Our Roots

Midway Locust Grove Church stands in the historic Christian faith and in the rich stream of

Wesleyan theology and practice. Founded in 1817, four years before Missouri became a state,

Midway Locust Grove Church has always been a Wesleyan congregation.

Our local church was born on the Missouri frontier as part of the Methodist movement. Over the

generations, the broader Methodist family in America experienced several divisions and

reunions. In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church

Our Roots

Midway Locust Grove Church stands in the historic Christian faith and in the rich stream of

Wesleyan theology and practice. Founded in 1817, four years before Missouri became a state,

Midway Locust Grove Church has always been a Wesleyan congregation.

Our local church was born on the Missouri frontier as part of the Methodist movement. Over the

generations, the broader Methodist family in America experienced several divisions and

reunions. In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and

the Methodist Protestant Church united to form The Methodist Church. Then, in 1968, The

Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church united to form The United

Methodist Church. Through each of these denominational changes, Midway Locust Grove

Church continued in the Methodist and Wesleyan stream of Christian faith and practice.

In 2023, Midway Locust Grove Church disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church and

became a standalone, nondenominational congregation.

While our denominational affiliation changed, our theological convictions did not. We remain

deeply rooted in the historic, orthodox Christian faith and in traditional Wesleyan theology. We

gladly affirm the faith confessed by Christians through the centuries, especially as summarized in

the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. We also continue to be shaped by the best of the Wesleyan

tradition: the authority of Scripture, the transforming grace of God, the call to personal holiness,

the practice of the means of grace, and the conviction that genuine faith is lived out in love for

God and neighbor.

As Wesleyan Christians, we believe God’s grace goes before us, meets us in Jesus Christ, saves

us through faith, and continues to form us by the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe

discipleship is more than church attendance or religious activity. It is a life of worship, prayer,

Scripture, repentance, fellowship, service, generosity, and witness. We are called to love God

with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Today, Midway Locust Grove Church is an independent local church with Wesleyan roots,

biblical convictions, and a deep desire to serve our community in the name of Jesus. We are

grateful for our past, faithful in the present, and hopeful about the future God is leading us into.

Our Mission and Vision

Jesus gave His Church a clear mission: “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything

I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).

At Midway Locust Grove Church, our mission is to gather in grace, grow in Christ, and go share

the Gospel with the world.

We believe the local church is one of the primary places where disciples are formed. Through

worship, the preaching of God’s Word, the sacraments, prayer, small groups, children’s and

youth ministries, missions, and everyday life together, we seek to help people come to know

Jesus, grow in faith, and live as faithful witnesses in the world.

Our vision is to be a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Scripture-rooted local church where people of

every generation are welcomed, restored, equipped, and sent. We want to be a church where the

hurting find hope, the wandering find a home, the faithful are strengthened, and the next

generation is raised up to know and follow Jesus.

We are not trying to become the biggest church in the community. We are seeking to become a

faithful church for the community. We want to love people the way Jesus loves, speak the truth

with grace, serve with humility, and shine the light of Christ in Middle Missouri and beyond.

Our Statement of Faith

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the final authority for Christian faith,

doctrine, and life. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments reveal God’s character, God’s

will, God’s saving work in Jesus Christ, and all things necessary for salvation. We believe the

Bible is to be faithfully read, preached, taught, obeyed, and lived out through the illumination

and power of the Holy Spirit.

For purposes of church doctrine, teaching, practice, policy, and discipline, the pastoral leadership

and governing body of Midway Locust Grove Church are responsible for interpreting and

applying Scripture within the life of the local church.

The Triune God

We believe in one living and true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is holy, loving, eternal,

all-powerful, all-wise, and good. God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and He alone is

worthy of worship, trust, obedience, and praise.

God the Father

We believe God the Father is the source of all life and the giver of every good gift. In love, He

created humanity in His image and continues to seek and receive all who turn to Him in

repentance and faith. He is merciful, just, gracious, and faithful.

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, fully God and fully human. He was conceived

by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, proclaimed the Kingdom of God,

died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven,

reigns at the right hand of the Father, intercedes for us, and will come again to judge the living

and the dead and to make all things new.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is fully God and who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, awakens faith, brings new birth, assures believers of

salvation, sanctifies God’s people, gives spiritual gifts, empowers Christian witness, and forms

the character of Christ in us.

