Pastor Lloyd was invited to lunch with the Chairman of Morningside Bible’s Elder, Justin Taylor, in November 2025. Justin and Lloyd were acquaintances. Lloyd had also been a part of a few ordination councils at MBC. There was a level of trust and mutual appreciation between the leaders of both churches. During lunch, Justin shared about the ministry challenges MBC was facing in terms of attendance, finances, and vision, and the options they were considering as they looked toward the future. One of the options under consideration was for MBC to join or integrate with another like-minded church. Justin asked if Central would be open to discussing MBC integrating with Central.

That question led to several meetings, emails, and texts over the next 4 months between the elders of both congregations. Both churches’ elders prayerfully sensed in late February 2026 that the churches should do a feasibility study to discern if we should integrate together. Upon completion of that study, both churches’ elders sensed God’s leading to present to both congregations the proposal for MBC to integrate with Central.

We are not simply absorbing a struggling church — we are welcoming a body of faithful believers who share our theology, our values, and our love for the gospel. Morningside Bible Church has served this community for decades, and their people, resources, and missionary commitments represent a genuine gift to our church family. We believe the kingdom math is that 1 + 1 can equal more than just 2. Our elders believe that having MBC integrate with Central will advance and enhance our disciple-making mission and enable more people to be captivated by the awesomeness of God so they can experience and enjoy all that God offers us in Christ.

Our ultimate hope is that this integration leads to more of our community being captivated by the awesomeness of God so that they experience and enjoy all that God offers us in Christ. We envision that happening through some of these kinds of gains:

• An increased number of volunteers, allowing people to serve more in areas of gift and passion, with the opportunity for healthy rotations of service to lessen burnout.
• An increased number of children and students involved in our ministries to those groups, bringing more energy, more potential friendships, and more opportunities to reach out to friends.
• The addition of more musicians, vocalists, and tech people to strengthen our worship ministry.
• An increase in our giftedness and giving capacity as a church, opening more ministry possibilities in the future.
• The addition of missionary partnerships in parts of the world where we currently do not have missionaries, extending our hearts to more of the world where God wants the gospel to be spread.
• Being an expression of the unity of the body of Christ to our community.

The leaders of Central Baptist Church and Morningside Bible Church have been in prayerful conversation to discern if the Lord is leading us to become one church. Morningside Bible Church has been a gospel-preaching congregation in our community for decades. Central has been doing the same since 1874.

Yes. While not "identical twins," we are "sister churches."

Both congregations:

• are non-denominational;
• practice believer's baptism by immersion;
• celebrate monthly Communion, reserving it for believers, with a benevolent offering afterward;
• believe in expository preaching;
• are led by a plurality of qualified male elders, with congregational voting on major matters such as elders, deacons, and budgets.

No. We will remain at 4001 Indian Hills Drive. Our Equipping Hour continues at 9 am, with the worship service beginning at 10:15 am.

Beyond more people attending each Sunday and a worship team with more musicians, very little will change in our services. 

Because God has blessed us with a good-sized facility, we have the space to minister well to more children from nursery through elementary school, students, and adults. We will need more volunteers, but we have the space for those people to serve. We are praying that we will need to find a bigger room for our Central Prayer Time and Q&A on Wednesday night because of the growth.

Morningside Bible Church owns its building and property at 6100 Morningside Avenue, which will be sold. The proceeds from that sale, along with MBC's remaining cash reserves, will be fully integrated into Central's ministry budget. These funds will help honor retirement/transition commitments to MBC staff, continue missionary support, and strengthen Central's long-term financial health.

We see integration as leading to an increase in giving to the Lord through Central, which will lead to us developing a budget that can enhance our disciple-making mission. We also see that the addition of MBC’s assets will strengthen Central’s long-term financial outlook.

Describe the item or answer the question so that site visitors who are interested get more information. You can emphasize this text with bullets, italics or bold, and add links.MBC currently supports five missionary families ($26,000/year). Our plan is to continue supporting these missionaries as long as giving levels to Central reflect an increase that is consistent with MBC’s giving. We see their existing missionary relationships as an addition to Central's kingdom footprint, not a liability.

