One Big Family on South Campbell
South Haven Baptist Church sits on the east side of Springfield, Missouri, just off South Campbell Avenue near the Broadmoor intersection. The building is easy to spot, and most of the parking lot is accessed from Broadmoor Street. Inside, Lead Pastor Ryan Palmer and a full staff of ministry leaders run a congregation that describes itself in three words painted across the top of its own materials: Believe, Belong, Become. South Haven's stated mission is simple and repeated often: to help the family.
Two Sunday Services, Two Styles
Worship happens twice on Sunday mornings, and the two services are designed for two different tastes. At 8:50 a.m. the Blended Service opens the day, featuring a traditional blend of hymns, gospel songs, and anthems led by the worship choir and orchestra. At 11:10 a.m. the Modern Service fills the same Worship Center with a band and worship team leading contemporary songs. Between them, at 10:00 a.m., Sunday School meets for every age group from nursery through senior adults. Each service runs about an hour.
What a First-Time Visitor Should Know
South Haven wants first-time guests to feel at home. A welcome team greets people at the main entrance off Broadmoor, hands out a cup of coffee, and points the way to the Worship Center, the kids area, or Sunday School. Dress runs the full range, from jeans and boots to suits and dresses, and there is no expectation either way. Arriving about fifteen minutes early is the easiest way to get settled before the service starts.
SHKids: Preschool Through Fifth Grade
The children's ministry, called SHKids, runs across both Sunday morning hours. Nursery babies through Pre-K can stay in their classes for two sessions so that parents are free to attend both worship and a Sunday School class. Grade-school children are welcome in worship with their families. On Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m., W.O.W. (Worship On Wednesday) gathers kids for Bible teaching through small group time, large group time, memory verses, and games. Awana also meets Wednesday evenings for K through fifth grade, and SHKids volunteers always serve at 11:10 a.m. Kids Church on Sundays. Children's Minister Brandi Melvin oversees the work.
Students: Middle School and High School
NextGen Pastor John Blackford leads the student ministry, which exists to see students transformed into the likeness of Christ rather than simply behaved like Christians. Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. feature small groups, and on Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. during the school year, Next Gen Midweek offers a separate worship service for middle and high schoolers. Special events through the year include camps, mission trips, and D-Now weekends. A parent center connects families with parenting resources from AXIS and the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding.
Young Adults and Adults
Young adults at South Haven meet for small-group Bible study at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays and worship at the 11:10 a.m. Modern Service, with the church also sending a group to the Passion conference. For older adults, Discipleship and Outreach Pastor Colton Conrad oversees the Life Groups ministry. Life Groups meet weekly in homes, capped at about twelve people, and each group decides how to care for the children of attending families. Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. offers classes for every adult stage of life. Men's ministry gathers around prayer breakfasts, work days, and an annual trip, while the women's ministry works under the motto Grow, Gather, Give, encouraging women to study the Bible, build connection, and serve the church and community.
Senior Adults
Senior Adults Minister Terri Roberts leads programming for everyone age fifty-five and up. Young in Heart meets the first Thursday of each month at 10:45 a.m. and runs through lunch with an informative program each month. Bridgebuilders serves widows and widowers through scheduled fellowships and day trips that give those who have lost a spouse a circle of support.
The Worship and Music Ministry
Worship & Media Pastor Mat Cowan and Worship Director Mike Chatman lead three musical groups that serve the congregation in different ways. The Worship Orchestra joins the choir each Sunday in the Blended Service, with Wednesday evening rehearsals at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary and membership by audition. The Worship Choir sings in the Blended Service and rehearses Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room, with no audition required. The Creative Team is a collection of musicians, vocalists, artists, photographers, sound engineers, videographers, songwriters, and production volunteers who lead the Modern Service and rehearse Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday Nights Around the Building
Wednesday is the busiest night at South Haven. Along with W.O.W. for kids, Awana, Next Gen Midweek for students, and the music rehearsals, the church hosts The Caring People, a nondenominational group for single moms that meets in the FLC 1 room. A free dinner is served for moms and kids from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., and activities for children from babies through twelfth grade run from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Missions Near and Far
South Haven runs a four-tier missions strategy. Locally, the church partners with the Greene County Baptist Association, Grand Oak Mission (a food and clothing distribution), Partners in Education at Mark Twain and Cowden Schools, and Lifebuilders. Across Missouri, the church supports the Baptist Home in Ozark, Baptist Hill camp in Mt. Vernon, Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Red Star Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, and First Baptist Church of Ferguson. In North America, the men's Church Builders team travels every June to help build churches in different locations, and senior adults travel twice a year to Butler, Illinois, to work at Love Packages. Internationally, South Haven supports a variety of mission works and organizes annual trips.
Beliefs and Affiliation
South Haven is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and points members to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as the full description of its doctrinal convictions. The church frames its life around the Gospel of Jesus Christ and organizes everything under the rhythm of helping people believe in Jesus, belong to His family, and become all He has created and called them to be.
Carpenter's Kids Preschool and Marketplace VBS
South Haven hosts Carpenter's Kids Preschool on its campus, a separate Christian preschool program. Each summer the church runs Marketplace, a vacation Bible school for kids who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade, with a week of interactive Bible teaching and games.
Stay Connected
Sermons are available as a podcast called This Past Wednesday with Pastor Ryan Palmer, and services are livestreamed on YouTube. Prayer requests can be submitted online, and an e-news keeps members informed. Giving is available through Church Center, and a facility request form opens the building for ministry events, weddings, and funerals by arrangement.