How did the church come
to this different approach?

In 1872 eighteen Swedes joined hands in prayer as they covenanted together to begin the First Swedish Baptist Church of Kansas City. They wanted to provide a welcoming place for others in Kansas City who did not always feel at home in other churches because of their different customs and language. In response to the changing needs of the community, in the 1920's the services were changed from Swedish into English and the name was changed to Broadway Baptist Church. In the 1940's the church became affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Founded as a church willing to change with the times and to welcome those who did not always feel welcome in other churches, Broadway continues those traditions today.

Over the past four decades, under the leadership of Paul Smith, the church moved to the forefront of the church renewal movement. It pioneered in small groups, team leadership, the transforming work of the Spirit, inner healing, contemporary worship, spiritual gifts discovery, progressive theology, affirmation of the feminine face of God as well as women pastors, and most recently, the affirmation of all sexual orientations as gifts from God.

The changes naturally brought tensions at times both within and without. Most recently in 2004, because of its official policy of affirming all sexual orientations, and performing numerous gay unions which were widely reported in the media, Broadway was voted out of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Although no longer a “Baptist” church, the church is currently associated with the Alliance of Baptists, a progressive group of about one hundred churches across the country who share a concern for the preservation of historic Baptist principles and freedoms.

The church is currently co-pastored by Marcia Fleischman, who has been at Broadway since 1984, and Paul Smith, who has been there since 1963. They share equally in the Sunday morning teaching, usually by alternating months.

We continue to explore and learn as our mission statement calls for:

The Mission of Broadway Church is to further God's universal reign of love by creating, in the power of the Holy Spirit, a risking, learning, healing community, which empowers and multiplies serious disciples of Jesus Christ, in a network of close, committed relationships of love and justice.

Our most recent official statement, adopted in 1999 and reflecting our desire to follow Jesus, concerns diversity:

In the Spirit of Jesus Christ who welcomes all, and to celebrate the richness diversity brings, Broadway Church affirms and welcomes all persons of any sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, differing abilities, religious affiliation, socioeconomic status, or any persons who have been spiritually disenfranchised. All are welcome into the life of our church, including its membership, leadership, sacraments, and ceremonies.

What do you believe and practice at Broadway?

We believe that each person is free to follow the leadership of Jesus in interpreting the Bible, understanding the Christian path, and their own personal conduct.

Because of this, Broadway is a community of varying beliefs, religious backgrounds, and practices, united by our mutual acceptance and desire to follow Jesus together.

The membership of Broadway Church is open to all who desire to follow Jesus with us. There are no other requirements.

We believe the purpose of the church is to encourage and accelerate our spiritual growth.

To describe Broadway more fully, the following statement was adopted by the church in 2007.