Village Church at Park Street Launched on February 23rd – Columbia Metro Baptist Association (2024)

InJanuary 2019, Erik Estep, senior pastor of Village Church in Blythewood, was indowntown Columbia – in the pouring rain. Making a hospital visit, he rememberedhis wife Emily, a Realtor, telling him about the gentrification of Columbia’shistoric Elmwood Park neighborhood.

“It hadbeen 30 years since I had driven in that neighborhood, and despite the rain,which was pouring down, I drove over to Elmwood,” Erik says. “There was thePark Street Baptist Church building. I parked and decided to brave the rain andgo inside.”

ParkStreet Baptist Church was organized on June 1, 1910, as Elmwood Park BaptistChurch. There were 22 people at the first service, according to the HistoricElmwood Park website (www.historicelmwoodpark.org).In 1915, Elmwood Park Baptist Church merged with Second Baptist Church, and thetwo congregations merged under Second Baptist Church. In 1926, the church votedto change its name to Park Street Baptist Church. In the 1950s, the currentsanctuary was built, and through the 1960s, the church flourished, as evidencedby increased building projects that provided more space for fellowship, Bibleeducation, offices, the music ministry, and ministries for children. After thatheyday, the church began a steady decline from which it never recovered.

“Thatrainy day visit to the Park Street location left me impressed with what a neatplace it was there in a very nice community,” Erik says. “I was still thinkingabout it when George Bullard (executive director, Columbia Metro Association)came to our church in Blythewood. We were talking about first impressions thatguests have when they visit us. I asked George about Park Street.”

Georgehas written, recently, about his 45-year relationship with Park Street BaptistChurch. While a graduate student at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY in1975, George first visited Park Street as part of a research project on themembership and attendance decline of churches in changing communities.

Georgesays, “The pastor shared his perspective with meand became one of many pastors who, over the years, helped me formulate some ofthe principles of congregations who have lost their vision for a vital andvibrant future. They hoped for a miracle that would either restore past gloryor provide them with a way forward.” Park Street’s decline continued for manyyears, and George continued to watch it when he served on staff at the SouthCarolina Baptist Convention during the 80s and 90s. During that time, he workedwith the church to understand God’s future for it, but Park Street was unwillingto make necessary changes.

Fast forward to 2010. George says he tried once more to helpthe church through a process he created called the Strategic Spiritual Journey,but by this time, the decades-long church decline left it with too few leadersto take on the necessary transitions needed. When Erik Estep visited the churchoffice that rainy day in January 2019, Sunday attendance had fallen to about50. Facilities had deteriorated to a place that necessary maintenance was cost-prohibitive.

Yet, while the church continued its decline, the surroundingcommunity became one of Columbia’s most desirable neighborhoods as waves ofgentrification took place. “(The neighborhoods of) Elmwood, Earlewood,Cottontown, and the new Bull Street development offered many opportunities fornew outreach and ministry,” George says.

When George and Erik spoke that day at Village Church, andthe subject of Park Street came up, Erik says that George asked if “we would beinterested in talking to Park Street leadership.” That opened the door for thefirst of three meetings.

“I met with them in February 2019 and just listened to theirstory and their heart,” Erik says. “The second meeting, they came out toBlythewood so that I could tell them about our church, and they could hear fromme. When we met the third time, I said, ‘Park Street is your church, but if youwant us to come to your property this is what Village Church will do.’”

Erik says the two congregations took five months to workthrough all the conversations and details, and Park Street eventually gatheredwith 30-35 members giving 75 percent approval to close their church and givetheir property over to Village Church for the purpose of launching a new campus—VillageChurch at Park Street.

“Financially and physically, they couldn’t sustain things,”Erik says. “But, to their credit, they said, ‘We want to see ministry continuehere’ and they gave us their campus. It needed a lot of work. We had to closedown to renovate. Our people scraped walls and painted. The electrical systemhad to be improved, we added new sound and light systems, cleaned the carpet,revitalized the fellowship hall, and carpeted rooms.”

“We had 60 of our members at Village Church sign on to besix-month missionaries to the Park Street campus,” Erik says. “At last week’sfirst service, we had 225 people there, including about 50 new people. We alsohad 10-15 people from the former church that came back. It was a great day.”

In preparation for the first service, Village Church memberswalked the neighborhood, delivering what Erik calls “Beans and Bones” – coffeebeans and dog biscuits – as a way to create conversations and invite people to services.

“Our goal is to minister to this neighborhood,” Erik says. “It’sa historic, 1905 neighborhood, and we respect that. Through gentrification,there are a lot of families with young children and a lot of empty nesters.It’s a diverse neighborhood, and it’s an exciting place to be. I’m meeting withthe neighborhood association in March because it’s a very active community, andwe want them to know that our heart is to be a part of the community. I’ve alsomet with Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, who is a former resident there, andhe’s provided great counsel on how we can be a good neighbor. We will measureour church’s success there based on how well we serve the community and reachand win the community.”

Jonathan Ruth, Village Church’s small group pastor, willserve as the Park Street location’s campus pastor and will be on-site two daysper week. Will Bonniville, Village Church’s middle school pastor, will leadworship on Sundays. The sermon from the Blythewood campus will be live-streamedto the Park Street location.

Erik says, “We have ideas for small group ministry there, andwe will be very event-oriented as a way to invite people and reach them withthe gospel. We are just getting started, and it’s very exciting.”