An Indianapolis church built around a single phrase
Greater Northwest Baptist Church has stood on the northwest side of Indianapolis since 1983, growing from a handful of families meeting for home Bible studies into a 1,200-seat congregation on West 62nd Street. The church's motto, drawn from Paul's letter to the Philippians, is "Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel," and that phrase shapes everything from Sunday morning worship to Wednesday night Bible study to a wide circle of ministries for children, youth, adults, and seniors.
GNWBC is a conservative, Bible-believing Baptist congregation with a firm doctrinal foundation and a deep investment in its community. The church gathers twice on Sundays and once during the week for Bible study, supports missionaries across the world, and offers a robust set of resources online for people who cannot attend in person.
Sundays at 10:45 AM
Sunday School begins at 9:30 AM each Sunday morning, with classes for every age from the youngest children to senior adults. The Sunday Morning Worship service begins at 10:45 AM, with congregational singing, prayer, and expository preaching from the senior pastor. The service is open to anyone who wishes to attend, and first-time guests are invited to use the church's online Plan Your Visit form to let the staff know they are coming. On the form, families with children ages six weeks through eleven years old can register their kids ahead of their first visit so the church can save them time at check-in.
Children's programming is available during the morning service, and a nursery and toddler ministry is staffed by volunteers who care for the youngest attendees. Junior Church offers a safe and nurturing environment in which each class features a video lesson, an activity sheet, a craft, and snacks. On the first Sunday of each month, children receive a free take-home study bag with all the materials from that day's class so they can continue learning at home.
Midweek, Wednesday Night Bible Study meets at 7:00 PM and is open to anyone who wants to dig into the Word. Like Sunday morning worship, Wednesday Bible Study is also available online through Zoom for those who cannot be there in person.
A vision of striving together
GNWBC's purpose is rooted in the Great Commission. Members seek to serve as a church home for believers in the general geographic area, to conduct services for the worship of God, to edify members, to administer the church's ordinances, and to accept and fully implement the Great Commission as expressed in Matthew 28:19-20. The congregation strives "with one mind" for the faith of the gospel, in keeping with Philippians 1:27.
The church's mission statement reads: "Greater Northwest Baptist Church is a body of believers who glorify God and openly teach and preach the Word of God by providing a loving, caring and nurturing environment in which individuals come to know and accept Jesus Christ. We strive to help others strengthen their personal relationship with God through studying God's Word, service, ministry to youth, adults and families so they may grow into a mature faith and be ambassadors for Christ to the world."
The vision is captured in a single phrase displayed prominently on the church's materials: "Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel," taken from Philippians 1:27. That phrase is the church's rallying point and the theme that ties its many ministries together.
What GNWBC believes
GNWBC describes itself as conservative and Bible-believing, holding to the historic fundamentals of the Christian faith. Members take the Bible literally and stand opposed to all who deny its central, basic doctrines, anchored in Jude 3. The doctrinal statement includes the following affirmations:
- The verbal inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21; John 10:25)
- The virgin birth and deity of Christ (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-19)
- The veracity of supernatural miracles (Matthew 12:40; John 20:30-31)
- The vicarious, substitutionary blood atonement of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:5-6; Hebrews 9:12)
- The victorious bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-17; Romans 1:4-5; Acts 1:9)
- The visible, imminent, personal return of Christ to earth (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Titus 2:13)
- A commitment to live holy, clean lives separated unto God from sin and worldliness (2 Corinthians 7:1; Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17)
- Separation as a church from false teachers, heresy, apostasy, compromise, and disobedient brothers (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 John 9-11; Titus 3:10; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; Romans 16:17; Matthew 18:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11)
The church has also adopted a Statement of Faith and a church covenant, which members affirm as part of their walk together. The church's Gospel page walks seekers through the Romans Road, with verses such as "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9).
From seven families to a 1,200-seat sanctuary
Greater Northwest Baptist Church has its roots in 1982, when door-to-door religious surveys on the northwest side of Indianapolis revealed that many area residents were either unchurched or inactive in their present churches. In January 1983, several families began meeting for home Bible studies. As they continued meeting, those families became interested in starting a new church to serve their neighborhood.
