On a wooded stretch of Hickory Ridge Road in Highland Township, Cornerstone Church has been gathering people from across northern Oakland County and the surrounding bedroom communities of White Lake, Milford, Hartland, Fenton, Holly and Brighton for four decades. Pastors Tim and Rhonda Forsthoff moved to Highland and became the senior pastors of Cornerstone Church in 1985 with the conviction that people are designed to make a difference in this world and can leave a worthy legacy long after they are gone. What began under their leadership has grown into a multi-generational congregation whose tagline reads simply, "a life-giving church in Highland, MI."
Sunday Mornings at Hickory Ridge
Sunday is the rhythm of Cornerstone. The doors open twice: a 9 AM service and an 11 AM service, each running about an hour and a half. Worship is contemporary and inspirational, paired with a Biblically based and relevant message. The 11 AM service is also livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook so that homebound viewers and far-flung family members can join in real time.
A small, friendly team greets first-time guests at the door, shows them around, and walks them to a seat. No one is asked to stand up or be introduced from the stage, and there is no dress code. "Come in, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, and see if this is the church for you," the church tells new visitors. About thirty minutes before and after each service a café opens in the lobby for coffee, conversation and a slower pace between services.
Wednesdays Around the Word
Cornerstone keeps a second weekly gathering on Wednesday at 7 PM. The midweek service carries the same contemporary worship and teaching style as Sunday, and gives people who work weekends or travel a second touchpoint during the week. Children from four months through fifth grade attend Kids on the Rock, and middle and high school students head to the Ignited Center for their own service at the same hour.
During the annual 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting season in January, an extra prayer meeting is layered onto the Wednesday night gathering so that congregants can pray together in addition to the daily devotional rhythm.
Kids on the Rock
Cornerstone's children's ministry is called Kids on the Rock, and it serves infants through fifth grade at every Sunday service (9 and 11 AM) and again on Wednesday at 7 PM. The program is built around attention-getting object lessons, skits, games and Bible teaching that aims to help kids develop "a faith that sticks." Each classroom is staffed by background-checked and trained leaders.
The age breakdown is simple. Nursery covers four months through thirty-six months. Preschool covers age three through kindergarten. Elementary covers first grade through fifth grade. On a first visit, parents register at the Kids Check-In area and receive a parent tag with a security code. If a parent is needed during the service, the security code is displayed on the screens in the main sanctuary. By the second week, the same room and the same small group give kids the same familiar faces and leaders they will see week after week.
Ignited: The Youth Experience
Cornerstone's youth ministry, simply called Ignited, runs an unusually full schedule for middle and high school students. The base of the program is the Wednesday night service at 7 PM, where students gather in the Ignited Center for high-stakes games, worship, teaching and small-group time that goes deeper into the message.
On Sundays there are two additional touchpoints. Ignited AM happens on the third Sunday of each month during the 11 AM service; middle and high schoolers worship in the main sanctuary and are then dismissed to the Ignited Center for a fun game and a youth-targeted message. Ignited 678 is the weekly middle school option during the 11 AM, built for sixth, seventh and eighth graders.
The youth ministry describes its purpose plainly: "We help students walk in true potential and overcome pain and struggles. It's amazing to see students come here because they don't know what to do but then they find Jesus." Pastor Aaron Malmquist leads the ministry, with Kayla Lowery serving as youth administrator.
Champions for Every Ability
Cornerstone's Champions Ministry exists so that children, teens and adults with disabilities can be fully part of the church. Champions Club is a respite event that supports families both inside and beyond the church. The Buddy Ministry pairs a volunteer with a Champion on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings so that each child, teen or adult can connect relationally and spiritually with their appropriate ministry. Shine, a once-a-month discipleship class for Champions ages 18 and up, meets on the first Wednesday of every month for a meal, connection and Bible teaching. Jen Forsthoff, the church's worship leader, also directs Champions.
Families are welcomed with a student intake form for children four months through eighteen years, or a separate intake process for adult Champions, so that the team can prepare the right environment before the first visit.
