Ferguson, Mo. | Michael T. Byrd, Sr.’s background in ministry began as a 19-year-old preacher before moving into the pastorate and associational work, all in his native St. Louis. It’s that experience he’s eager to put into practice as the new executive director of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association.
He told Baptist Press that it starts with ensuring pastors have a voice.
“Our association exists to serve our churches. But the pastor speaks for his church,” he said. “We want our pastors to know that they are essential partners in the mission, and we need a pastoral voice to shape the direction, carry the mission and unite us around what matters most, the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Byrd was a self-described “church baby” who grew up in that culture. His pastor was faithful to preach the gospel, but Byrd wasn’t faithful to listen.
At 19, an older man witnessed to him on the street and it all clicked. Soon, Byrd was helping fill the pulpit at Mercy Seat Baptist Church while serving as a youth minister. He took another youth minister role at a different church before planting Faith Community Bible Church in North St. Louis City on Sept. 11, 2016 in partnership with the North American Mission Board and the Send Network of St. Louis.
Byrd was a featured speaker at the 2021 IBSA Pastors Conference. Some Illinois Baptist church plants are also part of the Send St. Louis network and their pastors have worked with Byrd.
Dual roles, one focus
Byrd’s time at Faith Community, where he still serves as lead pastor, has been and will continue to be instrumental at St. Louis Metro.
“Church planting helped me to really home in on a missionary heart and mindset,” he said. “You can’t just talk about the mission. You have to live as a missionary.”
Byrd brings experience to his new title. Not long after launching Faith Community, he accepted an administrative assistant role with the association. His responsibilities increased in 2020.
Michael Byrd preaches at Faith Community Bible Church, which he planted through the St. Louis Send Network and the North American Mission Board. Photo courtesy of Michael Byrd
“I was helping to develop key vision strategies as a director and building relationships with pastors and leaders to strengthen the association,” he told BP. “I wasn’t just an administrative assistant, but helping lead and facilitate development cohorts, assisting in building assessment pathways for replanters and revitalizers and implementing initiatives that made our association more missional, connected and engaging throughout the region.”
Byrd also served on the search team that called Wes Fowler three years ago to be the state’s executive director.
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and serving alongside Michael from the very beginning of my journey with Missouri Baptists,” Fowler told BP. “I’ve been blessed to know his heart for missions, his passion for the local church, his desire to reach the lost and his commitment to gospel partnerships from day one. I’m incredibly thankful for his new role with the St. Louis Metro.”
Since coming to know Byrd, Charles Grant sees him as “uniquely equipped by the Lord” for his place and time of service.
“He has demonstrated a deep passion for the Great Commission, exceptional skill and innovation in church planting and a collaborative spirit that has effectively mobilized new church planters,” said Grant, SBC Executive Committee associate vice president for Convention Partnerships. “I have also witnessed Michael’s shepherd’s heart as a pastor and his unwavering commitment to standing on the truth of God’s Word. The Lord will use him mightily to strengthen churches, encourage pastors and advance the gospel throughout the association.”
Historic appointment
Byrd is the first Black associational missions strategist in the 210-year history of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association and the sixth Black AMS in the Southern Baptist Convention. Leading an African-American church in a predominantly White organization during the 2020 Ferguson riots tested him.
“It required grit, focus and extreme gospel intentionality,” he said. “I wanted others to know that I was not the guy who was going to be the spokesperson for all African Americans. But I wanted them to see that preaching the gospel is one thing; living the gospel is something totally different.”
That was a difficult season, he added, with voices urging him to separate from “White Evangelicalism.” But, he said, “we felt like the Lord was telling us to stay put.”
Prayers extend over Michael Byrd as he is officially named the new executive director of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association. Photo from SLMBA/Facebook
Fowler agreed on the occasion as historic, but described it “strategic as well.”
“Michael’s vast knowledge of St. Louis and the surrounding area, his relationships within the Missouri Baptist Convention and across the entire SBC, and his servant-leader approach to ministry will most assuredly serve the St. Louis Metro well,” he said. “I’m excited to see what the Lord will do through Michael’s faithful leadership in the years ahead.”
Those relationships will be essential in achieving ministry goals.
“Our association exists to strengthen the local church, to serve the local church and to send the local church,” said Byrd. “We want to help churches become healthier, more faithful and more effective in fulfilling their God-given mission. We want to equip them with the proper tools to carry out the missional task.
“We want to come alongside not only pastors, but local congregations, to help them fulfill the mission God has given them, supporting them, empowering them and helping them flourish. We want to help them mobilize and release people onto the mission field, not just locally, but regionally, nationally and globally.”
– Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.