A Suburban Church Built for Many Doors
Canyon Hills Community Church sits in the Canyon Park neighborhood of Bothell, Washington, a short drive north of Seattle and a few turns off I-405. From the outside it reads as a large suburban congregation - 5,000 people on a typical weekend, more than 200 small groups meeting during the week, ministries for every age from nursery to hospice volunteers. From the inside it reads as a single church family with a clear purpose: to "make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ." That sentence is the church's mission.
Canyon Hills was planted in 1995 by Steve Walker and his wife Tammi. The first gatherings met at Canyon Park Junior High until the church outgrew the school and moved to its present campus at 22027 17th Avenue SE. Three decades later, the campus remains the home base, and a second location is rising in South Everett with a projected opening in December 2026. The mission has not changed since the junior-high days; the size of the room has.
Five Sunday Services, One Teaching Plan
The Bothell campus gathers five times each Sunday - 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. Services run about an hour and feature "authentic worship, biblical messages, and separate programs for kids and students that are fun and educational." Translation is offered at the 12:30 p.m. service for attendees who need it. Student ministries for both middle school and high school meet during the two afternoon services in the Student Center and Upstairs Chapel.
The worship style is contemporary. Canyon Hills Worship, the church's music ministry, releases songs on Spotify and Apple Music, posts live recordings to YouTube, and publishes charts through MultiTracks and PraiseCharts. Services lean on a full band with vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and keys rather than a traditional choir or liturgy. The pastoral teaching team rotates through the services; Lead Pastor Koby Orr, Executive Pastor Dave Morgan, South Everett Campus Pastor Jon Walker, Kids Pastor Darryl Jacobsen, Executive Family Ministry Pastor Jon Walker, and others take turns in the pulpit across the weekend.
Weekly services form the rhythm around which everything else at Canyon Hills is organized. A recent Sunday teaching series, "Summer in the Psalms," walked through Psalm 51, Psalm 73, Psalm 78, Psalm 126, Psalm 130, Psalm 139, and Psalm 71 across the summer of 2026. The fall brings series that work through a book of the Bible verse by verse - recent examples include Colossians, 1 Timothy, Revelation, James, 1 & 2 Peter, Esther, Daniel, Ephesians, and Galatians. Past teaching series list, browsable online, stretches back to the earliest years of the church.
The Founding Story and the Lead Pastor Transition
Steve Walker pastored the church from its 1995 plant through October of 2024 - twenty-nine years. On October 13, 2024, Steve retired as Senior Pastor and Koby Orr, who had served on staff for fifteen years in roles including Worship Pastor, preaching team member, and assistant Senior Pastor, was installed as Lead Pastor. Steve continues to preach occasionally; his name appears in the speaker list for recent summers alongside the rest of the team.
The church is governed as an elder-led congregation. The Eldership, made up of full-time pastors and lay elders, shares equal responsibility for guarding, guiding, and growing the church under the biblical qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Ben Bourland chairs the elders and Jim Erickson serves as vice chair, joined by Jeff Dunlap, Zeb Frye, Dennis Grode, Joseph Jonathan, Larry Kautzman, Todd Manning, Dale Murphy, Jeevan Peter, Kevin Roundhill, and Randy Trettevik. A separate Deacons ministry handles practical needs across the congregation, including care for widows, single parents, car care, and financial counseling.
Life Groups: The Heartbeat of the Church
Where the Sunday services are the front door, Life Groups are described as the living room. The church's framing is unblinking: "God never meant for us to do life alone." More than 200 Life Groups meet throughout the week across the surrounding communities, organized by stage of life, geography, and shared interest. They are the church's primary vehicle for discipleship, pastoral care, and accountability.
Groups follow a formal leader process for anyone who wants to host. The path runs through an "Exploring Group Leadership Class," an online application, a one-on-one meeting with staff, a planning step, and finally launch. A Discipleship Roadmap and the "eight values of Life Group membership" form the shared language every leader uses. People who cannot find a fit can submit a request form and staff will help match them with an open group. For women, a separate track of home-based groups meets alongside the Wednesday morning and evening gatherings.
Kids: From the Nursery to Fifth Grade
Kids Ministry at Canyon Hills is built around the Sunday services. During each of the five services, dedicated teams staff a nursery for newborns through thirty-six months, preschool and kindergarten classrooms for three-year-olds through kindergarten, and elementary classrooms for first through fifth graders. Parents check children in through a security-coded system and can be reached in the auditorium if needed. Each age group hears a Bible story, sings, and does age-appropriate activities in their own room; preschoolers also join together for a time of worship.