Greater Northwest was started in April 1983 by a team of seven families connected with Baptist Bible College of Indianapolis and the northwest side of the city. The founding families were Pastor Claude (Annie) Robinson, Bro. and Sis. Jimmie (Quester) Adams, Bro. and Sis. Milton and Jeraline Dickerson, Mr. and Mrs. Richard (Carolyn) Gooder, Rev. and Sis. Frank (Mare) Stone, Rev. and Mrs. Phillip (Brenda) Taylor, and Arlo and Diana Dickerson.
The new church was a goal of Dr. James Wells, pastor of Zion Hope Baptist Church, where Pastor Robinson had served as the assistant pastor for five years, and was co-sponsored by the Bible College. The inaugural service was held on April 24, 1983, at St. Monica Catholic School, 6131 North Michigan Road, with 190 in attendance. At an organizational meeting on June 5, 1983, twenty-seven voting-age adults constituted themselves as a New Testament Baptist Church and called Claude Robinson as Pastor. The membership drive ended in July 1983 with 43 charter members. The early church set aside funds for the purchase of land on which to build, and in 1985 the church purchased three acres of land from Mr. Ken Starkey for $4,500, with Mr. Starkey donating three additional acres.
After meeting at St. Monica's School until 1985, and then at the fellowship hall of Zion Hope Baptist Church at 46th and Arlington, the church completed its first building phase in January 1987. That 4,000-square-foot facility included a small worship room seating 125, a sound room, restrooms, a nursery, four small classrooms, and a foyer. Pastor Wells preached at the dedication services on April 22, 1987, and in September 1987, he went home to be with the Lord.
Phase II expanded the building by an additional 6,000 square feet for a total of 10,000 square feet and was completed in 1997 on the church's fourteenth anniversary. The original worship area was divided into a junior church room and additional classrooms. The growing congregation soon needed more space, and an 8:00 AM service was added to accommodate the membership.
Phase III was a massive undertaking for a congregation of less than 350 members. Ground was broken in October 2004 for an additional 30,000 square feet that would include a new sanctuary and balcony with a combined seating capacity of 1,200, a spacious pulpit with choir seating and baptistery, dressing areas with bathrooms, communion kitchen, laundry room, administrative wing with the church office, a pastoral suite and garage, conference room, library, choir room and office, state-of-the-art audio/visual system, usher room, coat room, expanded parking, and twenty classroom and multi-purpose areas. In January 2005, the first service was held in the new sanctuary, and the early worship service was no longer needed.
In April 2021, GNWBC further expanded its grounds by purchasing the home and property adjacent to the church. The result is a campus with sanctuary, fellowship hall, classrooms, library, conference room, choir room, administrative offices, and ample parking, all designed to support ministries from cradle to senior adulthood.
Three shepherds over four decades
Founding Pastor Claude B. Robinson shepherded the church for more than three decades. He announced his retirement in December 2014 and officially retired in December 2015 after a year of festivities and celebrations, though he continued in leadership until a successor was called. During the interim, Rev. Larry Terry served as Interim Pastor.
A Search Committee conducted a nationwide search, and in August 2016, Rev. Cory A. Rogers of Park Avenue Missionary Baptist Church in Riverside, California, was accepted by majority vote as the second senior pastor. He preached his first sermon on October 2, 2016, and was installed on November 5, 2016. His tenure ended on May 4, 2019, following a majority vote by the congregation to terminate his contract.
In November 2021, the church elected Pastor Keith S. Hackett and First Lady Tanisha of Greater Salem Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, as the third senior pastor and First Lady. Pastor Hackett preached his first sermon as pastor-elect on November 14, 2021. His installation was celebrated over the weekend of January 14-16, 2022, with a Prayer Breakfast, an Installation Banquet, and an Installation Service on Sunday, January 16, 2022.
Pastor Hackett served faithfully as Senior Pastor of Greater Salem Baptist Church for sixteen years before coming to GNWBC. Before that, he served as Director of Thurmond Coleman Sr.'s Family Life Center for First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, Kentucky. In Louisville, he was active in community and civic life, including as a recurring speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a Life Member of the NAACP, an officer and member of the Louisville Urban League Youth Professionals, an officer and member of the Baptist Fellowship Center Board, and the Dean of Education for the J. L. Roberts School of Religion.
