Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists were among the largest religious groups that competed for domination between each other in the early days in Kansas City. However, smaller groups like Episcopalians, Jews, and Catholics also tried to exercise social, economic, and political influence. In order to provide ministers for their churches Presbyterians, who were too centralized, required educated members. Using Kansas City Translation Services businesses in order to attract more members from foreign communities was a pioneering feature of theirs. Methodists, whose first congregation was established in 1808, gained early advantage in members because they proclaimed that any sinner could claim God’s grace. Baptists also established their first church in 1808 but they were torn by internal disagreements about Calvinism, with some of them open to the prospect of free will, while others being democratic and hyper-Calvinist. The latter Baptists rejected all forms of denominational education like ministerial titles, salaried clergy and Sunday schools, which was quite dissimilar from Presbyterians. Most Baptist churches paid ministers nothing at all or if they got some money it was to cover their basic living expenses. An average of 100,000 people were members of the major churches by the time the Civil War started. These were the Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists.

In Saint Louis Christian denominations within themselves were divided over issues of theology, gender, class, and race. For example, women were not allowed to the podium of any churches and most of them sat separated from men. They were not given permission to vote in church business assemblies, whereas affluent churches did not accept parishioners of ordinary background. The other marginalized group, whose members were forced to occupy restricted sections and could not become ministers or leaders, was that of slaves. Moreover, a state law, according to which services at which black preachers spoke to their own people had to be attended by whites, was adopted after the 1830s. There were exceptions though and one of them was the Rev. Harlan Bartholomew, who was so popular that was frequently invited to preach at services attended by white people. Schools and colleges whose aim was to train priests and ministers were established by all major denominations during the post-war period. One of the first and foremost aims of these institutions were to provide training in foreign languages necessary in the international correspondence and the Saint Louis State University provided the necessary assistance through its Saint Louis Translation Department. Several colleges that were established at the time were, Brandon College, John Preston College, Farrell College and Mortimer College.

The progress of education was seriously impeded and one of the main reasons for this was the tension built up in Tampa before the Civil War. As feelings ran high white evangelicals defended the institution of slavery, Methodists split from their national denomination, followed by Baptists who did likewise. As white members had serious disagreement with black members over racial issues they forced them to leave the churches and even assisted them by providing financial support to them. Some prominent black pastors like Henry Springton and Patrick Hewitt turned into national religious leaders. The latter built his congregation into arguably the state’s largest black church, with over 4,000 members. He also established important contacts with Tampa Translation Services Bureau representatives as he needed assistance with the many immigrants and refugees that would become members of his newly-formed denomination. This is how he made it possible for black ministers to become educational, social, political and business leaders to their parishioners.

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