Jerald Finney
Simply Church Ministry
May 13, 2024

Baptist Church of Monroe in Bloomington, Indiana, recently completed its transition from the worldly complexities and problems of the corporate tax-exempt organization to the simplicities and harmonies of a church organized under Christ alone, to simply church. Pastor Brian Stewart relates, in detail, how he, as a Bible College graduate and long-time pastor of corporate tax-exempt churches led BCM to their New Testament and First Amendment status.

Over the years, Pastor Stewart declared to the church many times what he truly believed, “The head of this church is Christ.” However, many problems kept sprouting up. The cause of many of the problems was his desire to honor the Word of God, even though the corporate constitution and by-laws required the church to dishonor the Word of God. Some members of the church wanted to follow the corporate requirements and some those of the God’s Word. To do either presented a real problem. The church had agreed in their contract with the state, when they chose to incorporate, that state non-profit corporation law would be their head. To obey God many times would require them to disobey the state and vice-versa.

Finally, Pastor Stewart realized that the problems that kept popping up were connected to a root problem: the corporate and tax-exempt status of the church. He now knew the why. But what could the church do to correct the problem? The question became “How?”

In his search for the answer, he talked with the pastor and former pastor of a church that claimed to be doing things God’s way. That led him to this Simply Church ministry. The rest is now history. BCM is now a spiritual organism organized according to God’s Word.

Hear the whole story from Pastor Brian Stewart by clicking here: Baptist Church of Monroe.