Cornerstone Baptist Church vision is to fulfill the Great Commission through the evangelization of the lost and the edification of the saints.  This will involve reaching out to every person in our community with the Gospel, planting conservative fundamental churches outside our area of influence and sending missionaries unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

The Cornerstone Story

In the spring of 2005, Pastor Bradley Smith and Pastor Paul Carlson individually intensified their prayers regarding God’s will for a church plant between Schaumburg and Rockford.

God called Pastor Paul Carlson and his wife Jan to be church planters in Huntley, Illinois. After nineteen years of serving the Lord at Bethel and five years at GraceBaptistChurch in Anderson, Indiana, the Carlsons were prepared by God to lead His people in this booming metropolis of 150,000 people to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In January 2006, Pastor Carlson and the small nucleus of foundational families from the membership of Bethel began to meet for mid-week prayer meetings. An opportunity for property in Hampshire turned out to be untenable; but God, Who never makes a mistake, continued to lead His people. After further exploration and much prayer, God directed Pastor Smith, the deacons at Bethel, and Pastor Carlson to choose MarloweMiddle School in Lake-in-the-Hills as the meeting place for Cornerstone in February 2006. As lost souls are being reached and brought into the fold, our prayers are that the Lord would provide a permanent church building.

Cornerstone BaptistChurch held opening services on April 9, 2006, with one hundred fifty-five (155) in attendance. Pastor Paul Carlson preached a message entitled “Christ: Our Humble King.” After the services, the entire church enjoyed warm, friendly fellowship and light refreshments donated by Panera Bread. The atmosphere was festive with an exploding level of excitement as the attendees witnessed the mighty hand of God birthing a local New Testament church.

Meanwhile, Bethel invested further in this new work by providing a “Christmas Offering” of $36,000 to help finance the early stages of the ministry. God’s people from various regions of the country helped by providing hundreds of workers, telephone solicitors, canvassers, prayer warriors, and administrative help during the early stages of this work.

The highlight of our short history was CHARTER SUNDAY on November 12, 2006. Fifty-six people joined in celebration of the official birth of CornerstoneBaptistChurch.  Pastor Smith of Bethel Baptist preached a soul-stirring message challenging the church to reach the lost with the wonderful “Good News” of the Gospel.  Twenty-two venturesome and faithful followers of Christ signed the Charter at the Charter Ceremony following the message. CornerstoneBaptistChurch of McHenryCounty became an official entity.

Cornerstone yearns to be the friendliest church in town. This manifestation of Christ’s love will help germinate the seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the hearts of its attendees and community.

What a thrilling and exciting opportunity to be on the ground level and experience the miracle of a new church birth! God has been so gracious to this ministry with the attendance averaging around forty-five on Sunday mornings, with the spiritual growth of God’s people being evident, and with the continuous vision of what God has for us on the horizon. Much excitement and anticipation are in the air while we are “looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”

At last Cornerstone Baptist has become a reality. Praise the Lord God Almighty!