THE HISTORY OF A BALDWIN CITY CHURCH: LIGHTHOUSE BAPTIST TEMPLE

Student researchers:

Gerren Vincent, Andrew Herr, Clinton McClure, and Alan Davis (2004)

Ashley Baumgarn, Amanda Lee, and Emelia Stephens (2005)

 

Editor: Dr. George Wiley, Baker University

Photographs

Introduction 

  1. What are the churches of Baldwin City?

  2. Has work on this organization's history already been done?  Is there a written history of the church?  If yes to either question, find out more so you don't duplicate someone else's efforts. As of 2005, two student groups from Baker have worked on the history.

  3. What People In This Church Know About Its History?
      There are not many people who know about the history of the church because it is relatively new.  Many of the people in the congregation helped to construct the pastor’s house and were deeply involved with the church’s growth.  Three men made themselves available to be interviewed. They were pastor Richard Austin and deacons John Dunbar and Kevin Lober.  Because the church had help from another church in getting started, there are people who are not part of the church who have knowledge of its history, such as Harry Cole, Ed Fuller, and Ron Celington.

  4. What Written Documents Or Artifacts Are Available?

 

  1. How Did The Church Get Started?

Lighthouse Baptist Temple’s building once housed Baldwin Baptist church. The latter church had almost completely dissolved when a pastor from Holton, Kansas, Ron Celington, called the church’s pastor and asked how the congregation was doing. Learning that Baldwin Baptist church was closing, Celington called Ed Fuller, brother-in-law of Richard Austin, Lighthouse’s current pastor, and told him there was a church building coming available.  By that time, Baldwin Baptist’s pastor, Harry Cole, had rented the building out as a dance studio (the mirrors are still in the basement) and also made it available for Baker University functions. Austin came to the building, prayed about the decision, and opted in October, 1994, to take over the site.  With the help of Bible Baptist church of Bonner Springs, Kansas, Austin started paying for the utilities and prepared to move to Baldwin. Austin and others started cleaning and painting the place and had their first service on July 2, 1995. Fourteen people showed up for opening day, five of whom were Austin and his family members. For the first year, Harry Cole kept the deed to the building to see if the church was going to make it. After that year, Cole gave over the church deed and they were able to support themselves.

 

  1. Who were the founders?

Richard Austin was the founding pastor, with the help of Bible Baptist church in Bonner Springs.

 

  1. Why did they decide to start a church?
    The decision to start the Lighthouse Baptist Temple came both out of opportunity and a desire for the Bible Baptist Church in Bonner Springs to found a mission in Baldwin City. The founders believed that the Baldwin community was ready for and could support another church.

 

  1. Has the church existed in other buildings than the present one? What were they?
    No.

The building is long, narrow and constructed of brick.  Inside the front doors, a small narthex leads into the sanctuary.  The narthex has posters, flyers about upcoming events, and enthusiastic people waiting to greet everyone. The sanctuary has seating for numerous people.  In the altar area is the pulpit and space for the musicians, who include a pianist, a guitar player, and a few singers.  The baptismal font is at the front of the church as well.  There is also a screen for display of the words to the songs or a montage of photos such as pictures from a recent youth event.  A basement houses the Sunday school classrooms.

 

  1. How have major historical events affected the church? Examples: "Bleeding Kansas," the Civil War-World War I-World War II-Korean conflict-Vietnam War, 9/11, economic crises (like the Great Depression), changes in agriculture, the civil rights movement.

  2. What people have been influential in the life of the church over time? (other than the founders). These people might include a particularly beloved pastor (or a particularly unpopular one) or a lay leader.
    Austin describes Bible Baptist Church of Bonner Springs as a “big brother” to Lighthouse.  The Bonner Springs church picked up Lighthouse’s payments in its first year to help the members get established. Because it is new, Lighthouse has not had many influential people besides the founders.  

  3. What controversies has the church experienced?

12. What gives the church its particular identity or flavor? What makes it different from other Baldwin City churches or from other churches in its denomination?
First, according to Pastor Austin, while certain churches have let the tradition of man enter into church services, LBT believes that the Bible is the divine, infallible word of God, and so overrules any church tradition. The Pastor told us that he would gladly change the church’s doctrines or rituals if scripture commanded anything different. Second, LBT believes in the scriptural statement that men should be in charge of the ministry.  Third, Pastor Austin stated clearly that while there are doctrinal differences between denominations, there are still underlying unities between them. Therefore, Baptists are not the only Christians who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

  1. What Is The Mission / Purpose Of The Church?
     When asked what the mission of the Lighthouse Baptist Temple is, Pastor Richard Austin kept his response simple.  He said the purpose of his church is, “to lead people to the saving power of Jesus Christ.”

 

  1. How Has The Church Ministered To The Baldwin City Community?
    Pastor Austin says that t    he first way to minister to a community is perhaps the most obvious: church services, including Sunday school, a Wednesday night class, or the actual church service.  The services done on Sunday mornings make up most of the ministry of the Lighthouse Baptist Temple.  Other ways that members get involved in their community are to visit retirement homes, have a food party (which is done quarterly), help in Relay for Life, and provide a booth at Baldwin’s annual Maple Leaf Festival. Pastor Austin feels that there is a lot more that can still be done.  “Ministering to the community is an ongoing process.”  Austin hopes to start a second service on Sundays to further the outreach to the community.