Humanity, Sin, and Grace

We believe all people are created in the image of God and therefore possess sacred worth,

dignity, and value. We also believe sin has distorted God’s good creation and broken our

relationship with God, with one another, with ourselves, and with the world.

We believe human beings cannot save themselves by their own effort, morality, or good works.

Yet God, in His prevenient grace, goes before us and enables us to respond to the Gospel.

Through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, sinners are forgiven, justified, born again, adopted

into the family of God, and given new life by the Holy Spirit.

Salvation

We believe salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ’s death on the cross is the

full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. No other name, work, or

merit can save. Those who repent of sin and trust in Christ are forgiven, reconciled to God, and

given the gift of eternal life.

Sanctification and Holy Living

We believe the grace that saves us also transforms us. The Holy Spirit works in believers to

sanctify us, making us more and more like Jesus. This work begins when we are made new in

Christ and continues as we grow in grace through worship, prayer, Scripture, the sacraments,

Christian fellowship, service, and obedience.

We believe God calls His people to holiness of heart and life. Christian holiness is not cold

religious rule-keeping. It is love made visible: love for God, love for neighbor, mercy toward the

hurting, truthfulness in speech, purity in heart, justice in action, and faithfulness in daily life.

The Church

We believe the Church is the body of Christ, created by God, redeemed by Jesus, and empowered

by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. The Church exists to worship God,

proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, administer the sacraments, nurture believers, serve the

needy, and bear witness to the Kingdom of God in the world.

We believe in the priesthood of all believers. As such, every follower of Jesus is called into

ministry. Pastors and leaders equip the church, but the work of ministry belongs to the whole

people of God.

The Sacraments

We believe Christ has given the Church two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Baptism is the sacrament of initiation and incorporation into the body of Christ, a sign of the new

covenant, and a means of grace. We baptize infants, children, youth, and adults, trusting in the

grace of God and calling all who are baptized to profess personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Because baptism is God’s gracious action, not merely our personal decision, we believe Christian

baptism is received once. Baptism is a once-made covenant that may be reaffirmed but not

repeated.

For those who desire to mark a renewed commitment to Christ, return to faith, celebrate God’s

grace, or enter a new season of discipleship, we gladly offer opportunities to remember and give

thanks for baptism, reaffirm the baptismal covenant, and renew baptismal vows at different

stages of life.

The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of our redemption through Christ’s death. In Holy

Communion, Christ is spiritually present by the power of the Holy Spirit, and believers receive

grace, forgiveness, nourishment, unity, and strength through faith.

Marriage, Sexuality, and Christian Conduct

We believe God created humanity male and female in His image and that every person is worthy

of compassion, dignity, kindness, and respect. We believe marriage is a covenantal union

established by God between one man and one woman, intended to reflect faithfulness, mutual

love, and the relationship between Christ and His Church.

We believe sexual intimacy is a good gift of God reserved for the covenant of marriage between

one man and one woman. Any form of sexual intimacy outside of this covenant is outside God’s

design for human flourishing.

Because church leaders, employees, and volunteers serve as representatives of Christ and His

Church, those who teach, lead, serve, or are employed by Midway Locust Grove Church are

expected to affirm, support, and conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the church’s

doctrine, faith, and moral teaching.

At the same time, we believe the Gospel is good news for all people. God offers forgiveness,

redemption, healing, and restoration to all who repent of sin and seek His mercy through faith in

Jesus Christ. Hateful, demeaning, or harassing behavior toward any person is contrary to

Scripture and inconsistent with the character of Christ.

The Return of Christ and the Hope of Resurrection

We believe Jesus Christ will return in glory, judge the living and the dead, defeat evil fully and

finally, and establish His Kingdom in its fullness. We believe in the resurrection of the dead and

the life everlasting. This hope calls us to holy living, faithful witness, and joyful confidence in

the victory of God.

Frequently Asked Questions

Two of the most common theological questions we receive have to do with women in church

leadership and human sexuality. We address these here not because these are the only important

issues of faith, but because they are questions many people are asking as they seek to understand

who we are as a church.

