Ninety Years on Ball Avenue
Berkley Hills Church sits on Ball Avenue NE in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a Wesleyan congregation that traces its story back roughly ninety years to its founding under Pastor Boone. The church has moved several times over those decades and has worn a couple of different names, but the through-line has not shifted: a passion for sharing the life-transforming message of Jesus Christ with the city of Grand Rapids and the wider West Michigan region.
The church's mission distills that focus into two phrases: Knowing Jesus. Being Jesus. To know Jesus, in the church's words, is more than gaining knowledge or saying the right words - it is entering a living relationship with Him. To be Jesus is to carry what happens on Sunday into Monday through Saturday, loving and serving neighbors both locally and globally. The 2026 goal is to become mature disciples who think and act like Jesus in homes, churches, and the region.
Three Sunday Mornings, One Front Door
Sunday worship happens three times at Berkley Hills - 8:00, 9:30, and 11:20 AM - so families with different rhythms can pick the hour that fits. Greeters stand at the front doors before each service, ready to answer questions and to point newcomers toward the BE KNOWN wall, a station set up before and after each gathering for visitors who want to learn more or get involved.
The services blend contemporary and traditional music and feature teaching designed to draw listeners into a deeper understanding of the God who created them. Dress is come as you are. Children from newborn through fifth grade head to the kids wing for their own programming; everyone else settles into the Worship Center.
Messages are recorded and posted to the church's YouTube channel. Giving is available online through Church Center, by text message (text GIVE and a dollar amount to 877.853.6870), or in the white boxes near the back of the Worship Center before or after the service.
Kids From Cribs to Fifth Grade
Morgan Kaltz leads Berkley's Kids Ministry as Interim Director, working with a team of background-checked volunteers who serve ages newborn through fifth grade in age-appropriate classrooms. First-time check-in through the digital Planning Center system takes about five minutes; after that, a printed name tag with a matching parent tag gets the family in and out in roughly thirty seconds. Once the last parent has checked in, the kids area doors are locked for safety. Snack choices are limited to a few basics (cheerios, fruit snacks, graham crackers, fish crackers), with any allergies printed on each child's tag.
Two focus guides the team. Preschoolers learn that Jesus loves them through games and stories, build community with consistent volunteer caregivers, and begin practicing service at home. Elementary students encounter the character of God through high-energy large group time and small group discussion, and are encouraged to serve their families, schools, and community.
Child Dedication is offered on a few Sundays each year, giving parents a public moment to commit to raising their child in the way of Jesus. The ministry also points families toward prayer calendars and other resources to use Monday through Saturday.
Students in Sixth Through Twelfth Grade
Gannon Fox directs the Student Ministry for sixth through twelfth graders. The program centers on small groups that walk with students through the ups and downs of middle and high school, gathered inside larger Sunday-night youth group meetings during the school year that include hangout time, a game, a time of worship, and small group breakout.
Two annual camps anchor the year: Never The Same (NTS) Camp in the summer and Snow Camp in the winter. Discipleship groups, weekly meetings, and winter retreats fill in around them. The staff emphasizes that this is not entertainment - it is Biblical teaching, Spirit-filled worship, and Christ-centered community built around the Great Commission of Matthew 28.
Young Adults Eighteen to Twenty-Nine
Pastor AJ Gillespie oversees the Young Adult Ministry for ages eighteen to twenty-nine. The community gathers in several rhythms: small groups broken into 18-22 and 22-29 cohorts, a monthly YA Gathering on the first Thursday of every month, a Sunday brunch held monthly during the school year up in The Lift, and a Thursday morning Prayer Room at 6:30 AM for those who want to begin the day in worship and intercession.
College students plug in through a monthly College Meal. Once a month on a Sunday evening, the young adults partner with Degage Ministries in downtown Grand Rapids to help serve dinner to those facing homelessness - putting faith into action in the city.
