Since resigning from his previous congregation amid allegations of misconduct and coverup, Pastor Mike Baker has been growing another ministry in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. On Sunday, Oct. 6, his new Song & Sword Church moves into a 30,000-square-foot building.
Baker, 59, had spent almost half his life serving at Eastview Christian Church, including 16 years as senior pastor. In early 2023, he resigned amid allegations of a toxic workplace environment and abuse of power.
Eastview commissioned an independent investigation into the claims, including Baker’s alleged coverup of sexual misconduct by son Caleb Baker. In 2016, Caleb resigned as Eastview’s lead student pastor and associate preaching pastor. Seven years later, an Arizona church terminated him for sexual misconduct.
Pastor Mike Baker Now Leads Song & Sword Church
In April 2023, Mike Baker wrote a letter to his former Eastview congregants, explaining what led to his resignation. Among other things, he noted that “two former disgruntled staff members started a social media [firestorm] filled with lies, innuendos, accusations and half truths.” Baker said church elders made decisions they knew would force him out, such as “publicly [torching]” his family.
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Because he needed an income and still felt “called to preach,” Baker established a new ministry right away. Although it might have been easier to leave town, the pastor admitted, he and his wife received “really early on a distinct calling that God said, ‘I’m not done with you here in Bloomington.’”
Baker would “never intentionally steal sheep from another church,” he said. But he noted that many Eastview parishioners were “injured” and “scattered” after his departure. “If they end up in my field,” he wrote last April, “I will feed, lead, and nurture them.”
Eastview, the largest church in Bloomington-Normal, had 5,500 members under Baker’s leadership. Earlier this year, membership was down to 3,750.
Song & Sword has already grown to 300 members, which Baker said is a better fit for his preferred style of “family-oriented church.” The pastor no longer takes ministry “for granted as much,” he said. “I appreciate it more. It’s a privilege.”
Pastor Mike Baker: ‘I Know What I Did and Didn’t Do’
In a report released last summer, investigators concluded that a “significant” number of Eastview employees were “harmed by a degrading church culture.” The report cited unhealthy power dynamics, including a consolidation of authority by Mike Baker.
Investigators said the senior pastor “more likely than not…misused his leadership position” when sexual misconduct accusations surfaced against his son. In addition, some staff members indicated they feared retribution for doing “anything that could be perceived as crossing Mike Baker.”
Brooke Yarbrough, a former junior high pastor at Eastview, had alleged that Caleb was engaged in “inappropriate sexual relationships” with “multiple women” at the church. Although the report cited infidelity by Caleb Baker, investigators found no criminal conduct.
