Majesty Baptist was started in 2010 by Pastor Virl Stalnaker, who was sent out of Cleveland Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH. He had previously planted and pastored churches in Ottawa, ON and Painesville, OH before accepting the Lord’s call to begin a work in the Pacific Northwest.
The young church met in the Stalnakers’ home and in school buildings at first, but by November 2012 it had grown enough to secure its current facility, a rented building with a seating capacity of over 100. Its attendance hit a record of 82 on its fifth anniversary, a mark it has nearly matched on several occasions since. The Lord led the church to begin a Faith Promise Missions program in 2014, which has steadily grown and now supports ten missionaries.
In January 2019, after nearly nine years of ministry in which many were saved and baptized, Pastor Stalnaker announced his resignation and acceptance of the pastorate at New Hope Baptist Church in Brandon, Manitoba, where he and his wife moved seven months later.
Drew Jonke met the Stalnakers in Ohio in 2009 as they were leaving for the Northwest. A few years later the Lord put the new work on Drew’s heart, knowing that a plan of succession would one day be necessary. He and his wife moved to Vancouver in 2014 to serve as assistant pastor and to help in any way they could. The church ordained him into the gospel ministry in 2015, and called him to succeed Pastor Stalnaker in 2019.
Majesty Baptist Church is a young and growing church, excited about reaching Vancouver, WA for the risen Saviour!