Beyond Sunday mornings, fourth and fifth graders meet in Kid's Life Groups on Wednesday nights during the school year, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., for relationships, Bible study, and outreach events. Two summer camps round out the year: a day camp for incoming kindergartners through third graders and a four-day overnight camp at Miracle Ranch for incoming fourth and fifth graders. The ministry also runs a free indoor Play Center Monday through Thursday for families with young children, a Special Needs Ministry for kids and adults, and a Biblical Parenting Conference and Class in the fall and winter.
Students: High School, Middle School, and Beyond
The student ministries operate as two distinct communities inside one larger family.
High School Ministry (HSM) gathers 9th through 12th graders during the 12:30 and 5:30 Sunday services in the Student Center. The weekly rhythm adds Wednesday-night Life Groups from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. during the school year, occasional Community Nights built around dodgeball, trivia nights, and other high-energy events, and summer camp and fall retreat trips. Students can serve on Impact Teams for welcome, tech, or worship. Conner Renstrom serves as High School Pastor.
Middle School Ministry (MSM) gathers 6th through 8th graders during the same Sunday services in the Upstairs Chapel, with parallel Wednesday-night Life Groups and a once-a-month outreach night called IGNITE that fills the Student Center with games, food, and a gospel message. Austin Rogers serves as Middle School Pastor.
Canyon Hills Worship, the church's music ministry, runs a Student Worship track alongside the main adult worship ministry. The CHW Worship Academy gives 6th through 12th graders free weekly instruction in voice, guitar, bass, drums, and keys, with separate Worship and Tech Academy tracks. CHW Varsity is the youth worship team that leads other students on Sunday afternoons, and a Worship Internship for 11th and 12th graders provides a one-year pathway into worship leadership. Steve Lucero oversees Student Worship as Student Ministries Worship Director.
Each summer the student ministries organize Global Encounter Trips for high schoolers and middle schoolers. For 2027, the middle school trip heads to Ensenada, Mexico, for house building, VBS, and community outreach. The high school team will serve in orphanages, special needs centers, and rehabilitation programs in Santiago, Dominican Republic, with a second high school destination still to be announced.
Young Adults and Encore Senior Adults
At the other end of the age spectrum, two ministries bookend adult life at Canyon Hills.
Young Adults Ministry serves eighteen-to-twenty-nine-year-olds, whether in college, the workforce, single, or married. The hub is Young Adults Night on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Auditorium, with free snacks, worship, Bible teaching, and table discussion. A new series, "Living Hope," walks through 1 Peter on Thursday evenings during the fall. Smaller Life Groups meet throughout the week, and the ministry maintains its own GroupMe and Instagram for connection between gatherings. John Dabeck serves as Young Adults Pastor.
Encore, the Senior Adults Ministry for ages sixty and up, meets Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the auditorium for worship, fellowship, and a verse-by-verse Bible study led by Senior Adults Pastor Bill Keogh. Monthly events include Will and Trust seminars, AquaSox games, trips to Leavenworth, movie days, and summer barbecues. Members are also encouraged to plug into a regular Life Group.
Men's and Women's Ministry
Men's Ministry gathers men age fourteen and older around the conviction that men need one another to follow Christ well. A monthly men's breakfast is held one Saturday each month at 7:00 a.m. for testimony, sharing, and prayer. Men's Life Groups meet throughout the week. The annual Men's Summit brings the entire ministry together for a spring weekend of teaching; the December Men's Breakfast draws hundreds for worship and discussion. A high-commitment, nine-month Men's Intentional Discipleship (Men's ID) course trains men to disciple others, and a summer softball league doubles as evangelism.
Women's Ministry gathers women of all ages and stages on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the main auditorium. After live worship and teaching, women break into discussion tables with their Life Group or community group. A Monday-afternoon prayer group meets from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. year-round. Once a month, "Moms in Community" gathers moms and kids for lunch and play-center time. The fall 2026 series walks through the Book of Acts. Roberta Rowe leads the ministry as Women's Ministry Director, supported by a team that includes Chelsea Mason (Worship Leader), Mary Johnson (Bible Study Author), Melissa Perez (Ministry Assistant), Dixie Burdon, Jessie Ong, Cindy Remington, Susy Monroe, and Erin Cress. Childcare is offered during Wednesday gatherings, with a kids' ministry staffed both by paid teachers and volunteers.
Marriage, Special Needs, and the Damascus House
Marriage Ministry at Canyon Hills is led alongside the School of Discipleship by Pastor Graydon Cress and treats marriage as both a discipleship relationship and a gospel picture. Premarital preparation, marriage mentoring, and periodic conferences form the core.
Special Needs Ministry serves children, students, and adults with a variety of needs, believing that "all people are a gift from God, loved by Him and cherished by their families." One-on-one aides and a hands-on learning environment help each person engage at their own level. Because space and volunteers are limited, families go through a communication process before placement.
The Damascus House is a transitional, Christ-centered recovery program on the Canyon Hills campus with separate houses for men and for women. Oliver Underwood serves as Executive Director. Residents live in community while they pursue sobriety, employment, and reconnection with their families, supported by house managers, assistant directors, and a network of mentors.
Hope Groups and Biblical Counseling
For deeper needs, the church runs Hope Groups - small, topic-specific support communities that are open to anyone in the broader area, not just Canyon Hills attenders. Care and confidentiality are emphasized. Current offerings include:
- Hope for Changed Hearts for women struggling with life-dominating sin (Thursday evenings)
- Hope for Transformation for men in the same fight (Monday evenings)
- Hope After Divorce, using the DivorceCare curriculum (Thursday evenings)
- Hope for Hurting Women for those in oppressive relationships (first and third Thursdays)
- Hope Amidst Cancer (second Saturday mornings)
- Hope in Grief, using the GriefShare curriculum (Monday evenings)
- Hope Amidst Empty Arms for women navigating infertility, miscarriage, foster care, or adoption (first and third Wednesdays)
- Hope for Caregivers for those caring for people with Alzheimer's, dementia, or chronic illness (first and third Thursdays)
- Waiting in Hope for women affected by a loved one's addiction (second Monday in person and fourth Monday on Zoom)
Beyond the groups, Jeff Tritt serves as Counseling Pastor and leads a team of certified biblical counselors through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. Randy Roberts directs men's counseling, Kerry Heath directs women's counseling, and Nancy Williams serves as a staff counselor. A counseling intake form and a multi-week Biblical Counseling conference are offered each year.
Local Outreach: The Food Bank and Four Community Partners
The Canyon Hills Food Bank operates in two locations - the original Bothell site and a newer South Everett site - to serve households within defined service-area zip codes. Most-needed items are updated weekly and include 25-pound bags of sugar, rice, pinto beans, lentils, and black beans. Volunteers and clients hear the gospel presented in word and deed during every visit. Susie Disch directs the food bank; Laura Bayles and Emily Briels serve as ministry assistants.
Canyon Hills partners with four local ministries to extend its reach:
- Care Net Puget Sound provides free consultations, ultrasounds, and mentoring for women and men facing unplanned pregnancies.
- Everett Gospel Mission shelters women, children, and men experiencing homelessness in Snohomish County and works toward their physical and spiritual restoration.
- Bridges International connects the church with international students for friendship, social connection, and spiritual conversations.
- Prisoners for Christ brings worship services, Bible studies, and one-on-one visits into jails, prisons, and juvenile detention centers across the Northwest and beyond.
Global Outreach
Global Outreach is the church's longest-running expression of its mission beyond Bothell. Canyon Hills exists, in the language of its own Global Outreach page, "to make more and better disciples by planting churches among unreached peoples of South Asia and Japan." Members can go through a Residency in global ministry, take the six-week online MOMENTUM YES missions course, attend the ten-week Evangelism Training, or join short- and long-term teams. The training menu also includes R3ACH workshops on engaging Muslims, neighbors, and international students.
PRAY: Missions gatherings are scheduled throughout the year to intercede for the church's global partners. The church currently partners in over 25 countries, and 100 percent of unrestricted Global Outreach giving is reported as going directly to field ministry.
South Everett Campus: Replanting the Same DNA
The most visible chapter in Canyon Hills' current story is the second campus rising in South Everett. The address is 133 128th Street SW, Everett, WA 98204 - just off I-5 at the 128th Street exit on the northwest side of the interchange, sharing a parking lot with the Holiday Inn, La Quinta Inn, Kids Country Daycare, and the casino, about fifteen minutes from Bothell.
