Reform Baptist Church - Reform MO - Country Churches on Waymarking.com

County of church: Callaway County
Location of church: MO-CC, Reform
Year built: either 1871, 1956 or....
Pastor: Rick Conley

"The building is located on the east side of SR CC. It is fronted by a gravel parking lot and there are a few scattered residential properties nearby.

"In 1848, Elder Absalom Rice organized the Liberty Christian Church on Coats’ Prairie (not to be confused with the current Liberty Christian Church in the northeast corner of the county). Little is know about the first church building or location, though the 1884 county history notes that the original church burned and the congregation moved to Reform constructing a new frame building in 1871. This second church was used by the congregation for many years, though Williams’ paper on the history of Christian churches in Callaway County notes that the congregation shared the building with other congregations/denominations when not in use by the Christian congregation. The 1871 building was remodeled in 1912, but by the 1940s the Christian congregation was apparently struggling as they were conducting a union Sunday School with a Methodist congregation. In 1952, the Christian congregation disbanded and turned the church over to the Reform Baptist congregation. Two historical accounts note that the church building burned in 1956, Williams account notes that the church building “burned to the ground” and the Baptist congregation built a new church on a nearby location.

"Based on a visual inspect of the church building, it is difficult to confirm if the building burned completely in 1956, or if a portion of the original building remains and is still in use by the congregation. A portion of the church shows typical characteristics of the small, one room gable end church type, with front, centered entrance and 4 bay side elevations. The windows appear to be wood 3/3 sash with wood surrounds. The foyer addition on the front, that contains the entrance, appears to be a more recent addition. Based on aerial maps from the 1990s and c. 2006, the wing on the south was constructed c. 2000.

"The oldest portion of the church appears to have been built in the gable-end church tradition. It is a one room building that historically had a centered entrance and side elevations, four bays deep. Its roof gable front is medium-steeply pitched and covered in metal. At the peak is a simple, cross topped steeple. At the rear of the church is an addition, likely constructed to house classrooms or meeting space. The addition extends from the west wall and projects to the north. On the front of the building is a foyer addition with a steeply pitched front gable roof (asphalt shingle), and paired entrance doors. In c. 2000 a large, side gable, wing was added to the south elevation of the church. The addition contains a secondary entrance and was likely constructed for additional classrooms and social/meeting space." ~ Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Rural Churches of Callaway County, PDF page 106

Church Name: Reform Baptist Church (S.B.C.) Church In Use (even only just occassionally): yes Date Church Built: 1871 or 1952 or 1956 or... Rate this church.:

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