WCAG HISTORY
INTRODUCTION
A story of humble beginnings and God's mighty power, WCAG began in 1969 with the gathering of 21 people in a rented classroom at Missouri Baptist College. From the start, the members were missions-minded, giving sacrificially of their time, money, and resources to impact the world for the Kingdom.
This legacy can still be felt today as people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds come together at WCAG. In fact, more than 15 countries are represented in our increasingly diverse community. Come join us as we practice whole-life generosity and reproduce Jesus in people of every nation and generation. To find out more, keep reading!
WCAG GROWS
On March 30, 1980 the congregation moved into a new sanctuary with a capacity of about 500 people.
Finding space for classrooms and office facilities was a constant problem, so in 1987 the “Christian Life Center” (CLC) was built, and in 2000 the “Faith Center” was erected. In the lower level of the Faith Center is a 150-seat auditorium for the youth ministry, two classrooms, and a lounge with a coffee bar and bathrooms. On the upper level is a dining room that seats up to 120 people and can be divided by sliding partitions. The facility contains an elevator for easy access to the lower level.
LEADERSHIP
On December 17, 2006, founding pastor John Wilson announced his retirement after nearly 38 years of being the Senior Pastor. Retirement celebrations were held the weekend of March 31-April 1, 2007. Jared Stoner, Young Adults Pastor, was selected as the Interim Pastor. The following year, in 2008, Jared Stoner was installed as Lead Pastor and served faithfully until 2023. Through his leadership, God allowed our church family to grow deeper in discipleship, worship, generosity, and relationships with one another. We have several thriving international ministries which began under his leadership – the Iranian fellowship, the Telugu fellowship, and the Brazilian Church. Additions to the building under his leadership allows space for more connection, discipleship, impact and outreach. We are thankful for his leadership and contribution to the church family and God’s Kingdom. Watch our 50th Anniversary video from 2019 to learn more!
On April 14, 2024, the WCAG membership elected Greg Perkins as our Lead Pastor. He comes to us with a healthy background of serving in the Southern Missouri Network as the Director of Network Church Health and Men’s Ministry. We look forward to seeing how God uses Pastor Greg to take the mission of WCAG to its next season in ministry.