ABOUT US

WHAT WE PREACH

CORE VALUES

Expository Teaching

We practice continuous expository preaching, where the meaning of the text is the meaning of the sermon and we preach through whole books of the Bible one passage at a time.  We believe that the Scriptures must be carefully examined, powerfully proclaimed, and actively applied in our lives.  Our commitment is that the message you hear will always be anchored in the truth of God’s Word rather than our own thoughts and opinions.  We believe that the preaching ministry is indispensable to the church’s growth in knowledge, holiness, love, and devotion.  It cannot and should not be replaced or diminished.

Reformed Theology

We believe that the faith once for all delivered to the saints by our Lord Jesus Christ and written down by His Apostles is that faith that has come to be called “Reformed” in recent years.  We believe that the substance of the Reformed faith is the faith that was held by the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and a majority of the believing church from the Middle Ages and to the current day.  Standing in the Reformed tradition, we believe that:

  • God is sovereign over both salvation and all things that come to pass.

  • Jesus Christ is the only source and hope of salvation for all mankind.

  • The Holy Spirit grants a new heart and a new life to all who trust in Jesus Christ.

  • The Bible is inerrant in all that it claims and sufficient for all matters of faith and godliness.

  • Humanity’s chief and highest end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

  • The Church displays God’s love to the whole world by doing good while calling all people everywhere to repent and believe the gospel.

Elder Lead

A New Testament church is an autonomous, local congregation of baptized believers.  The church has a body of elders (or pastors) who teach and shepherd the flock. In accordance with Hebrews 13:17, they keep watch over the congregation as men who must give an account to God. According to the same text, the congregation is to obey them and submit to their authority so that their work will be a joy and not a burden. The elders must meet the qualifications set forth in I Timothy 3:1-7, and they exercise authority over the church only to the degree that they teach and lead according to the Scriptures. All authority is derived from Christ who alone is head of the Church.  The elders are passionate about and devoted to being on guard for all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has made them overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).  Church government is congregational in context, and in certain circumstances the affirmation of the congregation is required (Matthew 18:15-17; Acts 6:2-5; I Corinthians 5:4-5; II Corinthians 2:6).

Deacon Served

According to the teachings of Jesus, the life of every Christian is to be marked by service (Mark 9:35). However, the New Testament also speaks of the specific office of deacon. The word ‘deacon’ means ‘helper’ or ‘servant’. Before a person can be appointed as deacon, he or she must be tested for the qualifications found in I Timothy 3:8-13. The tasks of a deacon are primarily that of meeting the physical and material needs of individual believers and the congregation as a whole. If the deacon serves faithfully, he or she “obtains for himself a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 3:13).

Covenant Membership

The Church is not a social club.  Upon joining a church individual Christians take on certain obligations toward one another and the church as a whole, while the church and its elders also take certain obligations towards its members.  We have described those obligations that we accept upon joining Pathway Church in our Membership Covenant.

ELDERS

CHRIS FUNKHOUSER

Raised with parents who taught him to love Jesus and the church, Chris repented and followed Christ from an early age. He experienced his call to ministry following the death of his Father in his late teens. Soon after he met his wife Meg who had also experienced a call to ministry from a young age. Meg is now a Christian counselor and is pursing a doctoral degree in counseling. They have been married now for 21 years and have three middle & high school age children. 

Chris completed a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2004 and a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2008. He began to pastor in rural Kentucky while finishing seminary then pastored a church in Illinois before moving to Metro East St Louis to plant a church in 2011 where he has pastored since. 

Chris has been one of the plurality of elders since the beginning of Pathway Church and serves as the primary teaching pastor preaching through books of the Bible verse by verse. All of Pathway’s elders are currently co-vocational serving the church and their communities in secular jobs. His favorite pastimes include following the St Louis Cardinals and sitting on his back porch with good friends.”


CURTIS HEADRICK

Curtis grew up with parents both active in church ministry. His father has served as a Southern Baptist music minister for over 30 years and his mother has served alongside his father as a master-level pianist and church accompanist. As a young child, Curtis repented and trusted Christ for salvation, but he continues to testify to the grace and supernatural work of the Holy Spirit sanctifying and preserving his heart and mind through much doubt and temptation while growing into physical and spiritual adulthood.

 

Curtis graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with degrees in Accounting and Finance. He married his childhood sweetheart, Maggie, and they have been married for over ten years and have four children. They moved from Oklahoma to Illinois in 2016 and became members of Pathway Church after seeing the emphasis on solid, expositional teaching as well as deep, biblically-centered community. 

 

Curtis was ordained as an elder at Pathway Church in 2021 and primarily leads in the music ministry of the church. He enjoys the beauty of music and of imaginative storytelling that point to the mystery of a self-revealing God and to the gospel of Christ - the greatest story that has ever been told. In particular, he appreciates the stories of Tolkien, the passion for truth of John Piper and R.C. Sproul, and the song-writing and worship leadership of Shane & Shane.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

  • As a member church of the Southern Baptist Convention, we joyfully agree with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which can be found here: https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/

  • The message of Jesus Christ was summarized in Mark 1:15 “The Time is fulfilled and the Kingdomf of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” The Bible promises salvation from sin and death and eternal life with God to everyone who repents of their sins and believes in the gospel. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God, while belief is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment to Him as Lord and Savior. (See the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, IV.A.) Salvation does not require any ritual, including baptism or a specific prayer, but it does involve the entirety of a person’s life. If you would like to speak to someone about the salvation of Jesus Christ please contact us.