History
A Brief History...
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Metro East Baptist Church began as a satellite congregation of Metropolitan Baptist Church in downtown Wichita in 1995. As the small congregation grew the decision was made that Metro East would become an independent church. In August of 1999 Metro East officially constituted as an autonomous Southern Baptist Church. In September of that same year Metro East called Todd Pruitt, the youth pastor of First Baptist Church of Moore, Oklahoma, to be their first pastor. Additional staff soon followed as the church began to grow.
Metro East had been meeting in rented facilities which were quickly becoming too small. In 2001 a campaign was begun to construct a permanent facility on 15 acres located on 143rd Street between Central and Kellogg. On the last Sunday of February 2003 we were blessed to move into our new facility.
God has been good to Metro East. As our staff and facilities have grown so too has the congregation. From 2001 to 2006 worship attendance grew from just over 100 to almost 700. We are grateful that God has entrusted to us so many wonderful people. We are blessed that a high percentage of those who have come to Metro East are children. In fact, on any given Sunday some 60% of the attendance will be people under the age of 18. We consider this a very blessed stewardship. What is more, there has been an increase in concern for world missions which is reflected in a high level of financial support for missions as well as numerous church members who have served on short-term mission trips to such places as New Orleans, Ukraine, Mexico, Pakistan, and parts of Africa.
Metro East currently runs three Sunday morning worship services and two Sunday School hours. This presents certain challenges. One challenge is the need for additional space for education, gathering, and parking. We also look forward to the day when we will have a larger worship center. Adding to our current facility is a certainty. We must also decide at what point to relocate to an area where more land is available. There will also likely come a time when God will lead us to launch satellite congregations in different parts of the Wichita area. These are dilemmas for which we are thankful. We fully trust that God will guide us as we continue to seek His glory above all else.
