Wyatt Park Baptist Church has stood on North Leonard Road in St. Joseph, Missouri for more than 130 years, but the rhythm of life inside its 21-acre campus looks very different from the church most longtime residents remember. Average attendance has grown from roughly 80 to about 350 over the past five years, the staff has expanded from two to seven, and the building itself - an 80,000-square-foot facility with an 850-seat sanctuary - now hums with contemporary worship, Wednesday night meals, children's programming, and a thriving student ministry. The congregation's stated mission is short and direct: Love God, Love Others, and Serve the World.
Sunday on Leonard Road
Sunday morning follows a two-part rhythm. Bible Study for all ages runs from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., and the main worship service begins at 10:30 a.m. and runs through 11:30 a.m. Visitors who arrive early can grab coffee at the Mission Café, and greeters wait at the south doors to help with any accommodations. Two large parking lots with entrances on the north and south ends of the campus make arriving easy regardless of the door a guest chooses.
The worship service itself is upbeat and contemporary, led by a worship team under Director of Worship Ministries Kathy Burns. The Sunday sermon is typically part of a biblical series designed to help people take their next step with God. The dress code is intentionally casual; jeans and t-shirts are common, with an occasional sport jacket or dress sprinkled in. Bibles are welcome, and phone-based Bible apps are common in the pews.
Children follow their own path through the morning. Sunday School begins at 9:00 a.m. for everyone from infants through fifth grade, and Children's Church is offered during the regular service from September through May for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. A nursery is available for children under five.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
Wednesday is the most active night of the week at Wyatt Park, and it begins with food. The Wednesday Night Meal is served in Fellowship Hall from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and is open to everyone. The cost is $8 for adults and $2 for students, and the Missions Committee covers the first two meals for any student who comes through the line as a way of supporting the growing youth program. Sharing a meal together is treated as a ministry of its own - a weekly chance to build the kind of cross-generational friendships that the staff talks about often.
After the meal, the campus splits into age-graded tracks. From 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., adult Bible studies led by Senior Pastor Jeff Burns and the adult ministry leaders meet across the building, and Wednesday Night Kids gathers in the children's wing for games, crafts, and a lesson. At the same time, the junior and senior high students head to their own space for HYPE, Wyatt Park's student ministry, which runs until 8:00 p.m.
Wyatt Park Kids
Children's ministry at Wyatt Park is built around safety, relationships, and a steady walk through Scripture. Amy Grooms has served as Director of Children's Ministry since 2021 and has worked or volunteered in children's ministry since 2000. Her team uses The Gospel Project curriculum on Sunday mornings, a three-year journey through the whole Bible that points to Jesus in every story. Wednesday nights focus more on fellowship - games, crafts, and a lesson designed to help kids develop as young followers of Christ.
Safety procedures are detailed and visible. Every staff member, teacher, and volunteer in the children's ministry undergoes a background check. No adult is ever left alone with children; at least two leaders are always present, and parents are asked to wait if only one volunteer has arrived at drop-off. Check-in happens on iPads in the children's hallway, and a printed name tag plus matching security tag system ensures that only approved adults pick up each child. Families whose children need extra support are encouraged to meet with a staff member to plan appropriate accommodations. Parents who want to talk about a child's profession of faith or baptism are invited to sit down with Pastor Jeff personally.
HYPE Student Ministry
HYPE is Wyatt Park's ministry for middle and high school students, and it meets twice a week. Sunday mornings begin at 9:00 a.m. with a time of fellowship, snacks, and interactive Bible teaching that walks students through real-life scenarios and how to follow Christ daily. Students then join the wider congregation for the 10:30 a.m. service, often sitting together in a group. Wednesday nights run from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and feature large-group games, devotional time, and a teaching from Student Minister Ryan Mallen.
Student Director Jessica Stavig supports the program, which is designed to be both fun and spiritually substantive. The Wednesday night meal beforehand is a built-in bridge, and the Missions Committee's decision to underwrite the first two student meals each year is part of an intentional push to keep students connected to the wider church body.
The Fold Young Adults
Young adults aged 18 to 29 have their own weekly gathering called The Fold, which meets Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The name comes from the idea that young adults are a fold of the larger church family, and the ministry focuses on real topics - dating, finances, mental health, careers, and faith - through worship, teaching, and open discussion. A current teaching series called wRITTEN IN STONE is part of the ongoing rotation.
