(AUDIO: The King's Church Pastor Colby Corsaut appears on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable"

Columbia residents have noticed the increase in homelessness in the city, especially near the I-70 exits and in the downtown area. 939 the Eagle’s Fred Parry, a former Boone County commissioner who hosts the “CEO Roundtable” on 939 the Eagle, says churches and their congregations are carrying a large part of Columbia’s social services burden, including helping the homeless. Mr. Parry’s guest on Saturday morning was the pastor of a brand-new church in Columbia. The King’s church meets at Woodcrest Chapel on West Nifong, and their Sunday service is at 6 pm. Pastor Colby Corsaut is the pastor of the new church. He joined Fred in-studio for the hour, telling listeners that he grew up in a secular home in Oklahoma, saying his father was a drug user and that his mother worked as a bartender. Pastor Corsaut attended the University of Oklahoma and later Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Theological seminary. He says he has ministered in France, Guatemala and Brazil. Fred Parry asked Pastor Corsaut why he came to Columbia, and the pastor says the churches here aren’t keeping pace with the population. Pastor Corsaut tells listeners that 60 to 85 percent of Columbia residents identify as non-religious, adding that the number is even higher among college students. The pastor describes Columbia as “post-Christian”, and Parry pressed him on what that means. “That means at one time, the people that planted some of the legacy churches that are here are no longer here. And you have a younger population that more and more identifies as non-religious,” the pastor tells Mr. Parry. While he hopes mid-Missouri residents will give his church a try, Pastor Corsaut tells listeners that he doesn’t believe that the King’s church is the only church in Columbia that needs to grow and be healthy. He wants other churches to thrive for religious purposes, but also to help struggling residents with social services. “We want to see a lot of healthy churches here. I think that’s good for the city. I think that’s good, as you mentioned, for the social services and the things that churches do just to care for people’s needs,” he tells Mr. Parry. Pastor Corsaut also addresses critics who say there are already enough churches in Columbia, and how the local community can support his church’s efforts: