Set into the hillside along West 98th Street in Bloomington, just two blocks west of France Avenue and a short drive from Normandale Community College, Hillside Church has held its ground since 1952. The building, marked by a cross-topped canopy at the front entrance, draws a steady flow of worshipers each Sunday morning for two identical services at 9:00 and 10:45 AM. Hillside is a Baptist congregation affiliated with Converge, a fellowship of churches committed to making disciples and planting new churches, and that missionary impulse runs through everything from its Wednesday night programming to its support for a new church plant launching south of the river.
Sundays at Hillside: Two Services, One Format
Whether one arrives at 9:00 or 10:45 AM, the Sunday morning service follows the same pattern. Services typically run about 75 minutes and open with a time of musical worship that is culturally relevant while honoring the church's legacy. A Spotify playlist of songs the congregation sings offers newcomers a way to sample the music ahead of time. After the music, Senior Pastor Brian Gingerich preaches in an expository style, working through a specific passage of Scripture and applying it to daily life.
Each service includes a moment for tithes and offerings, though visitors are never pressured to give. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of each month, and the services often include other elements such as ministry updates, faith stories from members, child dedications, and baptisms. Immediately after each service, members of the prayer team gather at the front of the Worship Center for those who would like prayer. Services are livestreamed on the Hillside Church MN YouTube channel, and a library of past sermons is kept online.
From Wooddale's Daughter to a Sending Church
Hillside's story begins in 1952, when a small group of believers planted the church out of Wooddale Baptist Church in Richfield (now Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie). The congregation settled on its present campus in 1969 and has remained there ever since. Two other church plants trace their roots to Hillside: Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, planted in 1962, and Friendship Church in Prior Lake, planted in 1978 with help from Hillside members.
For nearly three decades, Hillside partnered with Bethany Academy, a K-12 Christian school that shared the campus beginning in 1995 and remained there until 2024. Today, Hillside is preparing to send out its own church plant, Redeemer City Church, under the leadership of Pastor Gabe Zepeda and his family. Hillside operates as a factory rather than a warehouse, equipping disciples who are then sent out on mission, reproducing leaders and communities. That vision traces back to a conversation Pastor Gingerich had with a friend in Ghana, who used that very image to capture the missionary heart of healthy churches.
Arriving on Sunday Morning
Visitors will find the main entrance at the front of the building, marked by a canopy with a cross on top. Greeters will welcome and direct, and a Welcome Counter sits inside for anyone who wants to learn more about Hillside. Coffee and donuts are available before and between services in the Gathering Hall.
Parking is available in the south lot, accessible from the frontage road. The north lot behind the building complex is recommended for elderly visitors, families with young children, and anyone who has difficulty walking, since it leads to the north entrance. The dress code is "come as you are." Visitors can plan a visit.
Parents with children from birth through grade 6 can register them at the Kids Check-In counter in The Landing, just inside the back entrance. A name tag prints for each child, and a security tag prints for families with children from birth through age 2, which must be presented for pick-up. Children are also welcome to remain in the Worship Center with their parents if preferred.
Hillside Kids: Birth Through Grade 6
Hillside Kids programming runs during both Sunday services throughout the school year for children from birth through entering sixth grade. Each program aims to provide a safe environment where children are equipped to connect with God through age-appropriate, biblically based lessons, to grow in their relationship with Jesus, and to share the good news of the Gospel with others. Every adult leader and childcare worker is screened with a background check.
On Wednesday nights, the children's ministry continues with programs for four age groups from September through April: loving care for birth through age 2, Kids ROCK Jr. for ages 3 through kindergarten, Kids ROCK for grades 1 through 4 (with groups divided by grade and gender, featuring games, gym time, prizes, and Bible memory), and IMPACT for grades 5 and 6, a gym-based program with games, competition, Bible knowledge, discussions, and incentives meant to equip kids to make an impact in their world.
Children's baptisms are taken seriously at Hillside, with a process that helps families and children discern readiness around age 10. Children prepare to share a brief testimony and meet with a pastor before being baptized. Child dedications are also offered for families who wish to publicly commit to raising their children in the faith.
Hillside Youth: Grades 7 Through 12
Hillside Youth is a community for students in grades 7 through 12 built around the themes Connect, Grow, and Go. The aim is for every student who walks through the doors to leave feeling known and loved by God, by their adult leaders, and by their peers. Programming focuses on connecting with God, growing in relationship with Jesus, and being equipped to share the good news of the Gospel.
The ministry meets on Wednesday nights during Wednesday Connect and offers additional events throughout the year. Parents and students can register online, and youth updates are sent through email and Instagram.
Wednesday Connect: September Through April
From September through April, the Hillside campus hums on Wednesday evenings. Supper is served at 5:30 PM, a low-cost meal designed to be a gathering point for families, and programming runs from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Hillside Kids clubs (birth through grade 6) and youth group (grades 7-12) run alongside adult offerings, which have included classes on topics ranging from Christianity and the Bible to marriage and finance.
