Christ Church gathers on Breton Road SE on the east side of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where it has served as a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) congregation devoted to a sovereign and gracious God. Two Sunday services anchor a calendar that runs from Sunday School for all ages through Wednesday night dinners, an adult choir rehearsal, a first-Saturday Sacred Harp gathering, and a Friday morning Bible study called the Friday Forge. The congregation orients its life around four emphases: a determined pursuit of the Gospel, diverse gospel-centered worship, intergenerational community, and the intersection of faith and life.
A Gospel-Shaped Sunday
Sunday worship at Christ Church centers on Biblical, expository preaching and teaching, the communion of the saints, and seeking the Lord in prayer. Two services meet at 8:30 and 11:15 AM, both running about 75 minutes. Each service is highlighted by a variety of forms and musical styles; the two are essentially the same, though a baptism or new-member welcome might appear at one service and not the other. Communion uses gluten-free bread and pasteurized grape juice. The current sermon series walks through 1 Peter, framed as standing in true grace.
What First-Time Visitors Find
Visitors are greeted in casual to business casual attire. Coffee, tea, and juice are available before and between services at no cost, and an usher or a member of the connect team can introduce you to others, give you a tour, help with checking children into nursery, or answer questions. A pre-visit plan-a-visit form is offered so that someone can meet you at the door.
Families with young children may keep them through the entire worship service (many treat the service as one of the most unifying times of their week), use the nursery for children three and under, or send their four- and five-year-olds to Christ Kids Worship during the sermon of the 8:30 service, where children learn about the elements of worship and liturgy before rejoining their families for the close of the service. Teenagers find Sunday School classes for all ages at 10:00 AM from September through May, with active youth ministry on Sunday evenings.
Accessibility Around the Building
In addition to handicapped parking, the lot has white-lined spaces reserved for those who would especially benefit from parking closer to the building, with no placard required. A handicap door button at the main entrance and multiple reserved spaces in the sanctuary accommodate wheelchair users and their companions. Large-print bulletins are available in the foyer, and assistive hearing devices are available in the sound booth at the back of the sanctuary. Ushers can direct anyone experiencing sensory sensitivity to a quiet space.
A Westminster Confession Church
Christ Church belongs to the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), an evangelical and Reformed denomination subscribing to the Westminster Standards. The congregation describes its identity in four points of emphasis: a determined pursuit of the Gospel through active preaching and community involvement; diverse gospel-centered worship highlighted by a range of melodies and styles; an intergenerational blend of young and old seeking mutual encouragement through retreats, communal meals, and small gatherings; and the application of faith to homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. The church seeks to live as a family of faith devoted to a sovereign and gracious God, expressing that devotion through the Gospel, the communion of the saints, and witness and service in Grand Rapids.
Sunday School for All Ages
Each Sunday during the school year, Sunday School classes meet at 10:00 AM for children beginning at age 2. The children's curriculum is designed to root students in God's Word, with each level building toward a well-rounded biblical education. Adult Institute classes offer 6-8 week electives designed to grow participants in the knowledge of God and His Word and to equip them for lifelong personal study. Recent offerings include Foundations of the Faith: Understanding the Times, a class that builds a framework for Biblical discernment and applies it to recent podcasts; First Things, an informal discussion about the church's theology, vision, and ministries designed for those curious about membership; a study of Leviticus; and a Sermon Response circle that processes the morning sermon together.
Children and Youth
The children's ministry is centered on Psalm 78: "We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord." Christ Kids Worship for 4- and 5-year-olds meets during the 8:30 service sermon. Sunday School runs during the school year for children beginning at age 2. On Wednesday nights, a family dinner from 5:45 to 6:25 PM is followed by Kids' Bible Club from 6:30 to 7:15 PM with games, music, and Bible content.
Youth ministry seeks to form students whose hearts are set on Christ, whose minds engage Scripture, who exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, who apply the gospel to every area of life, and who live with integrity and service. 56ers, for 5th and 6th grades, gather every other month during the school year. Junior High (7th and 8th grades) meets the first and third Sundays from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, with a shared meal with high schoolers from 5:00 to 5:30 PM. High School (9th-12th grades) also meets the first and third Sundays from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. A Bible study for grades 7-12 meets the second and fourth Sundays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Additional retreats and service opportunities run throughout the year.
Wednesday Nights at the Church
Wednesdays are built around a family dinner at 5:45 PM, preceded at 5:00 PM by children's choir for K-4th graders and the Youth Ensemble for 5th-8th graders, where children sing, learn Orff instruments, play percussion, handbells, and instruments they are learning at school. From 6:30 to 7:15 PM, prayer groups meet by age, with nursery provided for the youngest. The Adult Choir rehearses at 7:30 PM and welcomes singers of all parts and experience levels, high school and older. The Wednesday night meal and prayer time are framed by Acts 2:42, when the early believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.
College, Young Adults, Women, and Men
The College Age Ministry (CAM) brings together students from Calvin University, Cornerstone, Aquinas, Grand Valley, and others, partnering with Campus Outreach at Calvin and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Weekly rhythms include lunches after the second service, Wednesday nights with the wider church for dinner and prayer, Sunday nights at 8:00 PM for Bible study and games, and small groups.
SINKs and DINKs (Single Income, No Kids and Dual Income, No Kids) is a fellowship for those out of school and working without children. The group gathers once a month after the second service for a shared meal, with planned outings such as hiking the Saugatuck Dunes Trail.
