In 1874 East Sedalia was a small yet thriving community, separate from the town of Sedalia. It was noted for being the home of the Missouri Pacific and K&T Railroads, a railroad hospital, Union Depot, a saw mill, and many other businesses. There was, however, no church to serve the area.

The same year, Edwin T. (E.T.) Brown returned to the Sedalia area for the second time. E.T. was born in Pennsylvania in 1818, and at the age of 12 he came to faith in Jesus and was baptized. Nine years later he was ordained to the gospel ministry. After the Civil War, E.T. was appointed as a missionary for the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. In 1865 E.T. and his wife purchased some land in Sedalia and organized the First Baptist Church. Once First Church was firmly established, they moved to Clinton, MO, and started the First Baptist Church of Clinton. Then in 1874-75 they returned to Sedalia. Seeing a need for a church to help serve the railroad men and their families, they built a building on the corner of 5th and Summit Streets and organized the East Sedalia Baptist Church.

Within the first few months the Church’s Sunday School grew rapidly and soon had over 200 members. As the town grew so did the church, and in 1893 the question of a new building was considered, though this was not accomplished until 1910.