Five Oaks Church has served the east metro from its campus on Radio Drive in Woodbury for more than 30 years. Affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America, the congregation holds four weekend services, runs a robust children's and student ministry, walks adults through an eight-week journey called the Story of God, and supports a growing network of small groups across the suburbs. From the same roof, the church is also planting Oaks Church, a slow-plant congregation that meets at Oltman Middle School in Cottage Grove, with the goal of becoming an autonomous church in the coming years.
Worship Gathered on Saturdays and Sundays
Five Oaks gathers four times each weekend at 4416 Radio Drive in Woodbury. Saturday services are held at 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm, and Sunday services at 9:00 am and 10:45 am. Each service moves through a similar rhythm that the church describes as walking through the movements of the Gospel together: opening worship, Scripture reading, a sermon, and a time of response. Tom Vang serves as worship pastor, training and equipping vocalists and instrumentalists who lead the congregation with a full band. ASL interpretation is coordinated for each service so that deaf and hard-of-hearing attenders can worship alongside everyone else.
First-time guests can pre-register their kids online and request a personal host who will meet them at the door, walk them through the building, and help with check-in. The Acorn Café serves coffee and continental breakfast items on weekend mornings. The pastoral team's only expectation about what guests wear is that they come as they are.
Five Oaks Kids and the Retreat
Five Oaks Kids is the church's ministry for children from birth through fifth grade. Age-appropriate classrooms meet at every weekend service, with lessons prepared in advance by the staff so that volunteer teachers don't have to do their own prep. Volunteers must be 18 to lead a classroom, sixth grade or older to assist, and at least 13 to serve in the nursery. Every volunteer has passed a background check. Kids' ministry director Kelly Bauman partners closely with parents, walking them through every phase of their child's spiritual life alongside the rest of the staff.
Alongside Five Oaks Kids is the Retreat, the church's special needs ministry. Retreat serves children, students, and adults with disabilities during the Sunday 10:45 am service and on Wednesday evenings. After a family interview and intake form, the staff builds a personalized plan that may include one-on-one support, a buddy, or a customized curriculum. The church considers Retreat a central part of its calling to welcome every person, regardless of ability or background.
Students on Wednesday Nights
Five Oaks Students is the ministry for middle and high schoolers, and Wednesday nights are its heartbeat. Middle school meets from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and high school from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, with overlap time built in so the two groups can connect across grades. The night includes large-group worship, teaching, and small groups divided by age and gender, all led by adult volunteers who are trained and coached by the staff. Special needs support is available so that students with disabilities can participate fully alongside their peers.
Kyler Albert leads the student ministry team, with Cody Baader focused on high schoolers and Dan Eggum on middle schoolers. Mindy Wissink runs programming and Brooke Ramsey handles the logistics. The ministry aims at three connections: students to God, students to community, and students to godly adults who will invest in them well beyond high school.
The Story of God Class
The flagship discipleship offering at Five Oaks is the Story of God class, an eight-week guided journey through the Bible that helps participants see the sweep of Scripture as one connected narrative from creation to new creation. Each weekly session runs about an hour and is led in a cohort with discussion and questions. The class is designed for anyone investigating Christianity, new believers, long-time Bible readers looking for a fresh framework, or leaders wanting to grow. Graduates consistently describe the experience as taking them from feeling overwhelmed by the Bible to understanding how it all fits together.
Story of God is also the on-ramp to church membership. After completing the class, members are invited into a Membership Class and from there into the life of the congregation. Alongside Story of God, Five Oaks offers a wide range of adult studies through the year, from Financial Peace University to Pure Desire groups to weekday Bible studies for men and women.
Small Groups Across the Twin Cities
Small groups sit at the center of how Five Oaks makes disciples. Most groups meet in homes one to three times a month, work through the Bible and the previous weekend's sermon, share a meal, and pray for one another. The Small Groups team, led by director Steve Johnson, walks newcomers through the process of finding a fit. Promises to first-time group joiners include: you'll be guided step by step, you can try as many groups as you want, you won't have to pray out loud unless you want to, and you will grow spiritually as you connect with God and new friends.