Pastor Hackett is bi-vocational. He has served as a Senior Executive in the Louisville Metro Government for many years, currently as Facilities Manager for Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District, where he has managed million-dollar budgets and supervised hundreds of people. He is an alumnus of Ball State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, and he has completed coursework toward a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Counseling at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.
First Lady Tanisha R. Hackett, a former Indianapolis resident and member of GNWBC, has served alongside him in ministry and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in Computer Information Systems from Indiana Institute of Technology (1995) and a Master's Degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development from the University of Louisville, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude on May 8, 2021, and received the R. Wayne Pace Human Resources Educational Research Award. She serves as a Financial Coordinator for the University of Louisville Department of Surgery.
Other ministers who serve at GNWBC include Rev. Ezekiel Jackson, Rev. Curtis Moss, Rev. Robert Murff, Rev. Claude Robinson Sr., and Rev. Larry Terry, Jr. The deacons include Richard Smith, Ronie Griffin, and Marvin Foster. Trustees include McKinley Jones, Steve James Sr., Claude Robinson Sr., Dan Gilbert, and Henry Reed.
Ministries for every stage of life
GNWBC's ministries are organized into five major groupings: Church Administration Ministries, Christian Education Ministries, Fellowship Ministries, Outreach Ministries, and Worship Ministries. Each grouping touches a different facet of congregational life, and the leadership team includes dozens of ministry leaders across the church.
Children, youth, and Christian education
Jr Church provides a safe and nurturing environment for children. Each class features a video lesson, an activity sheet, a related craft, and snacks. On the first Sunday of each month, children receive a free take-home study bag with all the materials from that day's class so they can continue learning at home. Special events include Nights of Faith, Family, and Fellowship, and Vacation Bible School, a three-evening summer program held for children in the community with lessons, treats, games, science and crafts, music, and verse memorization.
The Christian Education Department coordinates Sunday School for all ages, with the stated mission to facilitate the equipping of every saint at GNWBC by providing biblically based instruction through trained and capable teachers. Departments include Sunday School, the New Member's Class, Children's Church, Women's Small Group Bible Study, Adult Bible Study, and Word of Life, a youth Bible study. Adult Christian Education classes and the New Members class round out the offerings.
Youth and Teen ministry, led by Sis. Joy Murff, includes Wednesday night youth gatherings and annual events designed to engage young people in fellowship, discipleship, and mission.
Women of Faith
Women of Faith is the women's ministry of GNWBC, led by First Lady Tanisha Hackett. The ministry serves women eighteen and older and gathers for one-on-one discipling, visitation, meals at times of need, Bible study, and regular events including the Mother-Daughter Banquet, the Women's Retreat, the Thanksgiving Brunch, and the Christmas Brunch. The ministry is grounded in 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12 and emphasizes prayer, Bible study, and the mutual encouragement of women as they grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Men's Fellowship
The Men's Fellowship, led by Bro. McKinley Jones, gathers men eighteen and older around topics relevant to a man's walk with Christ, including his role as a man of God, his role in the church, his role to his wife, his role to his children, his role to money, his role to work, and his role to society. The ministry is built on 2 Timothy 2:1-2 and seeks to support, encourage, and build up men in the knowledge and wisdom of Christ Jesus.
Couples Fellowship
The Couples Fellowship, led by Steve and Sherrie James, exists to equip married and engaged couples to study and learn the Bible, apply it to daily living, and be accountable to one another through fellowship. Its core commitments include building stronger relationships between husbands and wives, building stronger relationships with other couples, building stronger relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ, and honoring the marriage covenant.
Senior Saints and One Accord Singles
Senior Saints, led by Annette Smith and Ruth Edwards, provides fellowship and care for older adults. One Accord Singles gathers unmarried adults for fellowship, encouragement, and spiritual growth. Together, both ministries ensure that every stage of adult life has a place to belong at GNWBC.
