At 9030 Clayton Road in Richmond Heights, Second Baptist Church of Greater St. Louis serves the greater St. Louis area as an open and progressive American Baptist church. Founded in 1833, it is known for freedom of faith, open membership and communion, historic organ-and-choir worship, Karen-language ministry, and a long commitment to racial justice and service.
Open in Membership, Communion and Acceptance
Second Baptist is open in membership, communion and acceptance. The church believes all people are children of God and that every person has value. Its welcome crosses differences of wealth, marital status, sexual orientation, race, geography and theological outlook. There is no membership litmus test; Second Baptist calls its approach a generous orthodoxy that invites people to seek Jesus and his Kingdom while asking them to love, challenge and care for one another. That welcome is embodied in leadership as well as language: women participate in leadership and are ordained, and people are welcomed without regard to ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other perceived barrier to acceptance.
Jesus Christ is Lord, and Second Baptist seeks to follow his teachings through lives marked by love, grace, peace and mercy. It values freedom of the individual in matters of faith and religion, places high worth on people and their individuality, and believes no person should be prevented from an experience of God through Jesus Christ. The church does not demand agreement as the price of fellowship. It seeks truth, vision and friendship, deeper devotion, cooperation with other religious groups and greater awareness of human need.
As an American Baptist congregation, Second Baptist holds to the right of individuals to discover their own path of faith, a personal relationship with God, freedom to interpret Scripture, separation of church and state, and local church autonomy. Believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper are part of its Baptist practice. Second Baptist also holds that Christians can approach God directly. Its progressive emphasis values inclusiveness, diverse theological perspectives, compassion, selfless love, peace and justice, and the belief that questioning can reveal more than absolute certainty.
- Open membership and communion: people may join the church and receive Holy Communion without a test of belief or background.
- Shared leadership: women are ordained, and congregational participation shapes worship.
- Justice and reconciliation: Second Baptist rejects racism in all its forms and seeks transformed systems, equitable treatment, forgiveness and reconciliation.
A Sunday Morning at Second Baptist
Sunday is the center of the church's weekly rhythm. Church School begins at 9:15 a.m., worship begins at 10:30 a.m., and opportunities for learning and fellowship continue through the morning. The Sunday visitor information describes this schedule:
- 8:45 a.m. - Choir rehearsal
- 9:00 a.m. - Nursery opens
- 9:15 a.m. - Church School and adult Bible classes
- 10:30 a.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary of the Beatitudes
- 11:30 a.m. - Karen Language Worship in the library and coffee fellowship in the narthex
- 11:40 a.m. - Choir rehearsal on the second Sunday
Worship is an uplifting, friendly gathering that combines relaxed and formal elements. Visitors and members greet one another, and the congregation shares concerns and celebrations during prayer. Youth and children take part through announcements, Scripture reading and prayer. Pastor Steve Mechem's sermons are described as relevant, challenging and encouraging, while the choir shares music drawn from traditional, classical and contemporary traditions.
Children remain with the congregation for part of the service. After a children's conversation at the front of the sanctuary, pre-K through first-grade children move to the Primary classroom for hands-on lessons, while second through fifth grades continue the message through art, games and learning projects. The nursery is open from 9:00 a.m. through 11:45 a.m. for infants and toddlers, and Church School includes dedicated classrooms for younger children, middle school and high school youth.
Holy Communion is served on the first Sunday of every month. Everyone is welcome to receive it, reflecting a tradition of open communion that has continued for more than a century and a half. On Communion Sundays, the congregation gathers around the sanctuary, joins hands and sings Blest Be the Tie That Binds.
A Welcome Center in the narthex greets visitors, answers questions and can arrange a sanctuary tour. Parking spaces for people with physical disabilities are reserved on the north, Clayton Road side of the building in the upper lot; the lower lots are reached by stairs at the entrance. The Metro St. Louis Route 58 bus line serves the church and runs hourly on Sundays. The 10:30 a.m. service is also available through the Facebook livestream, with worship recordings available afterward.