The Young Adult First Friday
The Young Adult Ministry at Cornerstone is a community for believers eighteen and older that gathers in two rhythms. First, on the first Friday of every month at 7 PM, young adults meet at the church for a meal, teaching, worship and after-service hang out. Second, young adults are encouraged to join a Connect Group during the week, and several Connect Groups in the directory are specifically designed for the eighteen-and-older crowd, with meeting locations shared by text each month.
The ministry describes itself as developing "18+ God Followers" and meets on Sundays at 9 and 11 AM as well. Contact for the group is the church office at 248-887-4200.
Pearls & Steel and Princess Warrior
Women at Cornerstone have a long-running ministry called Pearls & Steel, led by Pastor Rhonda Forsthoff. The name captures the call of the women's ministry: "a beautiful and courageous commitment" to Christ. The Pearls & Steel team sends out a regular newsletter of encouragement and teaching.
Once a year the women's ministry hosts Princess Warrior, a two-day conference held on the Cornerstone campus. The seventeenth Princess Warrior is scheduled for November 6 and 7 and carries the theme "Courageous Devotion. Courageous Commitment. She Never Turns Back." Friday night opens with a 7 PM service followed by an after party. Saturday morning starts with a continental breakfast at 9 AM, with a separate Lead Pastor's Wives Breakfast in the Pastor's Reception Room from 9:00 to 9:50 AM for women who serve alongside their husbands in ministry. The main Saturday session runs from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. Speakers for Princess Warrior 17 are Pastor Hannah Ouellette of Thrive Church and FLOURISH in Denver, and Karen Wheaton, the founder of The Front Porch and The Ramp in Hamilton, Alabama. Tickets are sold at the door for $25.
Connect Groups Across the Week
Connect Groups are the connective tissue of life at Cornerstone. The directory organizes groups by the day of the week they meet, with home locations scattered across Highland, Holly, White Lake, Milford, Hartland, Fenton and Brighton. Groups are mixed by season of life and topic rather than by neighborhood, so newcomers can find a group that matches their interests.
A few examples from the current directory: a co-ed Hope in the Storm group that meets Sunday evenings in Holly; a First Steps in the Faith group with childcare that meets Sunday evenings in Highland; a Moms in Prayer group for mothers of all ages that meets Monday evenings; a women's Wedding Crashers study and a women's Gospel Mom coffee that both meet on Tuesdays; a verse-by-verse Hebrews study led by women on Thursday mornings at the Milford Library; a multigenerational Kingdom Singles group for singles ages 30 and older that meets Friday evenings; a men's study of Twelve Ordinary Men that meets on Saturdays in Brighton; and an evangelism outreach called The Ultimate Treasure Hunt that meets on selected Saturdays in White Lake. A GriefShare support group also meets on Tuesday evenings in Holly.
Two ongoing outreach groups meet on multiple days each week. The Nursing Home Outreach visits residents in Howell, Brighton and Milford on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, singing and praying with the elderly and welcoming families with children. The Champions Bus Ministry picks up kids and students from four neighborhoods for Wednesday night programming.
Bus Ministry: Pickup, Worship, Drop Off
Cornerstone operates a free Bus Ministry that transports children and students to church for Wednesday night programming. The flow is simple. First, a team visits the family at home between Saturday and Tuesday to build the relationship. Then on Wednesday evening, a bus picks up kids between 6 and 6:45 PM, brings them to the church, and returns them home between 8:45 and 9:15 PM.
Once at the church, first-through-fifth-graders join Kids on the Rock and sixth-through-twelfth-graders join Ignited, where they take part in games, worship, teaching and small groups. The bus currently runs to four pickup areas: Meadow Lake in White Lake Charter Township, Cider Mill Crossings in Fenton, Oak Hill in Holly and Highland Greens on North Milford Road in Highland Charter Township.
Renewing Hope Outreach
Cornerstone's Renewing Hope outreach, led by Pastor Lucas Forsthoff, is a public-facing ministry for people who feel alone, stuck, anxious or weighed down. The ministry publishes a shareable graphic that church members can post on social media to invite friends and family to a service, and it points visitors toward three sermons that address emotional health and a lifetime of peace. The tagline of the ministry is direct: "Jesus is your answer to your loneliness, He is the reason for living. Only Jesus can give true and lasting HOPE."
