Gateway is a local Southern Baptist association. It is comprised of 46 churches and missions in Illinois, just east across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, MO. Our churches work in voluntary cooperation for the purpose of spreading the gospel to our specific portion of Illinois for the glory of God. GBA exists to assist churches in accomplishing the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) through leadership development, fellowship, connections, mission partnerships, church renewal and revitalization.
There are many benefits to being part of a local association that has strong interpersonal relationships and interdependence. Gateway is a first-responder to our churches in times of need, crises, or church strengthening. We operate under the premise that we exist to resource churches at the point of their need so every church may fulfill their joint-mission before God. GBA seeks to be proactive in helping strengthen churches needing renewal. We also aid in developing strong leaders and engaging churches in cooperative mission ventures. We must work together to reach those who have yet-to-be reached!We seek to be relevant and innovative in our methodology, deep in our spiritual emphases and valuable in our in implementation for a productive future together. We are a church-first association! We work for our member churches, so He can accomplish miraculous feats through us! May His Word and our united efforts aid us in reaching the lost for Christ and helping churches to be healthy and fit!