Quick Facts
Founded
April 1912 (merger of Free Baptist Church + First Baptist Church; lot acquired 1901)
Denomination
Independent Baptist (1689 LBCF; 9Marks; Founders Ministries)
Service Times
Sunday School 9:15 AM; Worship 10:30 AM; Wed fellowship meal + midweek worship
Men's Ministry
Yes
Kids Ministry
Yes
Pastor Credentials
ThM Dallas Theological Seminary; DMin candidate at The Master's Seminary
10-Point Theological Scorecard
Christology
Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)
Orthodox Christology per 1689 London Baptist Confession adherence.
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Scripture
Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?
Sola Scriptura; inerrancy and sufficiency per 1689 LBCF Ch. 1.
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Men's Discipleship
Intentional formation for men?
Men's ministry listed in site navigation; Adventure Club kids ministry detailed.
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Soteriology
Faith alone? How is salvation presented?
Reformed Baptist soteriology per 1689 LBCF (monergistic regeneration; particular redemption).
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Gender / Biblical Design
Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?
Complementarian; male-only elder/pastor standard per 1689 LBCF + 9Marks norms.
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Leadership Structure
Male elders/pastors? Accountability?
Pastor Daniel McCoy holds ThM Dallas Theological Seminary; DMin candidate at Master's Seminary (John MacArthur).
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Preaching Style
Expository or topical/therapeutic?
Expository preaching tradition consistent with 9Marks and Master's Seminary training.
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Mission Clarity
Great Commission central?
9Marks and Founders Ministries-aligned congregational practice.
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Cultural Alignment
DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?
Founders Ministries affiliation = robust biblical-anthropology/sexuality stance.
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Accountability Structure
Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?
1689 LBCF Reformed Baptist confessional adherence stated on church website.
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Assessment
President Warren G. Harding joined the Free Baptist Church in Marion on May 6, 1883, served as a trustee for 25 years and as a deacon, and remained a member until his death in 1923. The Free Baptist Church merged with the First Baptist Church via a joint worship service on September 24, 1911, and was renamed Trinity Baptist Church in April 1912. The congregation that today carries Harding's historical pew has, in the contemporary era, embraced a robust 1689 London Baptist Confession Reformed Baptist confessional identity under Pastor Daniel McCoy (DTS / Master's Seminary), with explicit 9Marks and Founders Ministries affiliation. Worth noting: Harding personally was a theologically liberal Baptist (per Patheos historical assessment), so the present-day Trinity Baptist is more confessionally robust than the congregation Harding inhabited.
MOOP Engagement Tracker
How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:
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Researched church website
Sources & Evidence
Enrichment Notes
Live-fetched https://tbcmarion.org/ on 2026-05-16 — confirmed Pastor Daniel McCoy and 1689 LBCF / 9Marks / Founders Ministries confessional posture (NOTE: task prompt assumed SBC; live website states Independent Baptist with explicit confessional affiliations — corrected to Independent Baptist 1689 LBCF). Founding history of the present Trinity Baptist (1911 merger / 1912 rename) per tbcmarion.org/our-story and Library of Congress photo archive ggbain.30659. Harding deacon/trustee tenure documented in Patheos historical assessment by Daniel Williams.
No URL sources recorded for this church. Rating based on denominational defaults and/or directory-level metadata.
Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.
Last reviewed:
2026-05-16
— Annual review recommended
244 S Main St, Marion, OH 43302
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