Eleven years ago, we all stood beneath the Saint Louis Arch, unaware of how God would change our lives in the years to come. At the time, we were all members of Midtown Baptist Temple, but today, from that small line of fifteen men, eight church plants have emerged. I was personally trusting the Lord to be a missionary internationally and never thought that I would return to that city to establish a work. However, the Lord was faithful and merciful to light my path and direct my steps as I devised a way.
Friends of Internationals trip to St. Louis, 2014
As I continued ministering at Midtown Baptist Temple, I would often hear the exhortation to take the gospel from Jerusalem to the uttermost, and I would increasingly become curious about what God was doing and who we were like-minded with in Saint Louis, our Samaria. Surely, of all our churches in Kansas City, we are connected with someone in Saint Louis, right? The silence was always louder than I expected. So, I simply began to pray about the city and the many souls that dwell there; I had no interest in being sent.
In the meantime, I was growing, doing ministry, and getting equipped. I served on our praise team, in Friends of Internationals (FOI), and went on mission trips. I worked on digital marketing assets, helped with church construction projects, discipled men, and led Bible studies. In 2015, I was ordained to the office of deacon. In 2017, I was sent out to help plant Living Faith in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Soon after, I was ordained as a deacon again, graduated college with a Bachelor of Business Administration, got married, built a house, graduated from Living Faith Bible Institute, was ordained a pastor, and my wife had our first son. The last eight years have been very full—difficult, yet enjoyable and extremely fulfilling. I have seen church planting firsthand, from a living room to a sanctuary, and from a small team of believers to hundreds of new disciples. I am so grateful to know that God has answered our prayers to establish that new work, and I can’t find a reason to think that he doesn’t desire to do it again.
LF Lee Summit’s Commission, 2017
When Living Faith in Lee’s Summit began, I stopped actively considering Saint Louis because it was a distraction from the field I was standing in, but over the years, the burden for the city never left my heart. In the summer of 2022, I started actively praying for Saint Louis again. Then, that fall, my wife Gabrielle and I both felt the weight of that burden more than ever—we knew we needed to visit the city. We needed to walk the streets, see the people, and pray. Conveniently, her family lives just outside the city in Arnold, so we planned a trip and began to spy out the land. Over the last three years, the Lord has slowly confirmed that call through his word, his body, and many opportunities to preach the gospel.
Today, we are connected with about ten people in the city, and some of those individuals are actively studying the Bible with us. We are currently living in Lee’s Summit, but I am traveling back-and-forth to Saint Louis to lead Bible studies in-person as much as possible. Our plan is to move in August or September and immediately transition the Bible study into our home. Initially, we want to plant in a central location, renting and remaining flexible as the Lord leads. Currently, we are considering the areas from Chesterfield to Maryland Heights. If you would, please pray that the Lord would be preparing hearts and giving us divine appointments as we engage the lost. We know that unless the Lord builds the house, all of our labor is vain.
First St. Louis Bible study, Feb. 1, 2025
I also want to ask for your help and invite you to personally partner with us. One way you could be used of the Lord is by making a trip to see the city and help us evangelize the lost. We are not ready to host teams yet, but if you are interested in planning a future trip, please reach out. If you're a pastor or leader at your church, I’d love to connect and discuss what makes the most sense for our work and your people. Another practical way you can help us is partnering financially. I trust that God will take care of our every need, but I know that gets accomplished through his body: the church. Whether it is a one-time donation or a recurring gift, your support would greatly help us in the beginning. My prayer is that we will be fully supported, so we can see a self-sustaining church established quickly. If you or your church feel led to give to the work, we would be eternally grateful.
Philippians 4:17
Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
Bethany Baptist Church, 2025
Lastly, please pray for a church named Bethany Baptist in the Maryland Heights. Recently, their pastor went to be with the Lord, and they had to put their building/house up for sale. The Baptist Missionary Association of America (BMAA) now owns it. Through a long series of events, I have been invited into their small congregation of 5-8 people to share what God is doing in my life and to possibly care for them pastorally. If you would, please pray for wisdom and discernment in this situation and for the Lord to give me favor with the BMAA or anyone willing to purchase the building and lease it back to us.
Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Blade Sbisa is the pastor of Living Faith St. Louis, and he and his family plan to transition to St. Louis in September of 2025.
