- 417 - 561 - 0750
- visit@creationexperiencemuseum.com
- Wed - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
About Us
Our story
In 2007, a man who had a burden for sharing about the reliability of the Bible stepped into a secular dinosaur museum in Branson. That man was our founder, Dr. Rod Butterworth, and it proved to be a visit that would change his life and the lives of countless others. As he perused the gift shop, he noticed a junior high-level book: It’s True, We Came From Slime! In short, he purchased the book, and as he thought and prayed about the godless worldview it proclaimed, God began to place something on his heart: Branson needs something better than that.
The vision began to form for a full size, state-of-the-art museum that would proclaim the truths of God’s Word to Branson’s millions of yearly visitors. Drawing upon the help of several like-minded individuals, the new ministry (now called Creation Ministries of the Ozarks) was officially born in 2008.
Naturally, the new ministry was going to need some office space, and since members of the fledgling team were located in the Strafford area (just outside Springfield), they leased a building in that town. Although it started out as office space, it wasn’t long before the building “evolved” into a museum, and after a period of giving unofficial tours of our growing collection of artifacts, we officially opened to visitors in 2011.
While we were busy sharing the truths of God’s Word at Strafford, God began to open doors in the Branson direction. Through unexpected connections, we were able to acquire a lease for a building in Walnut Shade (just north of Branson) in 2013. After extensive renovations, we opened to the public in April 2014, and the following year found us transitioning the rest of our collection out of Strafford to our new location. At this location alone, we have hosted over 45,000 visitors to date. The Lord has really blessed us.
However, God still had a bigger vision in mind, and we were about to see even greater blessings. In 2018, the ministry acquired 50 acres (now with a Branson address) just outside of Branson, near the Hwy 65 exit for the Ozark Mountain Highroad and F highway. Thanks to the Lord and His faithful donors, the property was fully paid for in early 2022.
Currently, we are in the design and fundraising stages. There is no opening date set, but we are happy to see God’s faithful hand at work behind the scenes as he prepares us for the new museum. We look forward to what God has in store for us as we seek to reach even more people with the truths of God’s Word!
As for the leadership, Dr. Butterworth retired from his role as president of the ministry in December of 2022. After this retirement, co-founder Curtis Baker was selected as the new president, carrying the same message, mission, and vision into the future.
God has been with us from that first visit to the secular museum in 2007 to paying off the new Branson property in 2018 to the plans He is laying on our hearts for the new museum, and we trust that He will be with us on into the future. As Dr. Butterworth often said, “We can’t do it, God can, and we believe that He will!”
To keep up with the exciting things currently happening in the ministry, feel free to read about our vision, check out our Building or Other Projects, or sign up for our free newsletter. Thank you for your prayers and support, as we seek to help people see that they can trust the Bible… All the way through. God bless.