Small groups also serve as the on-ramp to serving. The Impact Ministry connects church members with local partners, and many small groups adopt a local partner as one of their rhythms. Opportunities include serving at Open Cupboard (an emergency food shelf), the Union Gospel Mission (housing and shelter), Hearts and Hammers (home repair), the Dorothy Day Center (meals), and KidsHope USA (one-on-one mentoring at Woodbury Elementary).
Women's Ministry
Women's ministry at Five Oaks is built around studies, a monthly TABLE gathering, and special events through the year. Studies run on multiple days: a Wednesday morning session with several book options, plus Monday evening, Tuesday evening, and Thursday evening studies that meet in homes or at the church. Childcare is provided for Wednesday mornings through the Sprouts program, and many studies pair a workbook or reading plan with weekly teaching and discussion.
TABLE meets once a month on a Wednesday morning for a shared meal and guided conversation, with childcare available when registered in advance. The ministry also runs a winter retreat, a chronic illness support group that meets the first Monday of each month, and Pure Desire groups for women navigating sexual brokenness, in partnership with Pure Desire Ministries. Women new to Five Oaks are encouraged to email the women's ministry team to find the right fit.
Journeymen: Men's Ministry
The men's ministry at Five Oaks is called Journeymen, with the tagline, Every man deserves a roadmap. Journeymen meets in two weekly settings: Saturday mornings from 7:00 to 8:15 am at the Five Oaks campus, and Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:45 pm at East Ridge High School. The group works through studies of books of the Bible and other topics relevant to men at every stage of life, with men ranging in age from 20 to 70. Newcomers don't have to pray out loud, can miss without guilt, and are paired with someone who can show them the ropes.
Journeymen also runs Radical Mentoring, a nine-month program (September through May) that pairs each man with a mentor for intentional spiritual formation. Pure Desire groups for men are also available through the church for those dealing with sexual brokenness. The men's ministry team can be reached at men@fiveoakschurch.org for information about Journeymen, mentoring, or recovery groups.
Young Adults and Pre-Marriage
Young adults at Five Oaks are served by two distinct groups. The Young Adults Group, for ages 18 to 24, meets on Sunday evenings at 6:00 pm at the church, engaging in age-appropriate conversations about the Bible, relationships, college and work, and the transition into adulthood. The Young Professionals Group, for singles and married couples in their mid-to-late 20s and 30s, gathers for quarterly social events such as mini-golf outings, bonfires, and other activities offsite.
Couples preparing for marriage can take part in the church's PreMarriage process, which uses the Prepare and Enrich assessment and includes meeting with a mentoring couple six times before the wedding. The process is recognized by the state of Minnesota, and couples who complete it qualify for a discount on their marriage license. Pastors at Five Oaks also officiate weddings for church members.
Impact: Local and Global
The Impact Ministry is Five Oaks' missions arm, led by director Dave Baar. Locally, the church partners with a network of organizations that serve neighbors in need: Open Cupboard for food, the Union Gospel Mission for housing, the Dorothy Day Center for meals, Hearts and Hammers for home repair, and KidsHope USA for mentoring at Woodbury Elementary. Each partner addresses a different facet of need in the Twin Cities, and church members can plug in through one-time service projects or ongoing volunteer roles.
Globally, Five Oaks supports missionaries serving in Spain, Nigeria, and through Filter of Hope, a clean water and gospel ministry that runs short-term mission trips. The church also runs its own Foster and Adopt Ministry (FAM), which supports foster and adoptive families through a freezer meal program, a pantry bag ministry, and family-friendly events. Monthly missionary prayer gatherings happen between Sunday services at 10:15 am.
Worship, Hospitality, and Family Resources
Worship at Five Oaks is shaped by the conviction that gathered worship and everyday life are connected. The worship ministry is led by Tom Vang, with Jared Doran directing production and technology across all weekend services. Musicians and vocalists audition to join the team, and tech volunteers (sound, media, video) are trained by the staff. Communion is celebrated regularly and prepared and served by volunteers.
