Bridgeway church was founded in 2022 as a merger between two active churches in the Starkville area – Calvary Baptist Church and Starkville Community Church. In January 2022, pastors Grant Arinder and Joe Horan discovered they shared a common vision for reaching the lost for Christ in Oktibbeha and surrounding countries. They met one-on-one for prayer and consultation to navigate the process of what it would look like to partner together as churches. Through those conversations, the idea of a merger came up – that Calvary Baptist Church and Starkville Community Church would combine congregations to create a new, vibrant church in Starkville. If this idea was God’s will, He would make it happen.

In February and March of 2022, Grant and Joe began to meet with leadership teams at each church. Leaders were asked to earnestly pray to determine if this was indeed God’s will for both churches. Following much prayer and discussion, it became evident it was something to continue pursuing as a body of believers. A merger exploration team was formed, comprised of seven individuals from each church who were prayerfully chosen by leadership teams. Their task was to work through all the details to form a new church.

The leadership team desired to create a church that pursues Biblically rooted authenticity, Gospel-centered, community, Gospel-powered multiplication, and Gospel-driven mission. The congregations of CBC and SCC approved the merge in October, and the first service as Bridgeway was held on November 6, 2022.

It’s our desire at Bridgeway to help each other follow Jesus by building Gospel bridges to Starkville and beyond. If you have any questions about who we are, we’d love to talk! Reach out to any of our staff members to learn how God is moving here at Bridgeway!