Harrisonville church maintains clear purpose under its 16-year pastor

By Mitch Shiffer

Contributing Writer

HARRISONVILLE—The purpose statement for Antioch Southern Baptist Church here can be found on the bottom of a Sunday morning program. The words describe a ministry-driven church focused on Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ernie Cecil, who has occupied the pulpit for 16 years, made it clear that this is not a mission statement.

“It’s a purpose statement,” he said. “We don’t use mission statements because mission is a word that’s used in the secular world. Every business corporation under the sun has a mission statement, and so I want to be certain it’s understood we are not a business.”

It is clear that a Christ-driven atmosphere exists at Antioch. Evangelism and teaching are emphasized in the ministries, and faith is shared openly. It all points back to the purpose statement, which reads:

“God’s purpose for Antioch is to lead people to believe in Jesus, to follow Him, to worship Him, to serve in His Name and to bond with His family.”

Antioch currently has 600 members, and on Sunday morning non-members comprise about 5-10 percent of the attendance. This evangelism-minded church also includes an invitation, and families are candid about their faith. In about 98 percent of his sermons, Cecil gives the Gospel message.

There are six major ministries at Antioch, four of which are active on Wednesday nights. These four are the adult, youth, children, and preschool ministries.

Michael Royal, youth and education pastor, has been serving the church since September and sees much growth and potential in these ministries. He said he is at peace with his decision to join the staff.

“Proximity was an initial draw, and after further talking with Pastor Ernie, and the others, and the elders, it became even clearer that this was the place for us to be,” Royal said.

The adult ministries, or small groups, are based on teaching lessons. These lessons are broken up into semesters; last semester there were four groups. For example, one of the more popular small group lessons is Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey.

The youth ministry at Antioch averages about 24 on Wednesday nights. Royal said he tries to provide a variety of activities in which the youth can get physically involved. Royal also employs different forms of media such as music and video. Tapping into talents and spiritual gifts helps youth be part of the ministry, and Royal gets to minister to the youth about stresses they face in their lives. Bible lessons applicable to the lives of the youth are chosen to bridge gaps and help the youth grow in Christ.

The children’s ministry, with Team Kid on the elementary level and Mission Friends on the preschool level, is broken up into grade levels at Antioch. The purpose of grading these groups is because children are growing faster and have not yet arrived at a place of maturity. Royal and Cecil understand that children are more trusting and have less exposure to the “harsh world.” This makes it easier to teach and give the Gospel to individuals of the younger age bracket.

Susan Holden leads the 12-member worship team at Antioch. The featured music includes newer music and hymns. All music must be theologically correct. Holden seeks the Lord in prayer to make the selections, and Cecil always tries to talk with her to foster communication.

“The fact that the music and the sermon seem to go together is a direct result of her time spent in prayer for the music,” Cecil said.