The Sanctuary of the Beatitudes
Designed by architect Frederick Dunn and built in 1957, the 7,600-square-foot Sanctuary of the Beatitudes is a mid-century space devoted to worship and music. It can seat from 220 to 400 people depending on the arrangement. A two-story ceiling gives the room near-perfect acoustics, while Frederick Dunn's use of Chicago common brick adds warm earth tones to the contemporary Scandinavian design. Nine stained-glass windows, designed by Siegfried Reinhardt and produced by Emil Frei, rise 40 feet and present the eight Beatitudes with expressive images from the life and teachings of Jesus.
Music is central to Second Baptist's worship. The historic Gale-Blewett Memorial Organ is a 38-rank pipe organ with three manuals and nearly 3,000 pipes ranging from 2 inches to 18 feet. The Odell Company installed it in 1879, and the Moeller company rebuilt it in 1941. It has followed the congregation through three buildings and has been played by organists including Alexandre Guilmant, E. Power Biggs, Virgil Fox and Marcel Dupre. Two Yamaha grand pianos, one in the choir loft and one in the chancel, support the music program.
Marilyn Short has served as music director since 2006, after serving as organist and choir accompanist since 1999. Brad Short has directed the choir since 2006. The choir welcomes volunteer singers and sings a broad collection of choral traditions. Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. from September through May and on Sunday mornings before the anthem.
From 1817 to a Church of Open Conscience
The church's story begins in 1817 when John Mason Peck, named missionary to the Missouri Territory, and James Welch rented a room in the rear of a store. It served as an academy during the week and a sanctuary on Sundays. The Baptist Church was organized in February 1818, and several candidates were baptized in the Mississippi River that April, the first time the river had been used for that purpose. A new building placed the Western Mission Academy on its lower floor and the church above. Peck encouraged Presbyterians and Methodists to use the building as a way of advancing Protestantism in St. Louis.
Peck strongly opposed slavery and worked with John Berry Meachum to establish education for Black children and adults. Enslaved people attended with their enslavers, while freed people became members and leaders. A separate Sunday School led to the organization of the African Church of St. Louis on September 7, 1828, the oldest Black church in Missouri. The original Baptist Church building was sold in 1828 after street widening, storm damage and a declaration that it was unsafe.
By the end of 1833, fever and cholera had reduced the Baptist Church to seventeen members. Those remaining members requested letters of dismissal and agreed to transfer their money to a new St. Louis church called Second Baptist, giving birth to the congregation that remains today. Second Baptist has stood in five locations. Its buildings have reflected Greek and Gothic Revival, Italian Gothic and modern styles, while its present property covers nearly six acres.
Open membership, missions, education, ecumenical relationships, interracial work and peace have remained defining themes. Galusha Anderson preached forceful anti-slavery sermons in a divided city. W. W. Boyd advocated open communion, ecumenism and women's suffrage. William Bitting helped organize the Northern Baptists, later American Baptists, and supported international peace efforts. Leon Robison led Second Baptist toward open membership, racial integration and peace, even though his practice of accepting members by letter led to his removal from the Baptist Pastor's Conference of St. Louis in 1949. Second Baptist and Antioch Baptist held integrated vacation Bible school together during the 1960s. Under Jerry Keeney, members also renewed a worship partnership with the Jewish congregation Shaare Emeth in the mid-1990s, recalling a similar service in the late 1880s that had brought pressure from city and state Baptist associations.
Learning Across Generations
Church School meets from the first Sunday after Labor Day through May, beginning at 9:15 a.m. and concluding by 10:20. The Education Wing contains classrooms for adults, youth and younger children. Classes are lively, engaging and thought-provoking, with an emphasis on questions, interpretation and applying faith to life rather than rote answers.
- Nursery: Infants through age 2 are cared for from 9:00 to 11:45 a.m.
- Primary, pre-K through grade 1: Bible stories and teachings come through movement, song, art and games.
- Junior, grades 2 through 5: Puzzles, crafts and small service projects help children develop Bible skills and find their place in the life of the church.
- Middle school, grades 6 through 8: Young people examine familiar and unfamiliar biblical passages through creative, physical and academic activities.
- Youth, grades 9 through 12: Led by Melanie Keeney, the class considers scripture in relation to the lives and convictions of its participants.