The Fold is also a podcast. Recordings of the Tuesday messages are distributed through The Fold Podcast on streaming platforms, and the group sells its own T-shirts each week, with designs submitted by members. The Instagram account @fold.wyattpark shares the latest from the ministry and its merch drops.
Men's and Women's Ministries
Adult ministry at Wyatt Park is shaped by two parallel rhythms for men and women, each with a monthly breakfast, a spring event, and a fall retreat. The Men's Breakfast meets on the first Saturday of every month for a hearty meal and a 15-minute devotional led by a different church member each time. A free-will donation covers the food, but no one is turned away. Each spring the men gather for a special event - past years have included a trap-shooting competition - and each fall the men head to God's Mountain Camp for a weekend retreat with teaching, worship, and time away. A recent retreat featured teaching from Dr. Patrick Schreiner of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
The Women's Breakfast also meets on the first Saturday of each month, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., with sign-up in advance and childcare available for children ages 3 through 10. A spring gathering called Spring Awakening centers on creative ideas for home and hospitality, and a fall women's retreat each year focuses on the theme "Becoming." A recent retreat featured Erin Davis, author and host of the Deep Well podcast, as guest speaker.
Missions at Home and Abroad
Missions shape a large part of Wyatt Park's identity. Each third Sunday of the month is set aside as a Mission Moment, when the church highlights a different partner organization and gives the congregation an opportunity to contribute. Giving to missions happens through the Church Center online platform or by check with "Missions" written in the memo line.
Internationally, the church supports several long-term partners. Sasha Aleksandov serves in Ukraine with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, sharing Christ with athletes and coaches. Grant and Kaylee Neumann serve with CMF International in Burkina Faso, West Africa, focusing on holistic community development and gospel witness. Bryce Ulrich is planting a church - Cross Family Church - in Parker, Colorado. The church also participates in Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child each year, filling shoe boxes with gifts and letters that are tracked around the world by QR code.
Closer to home, Wyatt Park supports the St. Joseph Pregnancy Resource Center, which provides free ultrasounds, parenting classes, and practical care for families facing unplanned pregnancies. Pivotal Point offers Christ-centered transitional housing and life-skills programs for people working to leave homelessness behind. Christian Challenge ministers to students at Missouri Western State University through Bible studies, worship, and outreach. A prison ministry supplies books like Dr. David Jeremiah's A Life Beyond Amazing to inmates seeking spiritual growth. The church also partners with the Missouri Western State University Food Pantry to address student hunger, supports the SBC Cooperative, and provides teacher care packages and meal support for parent-teacher conferences at Oak Grove Elementary through its PTA.
Short-term mission trips are part of the rhythm as well. A January 2024 team traveled to Patate, Ecuador with Emmaus Global Missions and saw 25 people come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, with follow-up discipleship handed off to local pastors Javy and Evelyn.
What Wyatt Park Believes
Wyatt Park's statement of faith is a traditional Baptist confession shaped by the doctrines of grace. The church affirms one true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It teaches that the Bible is the divinely inspired, fully trustworthy revelation of God, that man was created in God's image and marred by sin, and that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, covering regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. The church practices believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the two ordinances of Christ. It describes itself as an autonomous, congregationally governed body whose scriptural officers are pastors and deacons, and it understands marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman. The church partners with the Southern Baptist Convention through the Cooperative Program and shares the convention's doctrinal commitments.
Leadership and Heritage
Senior Pastor Dr. Jeff Burns leads the church alongside his wife Kathy, who serves as Director of Worship Ministries. Pastor Jeff was born and raised in Indiana and holds a Bachelor of Science from Indiana State University, a Master of Divinity from Truett Seminary at Baylor University, and both a Master of Theology and a Doctor of Ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He previously served on staff at Baptist churches in Texas and Indiana. Ryan Mallen, a St. Joseph native and graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, joined the staff as Student Minister in 2023 and now serves as Associate Pastor. Amy Grooms directs children's ministry; Seth Holmes, a lifelong member of the church, directs technology and communication; and Jessica Stavig leads youth ministry.
The church frames its current season as one of revitalization, with debt eliminated, attendance growing, and new families joining the congregation each week. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the staff can be reached at 816-232-6706 or wpbcoffice@wyattpark.net. The Church Center app gives members and visitors a way to follow the calendar, give, and connect with ministries from a phone.