational groups, and Legacy Men and Legacy Women groups for adults in the second half of life. The Legacy Men, for example, gather weekly for Bible study and prayer and join other men for regular breakfasts and fellowship. Cultivate, a ministry for young couples and families, meets at 9 AM in the North Fellowship Hall, with coffee and fellowship followed by multiple Bible study options and age-graded children's classes.
Parkway Studio: An After-School Fine Arts Academy
Parkway Studio is the church's free, weekly after-school fine arts academy, sponsored by the worship ministry and held on Thursdays during the school year. The program welcomes children from 1st through 8th grade, with classes in Studio Choir (1st-3rd grade, led by Cheryl Ferguson), beginning and intermediate guitar (4th-8th grade, taught by David Hinners), a Tone Chime and Recorder choir (4th-8th grade), and a multi-media arts class for 7th and 8th graders directed by Minister of Worship Dr. John Francis and his assistant Steve Price. Brass and strings offerings for 4th-8th grade are pending. A snack in the Fellowship Hall at 4:25 PM is followed by instrumental classes and Studio Choir from 4:40 to 5:40 PM.
Parkway Preschool: Four Decades of Early Childhood Education
Parkway Baptist Preschool and Mother's Day Out began as a ministry of the church more than forty years ago and serves the St. Louis metro area. The preschool's philosophy is rooted in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go," and the program is designed to develop each child emotionally, socially, spiritually, and academically in a Christian environment. The school offers classes for children who are two by August 1, running Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 2:30 PM, and classes for three- and four-year-olds running from 9 AM to noon with optional extended care to 2:30 PM. A new playground with slides, a climbing hill, balance beam, digging pit, trike track, and musical instruments is entirely turfed for play during warmer months. Director Marqie Bradt has led the program since 1998.
Beliefs and Mission
Parkway holds a high view of Scripture and affirms the Baptist Faith and Message as its belief statement. Three things the church says visitors can expect: a welcoming environment, a community of imperfect people who have come together from different backgrounds and rely on the forgiveness found in Jesus Christ through repentance, and a gathering centered on Jesus as He is found in the scriptures. The church worships with a passion for giving God glory, sitting under the authority of the Word of God. Membership Matters, a monthly gathering during the 9 AM Bible study hour, is the church's introduction to church membership and the mission of Parkway.
Going on Mission
Each year, Parkway leads multiple mission trips around the world, partnering with missionaries in their context to spread the gospel. The church's Acts 1:8 Team prayerfully considers mission partners each year and sets a goal that is presented at the beginning of the year, with the Acts 1:8 Fund supported by individuals and families giving above and beyond their tithe. Parkway also supports the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions, and the Missouri State Missions Offering.
Giving, Serving, and the Pastoral Team
Members and guests can give in several ways: online through a one-time or recurring gift, through the church's smartphone app, by placing a gift in one of the giving boxes at the entrance to the Worship Center, by mail, by gifts of stock coordinated through the Finance Office, or by including Parkway in estate planning. Members interested in serving are asked to have at least six months of regular attendance or membership before beginning the application process, which includes an application and review, personal interview, reference checks, criminal background check, and child abuse awareness training. Those serving with or to those under 18 are required to take additional screening steps. Every applicant affirms the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 along with the church's statement of Responsibilities and Commitments.
Senior Pastor Cheston Pickard leads the church, having previously served as Discipleship Pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He holds a BA in Religion from Liberty University, an MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is pursuing a PhD at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Associate Pastor of Administration and Education Matthew Creath, a graduate of Southwest Baptist University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Northwest Missouri State University, has served on the church staff for years. Minister of Worship Dr. John Francis holds a PhD and ThM in Church Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; he is also a bugler with Bugles Across America, a ham radio operator, and adjunct professor of music at Missouri Baptist University.