CHURCHES
OUR STORY
Mission Driven Churches exists to help churches move forward together.
Driven by Mission.
Moving Together.
Churches are not meant to idle. They are meant to move.
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In Michigan, movement is part of our story. Generations have built things here that carry people forward — engines designed for the long road, communities shaped around the work of getting somewhere together. That imagery helps describe who we are.
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Mission Driven Churches is not simply an association you join. It is a network built for movement — a community of churches committed to helping one another move toward greater faithfulness, deeper discipleship, and tangible gospel impact in the places we serve.
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Our name reflects both our geography and our calling. Driven speaks to direction, purpose, momentum. Churches are not meant to idle. They are meant to move — toward people, toward transformation, toward the work God has already begun in their communities.
Our story is rooted in the American Baptist Churches of Michigan — a family of churches shaped by local church freedom, shared mission, pastoral care, and the belief that ministry is stronger when it is carried together.
That heritage still matters. Mission Driven Churches is not a rejection of where we have been, but a renewed expression of the same calling for a new season. We carry the faithfulness, relationships, and ministry legacy of ABC-MI with gratitude, while embracing language that helps churches see the road ahead with fresh clarity.
Every church is on a journey. Some are accelerating into new opportunities. Some are navigating unexpected turns. Others are stalled, searching for clarity about what comes next. MDC does not exist to control the vehicle. We exist to travel alongside churches — offering guidance, encouragement, resources, and the reminder that no one is called to drive alone.
Our Heritage
Why Mission Driven Churches?
For many years, our churches were known through the shared ministry of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan. That name carries history, relationships, and faithful service across generations.
As we looked toward the future, we recognized the need for language that could speak clearly to churches, leaders, and communities in this season. Mission Driven Churches names what has always been at the center of our work: helping churches live with purpose, move with clarity, and join the mission of Jesus Christ in their own context.
The name changed, but the heart did not. We remain rooted in relationship, committed to local churches, and convinced that we can go further when we move together.
The road ahead
Our heritage gave us the vehicle. Our calling gives us direction. Our network provides the companionship for the journey.
Mission Driven Churches exists to help churches get where they are going — not alone, not by accident, and not without hope. We are driven by mission. And we are moving together.
stay connected!
God has created us to be people of community. The Region Office wants to help you stay connected with our monthly newsletter; "The Drive". ​ ​
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or, text "MDC" to 84576