Several adult activities have found a regular home on Wednesday nights: badminton in the gym, crafting, support groups, and a weekly House of Prayer gathering from 6:30 to 7:45 PM. Celebrate Recovery for Men, a Christ-centered 12-step recovery program for anyone struggling with hurt, pain, or addiction, meets each Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Hillside Willow Room.
Small Groups: The Core of Discipleship
Small groups are the best context for fellowship, spiritual formation, and mission at Hillside. Groups are gatherings of 5 to 12 people who meet regularly and live out the church's core values: Be with God, Grow in Community, Serve the Church, and Live on Mission.
Some groups focus on missions or intercessory prayer, while others take a more traditional approach. Groups often form around stages of life but can also be intergenerational. Most meet in homes, and each group decides how often and how long to meet, typically one to two hours. Groups may run for a few months or much longer, with on/off ramps in January and September when participants can switch groups or stay put. Every two years, Hillside offers a church-wide study that all groups join for a set period of time.
Care Ministries: Walking With People Through Hard Seasons
Care is woven into the identity of Hillside. Stephen Ministry provides one-to-one peer support for people going through difficult seasons: grief, divorce, job loss, hospitalization, difficult medical diagnoses, infertility, or other significant challenges. Stephen Ministers are trained members of the congregation who meet weekly with their care receiver, and confidentiality is central to the process. New Stephen Ministers complete a 20-session training course, with men matched with men and women with women.
Beyond Stephen Ministry, Hillside offers a monthly Adoptive and Foster Dad Support Group that meets one Saturday morning each month from 7:30 to 10:00 AM with coffee, shared struggles, a short teaching, and prayer. For those facing food insecurity or other material needs, Hillside points people to VEAP, the Twin Cities' largest food pantry, located in Bloomington, and serves as a donation collection site for the pantry's most-needed items.
Prayer: A House of Prayer
Hillside is a house of prayer where everything is done prayerfully. The congregation observes a robust calendar of prayer initiatives throughout the year: weekly House of Prayer gatherings on Wednesday nights, a 24-hour First Friday Prayer on the first Friday of each month, a month of prayer and fasting each July, a January Week of Prayer, drive-thru prayer events, Women Praying for Prodigals, the Collegiate Day of Prayer, Prayer for the Persecuted Church, Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, and Sanctity of Life Sunday. A Prayer Request card is included in the Sunday bulletin, and prayer requests can also be submitted through the Church Center app.
Reaching Bloomington and Beyond
Hillside's commitment to community is visible in several partnerships. Together for Good comes alongside vulnerable children and isolated parents by providing respite care, supporting host families, mentoring, and other forms of practical help. Hillside members can serve as host families, advocates walking alongside parents, or as part of the church's support network for host families.
Every Meal is a hunger-relief program that discreetly places bags of nutritious food in the backpacks of school-age children who face food gaps on weekends. Hillside has an Every Meal Ministry Team that distributes meals at a local elementary school on Fridays.
Hillside's Good Neighbor Team, through Arrive Ministries, provides friendship, practical support, and life skills to a family that has been forced to flee their homeland. USA Homestays is another outreach: hosts are needed for international college students arriving in Minnesota each August, opening a room and offering friendship as a first face of welcome in a new country.
Adults, Women, Men, and Senior Adults
Adult ministries at Hillside include ongoing Bible studies and classes on topics ranging from Christianity and the Bible to marriage and finance. Hillside Men offers Bible studies, outdoor groups for dads and their kids, mentorship opportunities, and sporting events. Hillside Women offers Bible studies, mentorship groups, prayer meetings, conferences, and support groups.
Senior Adults find occasional social gatherings throughout the year, including chili dinners, picnics, riverboat cruises, Christmas parties, and outings such as a trip to the local Museum of the Bible. Sports ministries add another avenue for connection, with badminton, martial arts, hockey, basketball, and other activities offered throughout the year.
Beliefs, Membership, and Governance
Hillside's statement of faith is grounded in historic Baptist convictions. The church affirms the Bible as the inspired, infallible Word of God; the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and visible return of Jesus Christ; the work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating, sanctifying, and empowering believers; the universal and local church; believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the two ordinances committed to the church; regenerate church membership; religious liberty; cooperative relationships between churches; and the personal return of Christ, the resurrection of the body, final judgment, and eternal destinies.
Membership at Hillside is a covenant commitment. Prospective members take a Hillside Story class that covers the church's history, vision, mission, central beliefs, and approach to secondary issues. Members are baptized by immersion as a profession of faith, meet with two members of the Elder board to share their testimony, and publicly welcome and recite the Membership Covenant before the congregation.
Governance rests with a body of Elders, with the pastoral staff implementing the agenda and ministry teams carrying out the work. Members hold all of the affairs of the church in account at the annual business meeting.
Giving and Online Connection
Giving is an act of worship and a response to God's generosity. Online giving is available here and through the Church Center app, and gifts can also be made by texting GIVE to 952-592-6808. Stocks, mutual funds, and other gifts-in-kind can be arranged through the Director of Operations. The Church Center app gives members and regular attenders quick access to event information, online giving, kids check-in, weekly updates, and the Sunday bulletin.