The auditorium will seat about 700 adults with dedicated space for kids and student ministries. Projected opening is December 2026, with the church noting that construction timelines are held "with an open hand." Construction updates from 2026 describe tile installation, fresh paint and carpet in kids' classrooms, exterior prep work, and stage framing in the auditorium.
Jon Walker has been selected as South Everett Campus Pastor, providing consistent leadership while remaining part of the church's unified elder team and preaching rotation. Both campuses will share a single teaching schedule, Scripture readings, and worship direction, with the same kids and student curriculum. Membership will remain one church family across both locations. All staff offices will stay in Bothell for the foreseeable future, and midweek ministries - Life Groups, Women's Ministry, Men's Ministry, Counseling, Damascus House, etc. - will continue to be based at Bothell until the South Everett congregation is large enough to justify expansion. Bothell will continue to operate all five Sunday services after launch.
The stated purpose is not to spread the Canyon Hills brand but to "reach more people for Jesus" - planting the same biblical teaching, ministry values, and church culture in a new community rather than starting an autonomous church. Members are being invited to consider attending or serving at the new campus to "create space across both campuses to continue making more and better disciples."
What Canyon Hills Believes
The theology page lays out a thorough doctrinal statement written and signed by the elders. Canyon Hills teaches that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is the inerrant, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, and that all sixty-six books are to be taken literally except where obviously figurative. God is one being in three coequal, distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, born of the virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death, rose bodily on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return bodily to judge the living and the dead.
The church holds to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in the work of Christ alone. Believers are chosen, regenerated, justified, adopted, sanctified, eternally secured, and ultimately glorified. The Bible teaches both original sin and individual sin, and humans are unable to come to God through their own effort. The ordinances of baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper are practiced; baptism is reserved for professing believers (not infants) and communion is open to any Christian present.
Church leadership is reserved for qualified men in the offices of elder and pastor, while women are recognized as having significant leadership roles and equal value in Christ. Deacons, men and women, handle the practical needs of the body. The church teaches that marriage is between one biological man and one biological woman for life, that sexual intimacy belongs inside that covenant, and that God created two distinct and unchangeable biological embodiments of male and female. The elders hold that amillennialism, premillennialism, and postmillennialism all fall within the bounds of Christian orthodoxy.
Baptism, Membership, and Getting Connected
Baptism by immersion is described as "a privilege for believers, a demonstration of obedience in following Christ's example," signifying burial with Christ and resurrection to new life. A "Preparing for Baptism" class is required for elementary children eight and older and optional for middle and high schoolers. Pastor Graydon Cress oversees baptism ministry and responds to questions through baptism@chccbw.org.
Membership is a formal commitment to unity, accountability, and serving the body. Membership classes are held periodically at the Bothell campus and remain one shared commitment across both campuses. Members are expected to pursue a Life Group, find a place to serve, give sacrificially, and live out the church's mission statement.
Sunday Morning Practicalities
Services last about an hour. Kids from nursery through fifth grade have dedicated programming during every service, and middle school and high school ministries meet during the 12:30 and 5:30 services. Translation is available at the 12:30 p.m. service for attendees who need it. The Information Desk in the lobby is the first stop for lost and found; items are kept for six weeks before being donated. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Giving can be done in service, online through Pushpay, by mail, by text (text "CanyonHills" to 77977), by stock donation through a partnership with Charles Schwab, or through the church's mobile app. Designated funds support the General Fund, South Everett Campus, Food Bank, Community Outreach, Global Outreach, Global Partners, and Global Encounter Trip participants.
The Canyon Hills app is available in the Apple App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon App Store and keeps everything - sermons, registrations, giving, Life Group sign-ups, and the church calendar - in one place. Sermon audio and video, plus study guides for recent series, are posted online after each service.
A Door That Stays Open
Three decades in, Canyon Hills Community Church is still doing the same thing it set out to do in a junior-high gym in 1995: preach the Bible, worship Jesus, walk through life together in small groups, send the next generation to make more and better disciples, and look beyond its own walls to a neighborhood, a region, and a world that needs the gospel. The addition of a second campus, a deeper investment in biblical counseling, and a steady drumbeat of short-term mission teams are the current shape of that calling - the same mission, written larger.