Adult learning follows the same inquiry-based spirit. Pastor Emeritus Jerry Keeney leads the William Gurley Bible Class, which uses stories and Jesus' parables to explore healing, truth and wisdom for life in the world. Pastor Steve Mechem leads the Living Faith Class, using storytelling to build communication skills and community. Pastor Carey San leads a Karen-language study of the Gospels for adults and young adults in the library.
The active youth ministry includes students in grades 6 through 12 and meets on the second Saturday for food, fellowship and learning. Its activities include mission projects and an annual summer trip to Quest, a Christian camp in Wisconsin, for team building, recreation, discussion and contemporary worship. Other small groups meet on the second Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. to discuss a selected fiction or nonfiction work and on Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the choir loft.
Welcoming Karen and LGBTQ+ Communities
Karen-language worship takes place at 11:30 a.m. in the library, and the Karen Bible Class meets at 9:15 a.m. The church has welcomed families from Burma and Myanmar who relocated to refugee camps in Thailand before resettling in the United States. Their original languages include Karen and Karenni. Although most Karen members speak English well, many value worship and Bible study in their original language. The congregation has helped new families navigate the transition to American life and has celebrated their families' joyful milestones and citizenship.
The Love Chapter meets as needed in the Community Room to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ people, their parents, families, friends and allies. The group gathers for encouragement and support while exploring questions about language, ways to support loved ones and responses to homophobic or hateful treatment. Second Baptist also offers special outreach to people who have experienced grief, disappointment or hurt through other religious experiences.
Sharing the church's facilities is another expression of ministry. Second Baptist is the headquarters of the Community Gospel Choir and a meeting place for an Al-Anon Family Group and other community organizations. Nonprofit groups can also request the use of church space for meetings and activities.
Racial Justice as a Shared Commitment
Second Baptist's social-justice ministry brings together members of the congregation and the wider community to learn about racism and inequality and encourage a positive impact in St. Louis. Its work includes collaboration with area churches, American Baptist Churches USA, local government and police, along with shared reading and personal experience. The church's staff, leadership and congregation have unanimously rejected racism in all its forms, naming both systemic and personal racism and calling for transformed systems, equitable treatment, repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and justice.
Five churches meet quarterly for Courageous Conversation and collaborative mission projects. Antioch, Dayspring, Second Baptist, Southern Union Missionary and Third Baptist use their discussions to address racism and work together on direct assistance. This partnership reflects a conviction that difficult subjects are better faced through honest relationships and shared service than through silence or avoidance.
Mission Close to Home and Around the World
Pastor Steve Mechem initiated Unity in the Community, a series of Lenten services throughout Richmond Heights. Each Wednesday, a different congregation hosts a short service and light luncheon. Participants have included Second Baptist, Immacolata Catholic Church, St. Mary's Hospital Chapel, First Church of God, Little Flower Catholic Church and Church of the Living God Community Church.
Hands-on projects give the mission team direct ways to serve. Second Baptist collects small household items and appliances for Southern Union and receives aluminum cans from Antioch for recycling by Karen families. At Thanksgiving, the congregation has supplied canned food to help Antioch serve neighbors in need. Other projects include Adopt-a-Family programs in underserved communities and backpacks filled with school supplies. Monetary support goes to the St. Louis Area Food Bank, Room at the Inn, Habitat for Humanity, the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project, Heat Up St. Louis and St. John's Community Ministry Services.
The church's mission reaches beyond St. Louis. Four major offerings support the education and guidance of young ministers and missionaries, while other gifts assist people affected by natural disasters and refugees. Contributions support clothing, food, hygiene supplies, school supplies, diapers and disaster relief in more than ten countries. Children participate with Heifer International, raising money for projects such as milk for students and goats that provide families with milk and a sustainable source of food.
Youth volunteers have packaged food for World Food Day, helped children with disabilities stay active through KEEN St. Louis, cared for babies and small children at the St. Louis Crisis Nursery, cleaned community gardens with Gateway Greening, joined trash cleanups and brought Christmas caroling to care centers. Giving is accepted by mail and through online contributions.
At Second Baptist, freedom of faith, inclusive worship, active learning, historic music and practical service belong to one long-standing church life. Since 1833, the congregation has pursued a community where people can bring honest questions, find belonging and put love and justice into action.