Prayer and the Midweek Rhythms
Prayer sits at the center of Berkley Hills' identity, and three regular touchpoints run through the week. Break Thru, a prayer and worship experience, meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM. A Wednesday morning prayer team gathers at 11:00 AM to pray over the requests from the church family. The Prayer Room opens Thursday mornings at 6:30 AM up in The Lift. Sunday mornings also include a chance to be prayed over during the services, and a dedicated team stands ready to receive prayer requests submitted online through Church Center.
Discipleship, Groups, and Freedom Fight
Pastor Riley Crainer directs discipleship and connections, walking individuals along a trail map from Come & See / I'm Curious all the way to Compelled & Sent / Send Me. Groups are the primary on-ramp: women's groups, men's groups, young adult groups, and Freedom Fight groups each begin in the fall and again in February after the church's 21 Days of Prayer and fasting.
Freedom Fight, led by Pastor AJ Gillespie, is a robust 25-week discipleship program designed to help participants outgrow pornography. It blends teaching, accountability, and community in a format that runs from fall into spring. Bible reading is encouraged through a printed plan that walks through the whole of Scripture. Baptism is offered regularly for those ready to make a public declaration of faith.
Worship Ministry and the Sound of Sundays
Logan Johns leads the Worship Ministry, providing music for Sunday services and rehearsing with the team Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. The team aims for musical excellence in a contemporary setting - electric guitars, bass, drums, keys, pads, and vocal teams - and seeks above all for the Holy Spirit to define the room rather than the songs themselves.
Application includes an audition video and a pattern of regular attendance, midweek rehearsal, and personal spiritual growth. The church's original worship recordings are available on Spotify, and sermon videos live on YouTube.
Outreach Locally and Around the World
Six local partnerships anchor Berkley Hills' Outreach Ministry. Alpha Grand Rapids supports parents experiencing unplanned pregnancies with medical, educational, and material resources; Berkley Hills runs a church-wide diaper drive each July to supply the ministry year-round. North End Community Ministries (NECM), located in the church's corner of the city, runs a food pantry, Supper House, and the NE Pole Toy Store at Christmas - Berkley Hills teams serve in the pantry and at the toy store each December. Youth for Christ reaches middle and high school students across West Michigan; the church supports a full-time YFC missionary. Northview Next provides tutoring, mentoring, and social-emotional support for Northview Public Schools students working toward graduation. Greek InterVarsity ministers to fraternity and sorority students through Bible studies and worship events on public campuses. Degage Ministries in downtown Grand Rapids offers emergency shelter and empowerment programs; Berkley Hills sends a team to serve dinner on the fourth Sunday evening of each month.
On the global side, the church walks with missionaries Dave and the Nune people, serving through the Wesleyan Church's Global Partners in an undisclosed location where less than 1% of the population is Christian. The Dykstra family, Becky and Scot, relocated from their medical practice to Japan in 2023 to serve full-time. The church sends annual trips with Paradise Bound to Guatemala for house-building, medical clinics, VBS, and gospel sharing, and has partnered with Starfysh in Haiti since 2010 through agriculture, education, and community health programs.
The Ministry Development Program and Berkley Academy
Janine Conway directs the Ministry Development Program, designed for young adults considering vocational ministry. Internships run a full year across various ministries, while residencies are designed for those who have already stepped into a specific calling (pastoral, worship, children, or youth).
Through a partnership with Indiana Wesleyan University, Berkley Academy gives high school graduates access to more than thirty undergraduate programs online at lower cost - part of a broader effort to help young people discover and steward their calling, whether in ministry or in the marketplace.
Counseling, Facilities, and Next Steps
Tim Ulstad, an LLPC-credentialed counselor and graduate of Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, sees clients at the church at a discounted rate for attendees. He offers strategies for depression, anxiety, stress, interpersonal problems, minor addictions, and trauma, along with career, family, marriage, and pre-marital counseling.
The 1670 Ball Avenue facility is available to rent for outside events, and pastors officiate weddings for members and for those connected to the church. Anyone interested in a deeper connection can sign up for a one-time Membership Class to learn about the church's beliefs, structure, and opportunities to serve.