Beth Harmening leads the Connections team, which includes greeters, ushers, the concierge team that welcomes first-time guests, the Acorn Café, and the security team. These volunteers help every guest feel seen and welcomed. The Family Resource Center offers curated resources for parents, and the church runs regular parenting events. Milestone Classes coach parents through the key events of their child's spiritual journey, including Kids Baptism, Family Dedication, and Student Baptism classes.
A Statement of Faith
Five Oaks is a member church of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), and the church's Statement of Faith aligns with the EFCA's doctrinal commitments. The statement is built around ten core convictions: belief in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the verbal inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture; the human condition of sin and the need for redemption through Jesus Christ; the person and work of Christ as fully God and fully man; the atoning sacrifice of the cross and resurrection as the only ground for salvation; the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, sanctification, and gifting; the church as the community of believers expressed in local congregations; Christian living marked by love, justice, and disciple-making; the personal, bodily return of Christ; and the final judgment with the hope of eternal life for believers and eternal conscious punishment for unbelievers.
The church practices two ordinances that visibly and tangibly express the gospel: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is offered for believers who have made a personal profession of faith, and the Lord's Supper is celebrated regularly as a way of remembering Christ's death and nourishing believers. The church affirms the verbal inspiration of Scripture and teaches that the Bible is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
Slow Planting Oaks Church in Cottage Grove
Five Oaks is in the early stages of a slow church plant called Oaks Church, which meets at Oltman Middle School in Cottage Grove. The plant is described as slow because it is intentionally designed to grow toward becoming an autonomous church, with its own leadership, finances, and ministry programming, while initially sharing staff, governance, and resources with Five Oaks. Cottage Grove was selected because it is one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the Twin Cities and because of its proximity to Woodbury, which makes shared ministries feasible during the early years.
Oaks Church launched with a single Sunday worship service at 10:15 am, including live worship, teaching, and kids' ministry. It will share Student, Men's, and Women's ministries with Five Oaks during the transition period. Henry Michael Williams serves as Lead/Campus Pastor, and the staff also includes Kayleigh Allred as Kids Ministry Director, Ariel Koning as Worship Director, and Jennifer Fair as Connections Director. The teaching rotation draws on preachers from Five Oaks alongside the Oaks Church team.
Governance and the Together Campaign
Five Oaks is led by Lead Pastor H. Henry Williams, supported by a Chief of Staff, a Campus Pastor, and a team of ministry directors. The Elders, a lay shepherding team, oversee the pastoral care of the congregation and ensure the ministries are scripturally sound. The Governing Board provides strategic counsel and oversight for the staff and ministries. Together, these groups steward the vision, mission, and direction of the church.
The Together Campaign is the church's current initiative to expand the reach of the Gospel. The campaign aims to retire a remaining building debt, fund the Oaks Church plant, and prepare Five Oaks for the next season of ministry. Members and attenders can give to the campaign as part of their regular giving. The campaign reflects the church's conviction that healthy churches plant healthy churches and that multiplication is more powerful than addition in the kingdom of God.
Getting Connected at Five Oaks
First-time guests at Five Oaks are encouraged to pre-register online so that their children's classes are ready and a host can meet them at the door. The Acorn Café, concierge team, and greeters are positioned to make the first visit easy. Those interested in deeper connection can sign up for a Pizza with the Pastors gathering, where Lead Pastor H. Henry Williams and other pastors answer questions over a free meal with childcare provided. The church also offers Story of God classes throughout the year as the on-ramp to membership.
The church's office is open during the week at 4416 Radio Drive, Woodbury, MN, and the phone number is 651-459-7485. Weekend services are streamed online, and sermons are available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms. The DailyLife devotional sends a short email Monday through Friday to help subscribers engage with the Bible mid-week. Small groups, Bible studies, men's and women's ministries, and youth programs all begin in September and run through the school year.