Women's ministry focuses on enfolding one another in the life and work of the church, encountering God through Bible study and discipleship, and encouraging and equipping one another to grow in love. A 10-week Habakkuk study by Lydia Brownback meets Wednesdays at 9:00 AM (childcare available for newborns through Kindergarten) and at 4:00 PM, and Mondays at 7:00 PM. A Tuesday 10:00 AM study of 1 Corinthians runs in the fall. A maternity closet, a senior lunch on the third Tuesday of each month for women and men 55+, a meal ministry, and outdoor events round out the offerings.
Men's ministry provides Bible study, fellowship, and accountability. Studies meet Mondays at 7:00 PM in 1 Corinthians, Tuesdays at 7:00 AM in Isaiah at The Gathering Place restaurant, Wednesdays at 6:30 AM in 2 Kings over Zoom, and Thursdays at 7:00 PM in Acts at a post-college gathering called Nate's. The Friday Forge meets from 6:00 to 7:00 AM on the first, second, and third Fridays each month in the atrium with Pastor Andrew, working through the life of Moses. Three weekly breakfasts gather men at New Beginnings and Russ' Restaurant. The ministry points members to resources from Ligonier Ministries, the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, the Samson Society, and Covenant Eyes for accountability and growth.
C-Groups and Shape Note Singing
C-Groups are the church's small-group ministry, drawing on Acts 2:42-46: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Groups meet in homes to share life and apply the gospel in a more intimate gathering.
On the first Saturday of each month from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, a shape note singing group gathers in the early American tradition using the Sacred Harp hymnal. The singing is a cappella, with singers seated in a hollow square by section: trebles (sopranos), altos, tenors (who carry the melody), and basses. The notes of the scale each have a shape, and the group first "sings the shapes" and then the song. Coffee and sometimes a potluck follow, and singers new to the form are warmly welcome.
Local Outreach in Grand Rapids
Christ Church supports seven local ministries in the city. CarePortal matches church members with at-risk families to provide material and spiritual support so families can remain together in their own homes. David's House provides foster care in 10 homes for 71 people with special needs. Exalta Health operates free medical, dental, optical, and spiritual care clinics for low-income patients. Grace's Table offers meals, short-term housing, mentoring, counseling, and advocacy for teen moms. Mel Trotter Ministries provides shelter and food for those experiencing homelessness and supports families at risk of losing their homes. The Pregnancy Resource Center offers alternatives to abortion through counseling, education, and referrals. Wedgewood Christian Services provides housing and mental health and behavioral services for troubled youth and families.
The church also invests in church planting. Kevin Daane directs a Disability Coaching ministry, Engaging Disability with the Gospel. Ted and Ann Powers come alongside churches and presbyteries to resource church planting through the Midwest Alliance. Pathway Covenant Presbyterian Church in Brighton, Michigan, is a current church plant with Pastor Andrew Chesebro.
Global Missions
Christ Church supports 19 missionaries in 18 countries. Jeff and Meredith Barrett serve in Albania with church planting and evangelism. Alexey and Olesya Bannikov are establishing a second church plant in Kazakhstan. David and Liz Bhakharaj minister among the Indian Hindu and Muslim population in the United Kingdom. Rick and Christy Gascho have planted four churches in the Czech Republic and continue to serve in Prague while recruiting missionaries across Europe. David DeHaan works with Word Partners to equip pastors in 44 countries. Jae and Jesslyn Park are planting a church in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, near a US military base. Vasyl and Vika Agarkov serve with MTW in church planting in Ukraine. Daniel and Abby Eguiluz are Serge missionaries partnering with Peruvians to develop church leaders. Aaron and Cassie Gortmaker serve in Costa Rica, providing training and encouragement to pastors. Kuni Hotta serves with Christ Bible Seminary in Nagoya, Japan. Satoshi and Cally serve with MTW in Southern Europe to facilitate church planting movements. Emad and Michelle serve in Egypt in theological education. Confex and Mwai Makhalira lead the Malawi Reformation Network. Greg and Ingrid Orr minister in evangelism in Eastern Berlin. Nelly Vos serves with MTW in Marseille, France, using the arts in evangelism. Ramona and Thomas Webb serve in Papua New Guinea with local graduates to help establish businesses and train health workers.
Advocates for the Wounded and Abused
AWA (Advocates for the Wounded and Abused) is a three-person intake team offering confidential support to those facing sexual, emotional, physical, spiritual, or church-related abuse. Contact produces a response within 24 hours, or sooner if urgent. The ministry anchors itself in Luke 4:18, where Jesus says He has been anointed "to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free." Christ Church also points members to the Presbyterian Church in America's Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault report and a self-guided course at the Presbyterian Pew, treating abuse response as part of its identity as a PCA congregation.
A Welcome on the East Side
Located at 2500 Breton Road SE, Christ Church holds Sunday worship at 8:30 and 11:15 AM with Sunday School for all ages at 10:00 AM during the school year, and a weekly rhythm that includes Wednesday night meals, choir, and prayer; the Friday Forge men's Bible study; first-Saturday shape note singing; and intergenerational ministries from nursery through senior adults. Giving is available online and in person, sermons are accessible as a podcast, and the office can be reached at office@christchurchgr.org or (616) 949-9630.