Worship and music
Worship ministries at GNWBC include Audio Visual, Usher, Hall Monitor, Music, Praise Dance Team, Nursery and Toddler, Baptismal, and Lord's Supper teams. Together these teams serve the Sunday morning gathering and special services throughout the year. The music ministry includes adult, teen, and junior choirs.
Reaching the wider community
GNWBC's outreach ministries extend the church's care beyond its own walls. The Missionary ministry, led by Rev. Robert Murff, oversees the church's support of missionaries across the world and Crossroads Bible College (formerly Baptist Bible College), a relationship that dates to the church's founding in 1983. The Homeless ministry, led by Rev. Curtis Moss, cares for those in the community without stable housing. The Convalescent Home ministry, with Rev. Robert Murff as overseer, visits and ministers to residents of local care facilities.
Other outreach ministries include the Library, the Virtual Outreach Ministry, the Evangelism Ministry, the Care Package ministry, the Healthcare ministry, the Prison ministry, the Transportation ministry, and the Newsletter. The Evangelism Ministry exists to obey the three-fold mandate of the risen Lord: to evangelize, "Go and make disciples of all nations"; to enlist into the local church, "Baptizing them"; and to educate in the Word of God, "Teaching them to observe all." Rev. Curtis Moss has been a regular speaker at community events, including chapel services for the Indiana State Wrestling Association Folkstyle wrestling tournament at Warren Central High School.
The church also operates a care ministry for college students, armed service members, relocated members, and senior housing residents. Service ministries include shepherding, benevolence and watch care, social activity and welcome committee, budget, finance, hall monitor, baptism, communion, audio/visual, tutoring, and transportation committees.
Yearly rhythms of ministry
Yearly events bring the GNWBC family together throughout the calendar. Vacation Bible School, held over the summer for three evenings, invites children in the community for a full program of lessons, treats, games, science and crafts, music, and verse memorization. The African American History Celebration, the Mother-Daughter Brunch, the Father-Son Brunch, the Sweetheart Banquet, the Women's Retreat, the Annual Church Picnic, the Week of Prayer, the Mission's Conference, and the Church Anniversary are all part of the rhythm that ties the congregation together.
The Birth of the King workshop series
GNWBC regularly hosts a workshop series based on John MacArthur's study, "The Birth of the King." The series walks through the first two chapters of Matthew's Gospel in eight sessions, covering the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17), the virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-25), the visit of the wise men (Matthew 2:1-3, 2:4-12, 2:13-15, and 2:16-23), and the prophecies fulfilled at Bethlehem, in Egypt, at Ramah, and in Nazareth. The series is offered on Saturday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 AM and is open to anyone who registers.
Online and on demand
For those who cannot attend in person, GNWBC offers multiple ways to participate from home. The Sunday Morning Worship service at 10:45 AM, Sunday School at 9:30 AM, and Wednesday Night Bible Study at 7:00 PM are all accessible via Zoom, with a Meeting ID and passcode provided on the church's Virtual page. Sermon audio is posted on the church's YouTube channel, where a sermon library going back several years is available. Junior Church lessons and activity worksheets can be downloaded for at-home learning, and there is a dedicated Virtual Outreach Ministry staffed by Sis. Linda Robinson, Jacqui Miller, and Valerie Smith.
Giving is available online through the church's giving portal, and prayer requests can be submitted through the Need Prayer page. Monthly Updates, archived back several years, are posted in PDF form so members and friends can stay current on the life of the congregation.
Plan your visit
GNWBC meets at 3402 W 62nd St, Indianapolis, IN 46268, on the northwest side of the city. Sunday School begins at 9:30 AM, Sunday Morning Worship begins at 10:45 AM, and Wednesday Night Bible Study begins at 7:00 PM. Children's programming is available during the morning service for children ages six weeks through eleven years, and the Plan Your Visit form on the church's page allows first-time guests to register their visit in advance, register their children, and request a personal call from a staff member before they arrive.
For more information, the church can be reached by phone at (317) 299-9244 or by email at admin@gnwb.org. The church is active on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where sermons, announcements, and event highlights are posted regularly.