Leadership Journal

On March 8, 2009, a gunman entered the sanctuary at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois, with a .45 caliber Glock pistol. He walked up the center aisle and stopped not far from the stage.

Pastor Fred Winters was in the early moments of his sermon. He looked at the man standing in the aisle and asked, "May I help you?"

At that moment the stranger removed a church bulletin covering the gun and began shooting. The first shot hit Pastor Winters's Bible, shredding it into what people perceived as confetti. The reality of what was happening didn't register with anyone yet, in fact some later commented they thought it was a drama sketch.

Pastor Winters yelled, "It's real, this is real!" and moved toward the side of the stage.

The second and third shots each missed Pastor Winters. He jumped off the stage toward the gunman and grabbed the gun. It was there the fourth and final shot hit the pastor in the chest, piercing his heart and killing him.

The gun jammed during the struggle, which allowed two members of the congregation to pull the gunman away from Pastor Winters and to the floor, where they held him until police arrived. In the process the gunman pulled a knife and injured both men before stabbing himself in the neck.

In a matter of minutes the event was over. Police and first responders were on the scene quickly and did all they could to save Pastor Winters's life, but it was too late. He was gone. The two members of the congregation were treated for their injuries and released. The shooter was flown to a trauma center, treated for his injuries, and is now in jail awaiting the conclusion of the trial. To this day, there is no understanding of why the shooter picked this church on this day. He had no prior connection with First Baptist. No motive has been discovered. It was a random act of violence.

First Baptist Maryville is a church of 1,500 people located 20 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The church is on a busy rural highway and surrounded by farmland. It's not the kind of place one associates with a deadly shooting.

March 8, 2009, was the day Daylight Savings Time went into effect, so fewer people than normal were at the early service, but in every other way, it was a normal Sunday.

When I visit 20 months later, First Baptist functions in a new normal. The church is still without a senior pastor, and the congregation is still healing. Three of those deeply affected by the shooting agreed to be interviewed about the congregation's experience: Mark Jones, minister of worship; Cindy Winters, the wife of Pastor Fred Winters; and Jack Dawson, minister of pastoral care.

What do you remember about that Sunday?
Mark Jones: I had just finished leading worship and was in the choir room. I heard, what sounded like firecrackers, bang—… bang—… bang, and then a pause, then another bang. A member of the worship team, who had been in the sanctuary, ran in and said, "Shots have been fired. Pastor Fred has been hit."

When I walked into the room, I saw the entire spectrum of possible responses to this trauma. Already there were people at the altar praying. Others were crying. Others were stunned, frozen in their seats. Others were gathered around Pastor Fred trying to help.

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