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Each January the entire church enters a 21-day season of prayer and fasting built around the theme "Treasure Hunters," anchored in Matthew 13:44. Daily devotionals are available for all twenty-one days, written by Pastors Tim, Lucas and Rhonda Forsthoff and other staff. The prayer teaching covers the Personal Prayer Guide, the Tabernacle Prayer model, the Prayer of Jabez, the Lord's Prayer, Praying Scripture, Warfare Prayers, the ACTS prayer model and a prayer journal for kids.
In addition to the daily devotions, the season adds in-person prayer meetings on Wednesdays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 9 AM and Sundays at 8:10 AM during the three weeks. Congregants can also submit prayer requests online, with the option to keep a request confidential or share it with the Prayer Team. The church encourages four classic fasts during the season: a Selective Fast (such as the Daniel Fast), a Partial Fast (the Jewish-style morning-and-afternoon fast), a Complete Fast (water and light juices) and a Soul Fast (a non-food fast from something like social media or television).
Resources for younger members are part of the season too. 21 Days For Kids is a family-friendly reading plan that pairs devotional content with hands-on activities for preschoolers, elementary and middle-schoolers. 21 Days For Teens is a separate YouVersion plan aimed at ambitious teens who want to change their relationship with God.
Walking In His Word on the Radio and Podcast
Cornerstone's teaching extends beyond the church building through a daily radio spot called Walking In His Word, hosted by Pastor Tim Forsthoff and broadcast Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 10:15 AM on WMUZ 103.5 FM in Detroit. The same teaching is available as a podcast of the same name, and messages from Sunday services are archived on the church's YouTube channel and on Apple Podcasts.
Starting Point and the Dream Team
People who want to make Cornerstone their church home are invited to Starting Point, a three-step course that introduces the church's beliefs, leadership and governance, helps each person identify their personality and spiritual gifts, and walks them into a leadership track. After Starting Point, congregants can join a Dream Team serve opportunity in one of several areas: Nursery, Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Greeters, Ushers, Media and Worship.
Water baptism by immersion is also a next step offered to believers in sixth grade and up, celebrated publicly as a declaration of inward faith.
What Cornerstone Believes
Cornerstone's published statement of faith is anchored in classic evangelical doctrines. The church believes in one God who exists in three equal persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It confesses that Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of humanity, rose again on the third day, ascended to the Father's right hand and will return again in power and glory.
The Holy Spirit is described as the promise of the Father, given at Pentecost, who empowers believers and manifests Himself through a variety of spiritual gifts for the building up of the church. The Bible is held to be the inspired and infallible Word of God, the final authority on all doctrinal truth. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works. The church is described as the Body of Christ with a divine calling to fulfill the Great Commission. Cornerstone also teaches the virgin birth, the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, repentance, the present reality of sanctification through the Holy Spirit, the reality of heaven and hell, and the physical, visible return of Jesus Christ to establish His Kingdom.
Leadership
Cornerstone is led by Pastors Tim and Rhonda Forsthoff, the senior pastors who have served the church since 1985. Their son Lucas Forsthoff serves as executive pastor and oversees the Renewing Hope outreach. Jen Forsthoff directs Champions and leads worship alongside Music Minister Rob Pitera. Aaron Malmquist is the youth pastor, with Kayla Lowery as youth administrator. Rochelle Eriksen leads Children's Ministry as children's minister, with Rebecca Brown as assistant children's minister. Pastor Steve Kazer provides pastoral care, Preston Crum directs the intern program and oversees media, and Jason Allmen leads IT, media and production. Sue Spence is the church administrator and Jen Lukas serves as secretary.
Visiting Cornerstone
The church building sits at 4995 N Hickory Ridge Rd in Highland, Michigan, with easy access from M-59 and a quick drive from neighboring towns. Sunday services are at 9 and 11 AM, Wednesday service is at 7 PM, and the 11 AM Sunday service is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. Dress is casual, kids from four months through fifth grade have their own programming during every service, and first-time guests are welcomed but never put on the spot. Generosity is supported through online giving, text-to-give at 73256 with the keyword give2cch, and traditional offering envelopes in the pews.