Our desire is to speak clearly, humbly, and pastorally. We want our beliefs and our posture to

reflect the heart of Jesus: full of grace and truth.

Women in Leadership

The role of women in church leadership has been discussed and debated at many points

throughout church history. As a church rooted in Scripture and shaped by the Wesleyan tradition,

Midway Locust Grove Church believes the whole witness of Scripture affirms the dignity,

calling, gifting, and ministry of both women and men.

We believe women and men are equally created in the image of God and therefore share equal

dignity, worth, and value before God.

We believe equality does not require sameness. Men and women are not identical, and we

believe the goodness of God is reflected beautifully through both.

We believe God gives leadership to the church on the basis of grace, calling, spiritual gifts,

obedience, humility, and Christlike character.

We believe both women and men can faithfully lead, teach, preach, pastor, disciple, serve, and

minister within the life of the local church.

We believe the church is strengthened when women and men serve together as co-laborers in the

mission of God. The ministry of the church is more complete, more faithful, and more fruitful

when the gifts of the whole body of Christ are welcomed, developed, and deployed.

Therefore, Midway Locust Grove Church affirms and values women and men serving in

leadership throughout the church, including pastoral ministry, teaching ministry, staff leadership,

ministry teams, and governing leadership.

Sexuality

We recognize that conversations about sexuality are deeply personal. For many people, this topic

is not theoretical. It involves their story, their family, their friendships, their pain, their questions,

and sometimes their experience of being wounded or rejected by the church.

We also recognize that the church has not always spoken about sexuality with the compassion,

humility, and holiness of Jesus. Too often, Christians have been known primarily for what we

oppose rather than for the good, faithful, and life-giving vision Scripture gives us. For that

reason, we want to be clear about both what we believe and how we seek to express that belief.

What We Believe

Midway Locust Grove Church holds to the historic Christian understanding of marriage and

sexual intimacy. We believe marriage is a lifelong covenant union between one man and one

woman. We believe sexual intimacy is a good gift from God, designed to be expressed within

that covenant of marriage.

We believe all sexual activity outside of this covenant is outside God’s design for human

flourishing. This includes all forms of sexual immorality, whether opposite-sex or same-sex in

nature. Our conviction is not rooted in cultural preference, political ideology, or personal

hostility. It is rooted in our desire to submit our lives, our bodies, our relationships, and our

church to the authority of Scripture and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We also believe every person is created in the image of God and is worthy of compassion,

dignity, kindness, and respect. No person is beyond the reach of God’s grace. The Gospel of

Jesus Christ offers forgiveness, redemption, healing, and new life to all who turn to Him in

repentance and faith.

How We Seek to Express Our Belief

One of the most important questions people ask is: “Would I, or someone I love, be welcome at

Midway Locust Grove Church?”

The answer is yes.

Everyone is welcome to worship with us, hear the Gospel, seek Jesus, ask honest questions, and

be part of the life of our church community. We do not require people to have everything figured

out before they walk through our doors. None of us came to Jesus whole, holy, and fully formed.

We all come by grace.

At the same time, welcome does not mean we set aside the teachings of Jesus. We believe Jesus

is Lord, and He calls every one of us to surrender our whole lives to Him. That includes our

desires, relationships, sexuality, identity, habits, priorities, and future.

As a church, we want to hold together two convictions that should never be separated: we want

to be fully aligned with the teaching of Jesus, and we want to be full of the compassion of Jesus.

That means we will not use shame, mockery, hatred, or harassment toward any person. Such

behavior is contrary to Scripture and inconsistent with the character of Christ.

It also means that those who become members, teach, lead, serve in ministry leadership, work on

staff, or represent the church publicly are expected to affirm, support, and live in a way that is

consistent with the doctrine, faith, and moral teaching of Midway Locust Grove Church.

Our calling is not to criticize the world around us. Our calling is to become a faithful, holy,

loving, joyful, countercultural people whose lives bear witness to the goodness of Jesus. We want

our marriages, our singleness, our families, our friendships, our hospitality, and our church life to

display the beauty of covenant love and life in the Kingdom of God.

We believe truth without love becomes harsh. We believe love without truth becomes empty. In

Jesus, grace and truth are perfectly joined together. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we want the

same to be true of us.