Pastor Terry Embke will be turning 69 in the summer of 2026. MBC has committed to providing the Embkes a generous package to enable their retirement. Terry and Sara desire to make Central their home church, and we look forward to their presence in our congregation.

Lucas Sullivan will be offered a part-time position at Central as an Associate Student Ministry Coordinator working under Luke Demarest.

MBC's part-time staff members — Sara Embke, Danyel Kraft, and Makala Mastbergen — will each receive a six-month transition package as an expression of gratitude for their faithful service.

Describe the item or answer the question so that site visitors who are interested get more information. You can emphasize this text with bullets, italics or bold, and add links.Three of MBC's elders, Randy Ehlers, Curt Mastbergen, and Justin Taylor, have been affirmed to join Central's elder team following the integration. They will serve as a part of our Elders at Large for at least one year before being considered to serve on the Council. Central’s current Council has vetted these men over the last several months. We count them as trusted brothers in Christ who will help shepherd our congregation in the years to come.

The integration does not alter our plan. We are still committed to equipping parents to disciple their children. That is a key step we will continue taking. With the potential of additional giving from the integration, we envision having the financial resources to hire a full-time Children’s Pastor as soon as we discover who God has to serve in this vital role.

Each MBC member in good standing who wishes to join Central will attend a class session with Pastor Lloyd to learn about Central's history, values, and expectations. Membership will transfer pending the approval of the integration by both congregations.

We are hoping that at least 50 to 75 people across a range of ages will come and be part of Central, worshiping and serving with us, becoming long-term friends and fellow disciples seeking to share the good news with our Siouxland community.

This is perhaps the most important question in this document. MBC's members are leaving behind a building, a name, and in some cases, a church home of many decades. They are joining us in an act of faith and sacrifice. We are asking you to make them feel not like guests, but like family. To help them feel like family, consider doing the following:

• On Sundays, introduce yourself to people you have not met.
• Invite them to share coffee or a meal with you, some of your friends, and family.
• Welcome them into your row on a Sunday or your Connection group.
• Participate in the “get to know each other” events that will happen as both churches consider formally integrating.

We value the community MBC members have built with one another. As we integrate, we will work to see how their existing small groups can either continue or naturally merge with Central's. Our goal is to ensure that no one falls through the cracks during the transition and that everyone knows and feels part of this church family.

No, it is not. Change can be a hard thing for all of us. To be realistic, adding new people to a church family — especially a significant number at once — involves real adjustment. It is honest and healthy to acknowledge that. At the same time, we believe the Lord is in this, and we encourage you to approach this season with prayerful expectation rather than anxiety. The Lord wants to do more through His church. Integrating is an exciting way for us to join with God in furthering HIs mission.

As we noted above, transitions can be difficult. We have been through some adjustments as a church over the last 152 years. We have moved buildings and locations. We have had changes in our pastoral staff. We had a flood and had to operate without our worship center for more than 6 months. Through all of those adjustments, we have seen God with us. As we consider this integration, we want to be clear that we will still be pursuing our God-given mission of making disciples. We will be praying and laboring for people to be captivated by the awesomeness of God so that they can experience all that God has for us in Christ. We will do and continue going in the direction God has been moving us for the last few years. Our pastoral staff and elders are not changing or leaving. They are committed to shepherding and guiding us through this integration and on to great ministry in our community.

We believe this integration will enrich us as a church and enrich you as a disciple as we are sharpened by the addition of disciples who will bring additional gifts, experiences, and wisdom to our church family. We believe that God is going to add to Central through this integration much more than just more people. He will bring His blessings and deepen our love for Him!

The Elder teams of both congregations are in unanimous support. A congregational vote will be held by each church on the morning of June 28, 2026.

Assuming that both churches vote to affirm the integration, we would begin to worship together as one church on July 12. We will hold a lunch reception after the service to commemorate this new beginning. 

We would humbly ask four things:

Pray: Ask for wisdom, unity, and grace for both congregations as we take this step together.

Trust: Believe that God is working even this for our good (Rom. 8:28) and that He is a God who builds His church (Matt. 16:18).

Attend: Come to the upcoming family meetings and Q&A sessions.

Welcome: Begin now — in your heart and in conversation — to make room for our new brothers and sisters.