 

  1. How has the religious organization ministered beyond the Baldwin City community?

 

Members donate money and services to their sister church, the Bible Baptist Church of Bonner Springs, KS. The Bible Baptist Church helped the Lighthouse Baptist Temple get off its feet, so the members of the church are more than happy to help in any way possible, by giving money, helping with painting, or holding a ladies’ meeting for the area.

Every November, members help minister to Native Americans in South Dakota, which is an unusual activity for churches in this area.  Pastor Austin says they collect food, clothing, and other things. They then make sure the supplies get to the Native American reservations.

The church supports numerous missionaries.  On the back wall of the church, there is a map surrounded by  letters and pictures. These are from missionaries that the church is helping. Many of the missionaries receive monetary aid, and all receive spiritual support and prayers from the members. There is an older couple ministering in Australia and a few more couples and families in the missionary field who are affiliated with the church.

The church also ministers beyond the Baldwin City community one person at a time. People from all over the United States who are in need of help drop in occasionally. In a sermon Pastor Austin recalled people who stopped by the church in search of guidance. One story was about an old man. He obviously hadn’t bathed in weeks. His clothes were disgusting and he had only one bag with him. He had sores all over his mouth and few teeth. “He was absolutely repulsive”, said Pastor Austin. Austin then told about how the members of the church made the man feel welcome. They sat next to him and gave him hugs and greeted him. Pastor Austin expressed how proud he was that his congregation looked past the man’s shortcomings and saw him as a soul in need of saving. The man told Pastor Austin that he needed to find his brother in Nebraska and then get his mouth worked on. Pastor Austin took the man to a shelter and then bought him a bus ticket to Nebraska. Austin said he could see a change in the man when he got in the car to head to the bus station. Pastor Austin communicated the gospel to the man, and although the man didn’t accept the invitation to be baptized, he was clearly touched by the church’s generosity.

 

  1. What contact or involvement has this church had with other churches in Baldwin City?

  2. Is the church connected to a judicatory body? (annual conference, archdiocese, etc.) If so, what kind of relations has the church had with its judicatory body?
    Lighthouse is an independent church, meaning that it has no denominational affiliation.

 

  1. Is the religious organization affiliated with any other organizations? (For example, a team ministry, a cooperative arrangement involving other parishes, or a scout sponsorship)

 

  1. What is the church's polity (how does it govern itself, how do decisions get made)? Are decisions up to the congregation only? Are others involved?
    This church is a fundamentalist church. In other words, the congregation intends to stick to the biblical basics. They make governing decisions based on what the Bible says. In fact, they are so strict on this policy that one of the deacons said that if Austin deviates from the scriptures, he would be the first one to leave the church.

 

  1. What was the toughest thing the church ever went through?

  2. What Are Some Of The Church's Successes?
    Compared to other churches that are larger and have more history, the achievements of the Lighthouse Baptist Temple might seem small, but it has had a number of successes in a short time.  At the start, Sunday worship consisted of a one-hour service with an attendance of twelve.  Today, Sunday morning activities include the original one-hour service, the Sunday school, a nursery, and a junior church.  The pews are overflowing and plans are being made to construct a new building east of town.  Twelve acres of land have been purchased and the cost of the building project has already been worked into a future budget.  The dramatic increase in attendance is a success.  Also, a Bible study and youth group have been formed to go along with the Sunday services.  Another success is the construction of a house for the pastor’s family.  The Austins had been living in a parsonage apartment in the basement of the church building, but they were able to buy a five-acre plot and build their own house.  Many members of the congregation helped in the construction, making it a church-wide success.  The biggest success in LBT’s church history is its one-year anniversary in 1996.  This event is important because the church could claim independence from its mother church, and the deed to the church officially passed to the congregation. 
  3. What contact or involvement has this religious organization had with other religious organizations in Baldwin City?
  4. Is the religious organization affiliated with any other organizations? (For example, a team ministry, a cooperative arrangement involving other parishes, or a scout sponsorship)

 

  1. Are any roles in the religious organization assigned by sex? Why or why not?

Michelle Dufoe noticed that the men do the hard labor around the church and the women make a meal for them while they are working.  She also stated that there are not any male nursery workers, but that is not to say that men cannot do this job.  Dufoe also mentioned that women couldn’t become pastors in the church because they believe it is against the Bible to do so. She stated that the men are supposed to be the head of the church and the leader.

 

  1. What are the demographics of the religious organization? (for instance, size of membership, average weekly attendance, age range, ethnicity, socioeconomic profile, education level)
  2. What connection or interaction has there been between the organization and Baker University?
  1. Is there other information that doesn’t fit in the categories above?

 

Student Researchers’ Comments.

(2005) A few aspects of the church I found interesting were baptisms, communion, and confirmation.  As far as baptisms are concerned, the church does not believe in infant baptism because a child does not really know what baptism is. Baptism is by immersion rather than sprinkling with water.  Members see being baptized in the church as a testimony to the congregation that the person believes that Jesus is the son of God and died on the cross to become our savior.  They also believe the baptized person is entering into Christ’s death and surrender to God.

Communion is also an interesting feature of this church.  The church practices it only three or four times a year. The deacons of the church distribute bread to the congregation

 after a scripture reading.  Pastor Austin felt that it was unnecessary to perform communion any more often than that because three or four times a year is all a person needs.  When asked if confirmation is practiced, Richard Austin stated there is no set time at which a young person is considered knowledgeable enough to pass a certain level. He spoke of the Christian life as a continuing process of learning throughout life.