A desire to extend work to the north and west led to the creation of CBF Midwest. Ten individuals constituted the new Fellowship regional body Jan. 25-26, 2007. At the formation meeting, representatives of four CBF partner churches hammered out articles of incorporation, bylaws and a budget. The group agreed on eight ministry objectives to extend the presence of Christ throughout the region, including engaging in the Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative, Together for Hope.

The idea for a new geographic region surfaced shortly after Ashworth Road called Tim Deatrick as pastor. "Our church, by conviction, was aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, but there was not a lot of connection," he said. "We wanted to be more connected on the local level."

The five Midwestern states were part of the 10-state North Central Fellowship region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Most of the region’s churches are located east of the Mississippi River, and most meetings are held in Indianapolis. Deatrick proposed the new region idea to the other pastors in the western five states. "We looked at it as what is most practical," he said, “from distance and cost perspectives.” Most of the new region’s churches are small, and Ashworth Road is the only congregation with a fulltime pastor.

Deatrick presented the idea to national leaders, and an informational meeting was held at Ashworth Road late in 2006. Fellowship coordinator Daniel Vestal attended that session, and coordinator of administration Constance McNeill assisted with the organizational meeting. The Midwest region was formally recognized by the national CBF organization at the 2007 General Assembly in June 2007. The Assembly adopted a bylaw change to recognize the new region and approve Coordinating Council representatives from the Midwest region.