KANSAS CITY OVERVIEW
At first glance, Kansas City appears classically Midwest—complete with baseball (the Kansas City Royals), mom
(home of Hallmark Cards) and barbecue ribs. Early 20th century writers regularly tagged it “The Most American
City” because of its relatively high percentage of native-born citizens. No big city is closer to the geographic center of
the continental United States. And it serves as a gateway to the “breadbasket” of the country’s Great Plains.
But take a closer look, and you’ll find something more than just a place for good barbecue. Matt Marrs, a native of
Kansas City and its NAMB city coordinator, says despite the city’s rural heartland image, it has a growing urban core
that looks like many other big North American cities—including both the good and the bad.
Foreign-born residents make up close to 6 percent of the population*. A recent Wyandotte County (Kansas City,
Kansas) ethnic festival showcased local residents from more than 60 nations.
Kansas City has quietly become one of the most influential business locations in the Midwest with Hallmark, H & R
Block, Russell Stover Candy and Garmin all calling the metro area home.
Yet it also has many of the problems often associated with urban America—like crime. According to CNN Money, the
city’s murder rate ranks ninth among big cities and tenth in crime index. According to the Kansas City Star, the city
has become a hub for sex trafficking.
It’s a city that needs Jesus. Only 20 percent of metro Kansas City residents claim to be evangelical, less than half of the
percentage in some southern states. Southern Baptists have been on the Missouri side of Kansas City since the city’s
founding shortly before the Civil War. But today the metro area has only one SBC church for every 7,432 residents
(compared to one SBC church for every 2,758 people throughout the South).
To better penetrate the city’s growing lostness, Southern Baptists from three metro associations have come together to
spur on a church planting movement in the city through Send North America: Kansas City.
Starting as many new churches in the city as needed will require more Southern Baptist churches to step up and join
as partners. Because of the unique nature of ministry in the metro area, Kansas City offers Southern Baptists a variety
of diverse ministry options—from involvement in pioneer church planting on the Kansas side to urban ministry in the city core to revitalizing dying churches.
To get you and your church involved in Send North America: Kansas City, visit namb.net and click “Send Me.”
*Taken from the Combined Statistical Area, which is not the same as the Send North America: Kansas City focus area.
FAST FACTS
Population in Kansas City
1.97 million people lived in
the metro Kansas City area
in 2011.
SBC Church-Population Ratio
There is one Southern Baptist
Convention church for every
7,432 metro Kansas City residents.
Ethnic Diversity
(72.3 percent Anglo, 13.4 percent African
American, 9.1 percent Hispanic, 3.0 percent
Asian/Pacific Islander)
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, SBC Annual Church Profile, 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregation & Membership Study
Statistics are for the Send North America: Kansas City focus area. Compiled by the NAMB Center for Missional Research.