Make, Mature, Mobilize on East G Avenue
Northeastern Baptist Church sits at 6536 East G Avenue on the east side of Kalamazoo, Michigan, drawing families and individuals from across the greater Kalamazoo area, including Hastings, Mattawan, Portage, Kalamazoo, and Parchment. The congregation is rooted in the Regular Baptist tradition and builds its identity around a simple three-word mission: make, mature, and mobilize. To make means sharing the gospel with as many people as possible. To mature means helping each person grow in their faith journey. To mobilize means serving neighbors in the church and community.
The church's stated values frame everything else. The members treasure the gospel of God, the exposition of the Bible, the fullness of Christ, the family of God, the priority of prayer, the offering of praise, truth over tradition, and the role of shepherds. Each value points back to a steady rhythm of faithful Bible teaching, gathered worship, and Christ-centered service.
Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Evenings
Sunday at Northeastern Baptist follows a steady two-meeting pattern. At 9:30 AM, Bible Class gathers students in ninth grade through adults for a teaching hour that includes a ladies' Bible study and a separate Bible elective at the same time. At 11:00 AM, the worship service fills the sanctuary with blended music led by Pastor Nathan Pierpont and expository preaching from Lead Pastor Mark Holeman, while children from the nursery through sixth grade attend age-appropriate ministries running concurrently.
Midweek, the focus shifts to the next generation. At 6:30 PM on Wednesdays, students in middle school and high school gather for Bible teaching, discussion, and game time. At 6:45 PM, Olympians meets for 1st through 6th graders during the school year, with Gopher Buddies (ages 4-5) meeting at the same time. Together, the Sunday Bible hour, the worship service, and the Wednesday programs form a weekly rhythm of Word, worship, and discipleship that has shaped the congregation.
Children's Ministry: Olympians, Gophers, and the Race for Jesus
Northeastern Baptist counts children as a great blessing from the Lord and takes the teaching of the next generation as one of its core callings. On Sunday mornings the children's wing offers three rooms. The Nursery welcomes newborns through age 2 in an atmosphere of love and laughter. The Preschool class, for ages 3 through kindergarten, opens each Sunday with songs, Bible memorization, crafts, and a Bible lesson. The Elementary class, covering 1st through 6th grade, builds the children's understanding of God's character and works through engaging Bible teaching, fun songs, and a variety of hands-on projects.
The Welcome Team greets each family and walks them through a check-in system used for safety and peace of mind. Every children's ministry volunteer has gone through background checks. On Wednesday evenings the Olympians program takes its name from an Olympic theme in which children can earn bronze, silver, and gold stickers as they memorize verses, do ministry, and spend daily time in God's Word. Younger siblings have their own track through Gopher Buddies, an evening filled with songs, puppets, games, and Bible lessons designed to instill a love for God and His Word in children ages 4 and 5.
Children are encouraged to develop a daily quiet time in God's Word, with a printed quiet time booklet published by Word of Life Student Ministries available as a sample for parents. The church also partners with Protect Young Eyes to help families navigate technology, screens, and the digital world with discernment.
Youth Ministry: Wednesdays, Retreats, and Mission Trips
Middle school and high school students meet at 6:30 PM on Wednesdays for a time of Bible teaching, discussion, and games. The youth workers aim to model and instruct students in how to know, love, and serve Christ during an important life stage.
Beyond the weekly meeting, students enjoy outdoor activities, game times, visits to church members' homes, a winter retreat, and summer camp. The youth ministry also runs mission trips on a two-year rotation. In one year the students stay in the local area to meet practical needs and share the gospel; in the alternating year they travel abroad to learn from experienced missionaries and to participate alongside them in ministry.
Adult Ministries and Small Groups
Adult life at Northeastern is built on small groups. These smaller communities meet in homes and at the church to help people know one another in a deeper, more meaningful way while studying the Bible together. The network includes groups for young adults, groups with children, groups for singles, and groups for couples, with the aim that there is a small group for everyone.
Several recurring touchpoints gather adults throughout the week. The Bible Elective meets at 9:30 AM on Sundays for high school students and adults, combining teaching with a time of prayer. A separate Ladies' Bible Study meets at the same hour, offering an in-depth Bible study and prayer time. On Friday mornings at 8:30 AM, men meet for a Men's Prayer Breakfast at a nearby restaurant to pray for the church and enjoy breakfast together. Twice a month the Sew Happy Stitchers gather to sew, quilt, knit, and crochet: meeting on the second Tuesday and the fourth Saturday. Ladies' events through the year include potlucks, make-and-take projects, and seasonal fellowships. Men also gather around the calendar for golf, basketball, and softball, while co-ed pickleball is a year-round sport.
Worship, Music, and the Pastoral Team
Northeastern's worship is described by the church itself as blended, combining a mix of musical styles that have long been a hallmark of the congregation. The 11:00 AM service is built around expository preaching of the Bible, congregational singing, and prayer.
The pastoral team is led by two men. Mark Holeman serves as Lead Pastor. He was born again and baptized at the age of 12, grew up in Christian schools, and felt a call to pastoral ministry through preaching, mission trips, and Evangelism Explosion. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Studies from Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, and later earned a Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Plymouth, Minnesota. Before coming to Kalamazoo in 2017, he served as Assistant Pastor of Youth and Outreach at Calvary Community Church in Northglenn, Colorado, and then as Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church in Newaygo, Michigan. Pastor Mark and his wife Jann have been married since 1993 and have three grown children.
Nathan Pierpont serves as Pastor of Worship and Congregational Care. He was born again during family devotions in the summer of 1972 and sensed a call to ministry from an early age. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Church Music from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and a Master of Ministry from Baptist Bible Seminary. He and his wife Jennifer married in 1992 and entered full-time ministry, serving as a youth pastor, church planter, and musician. For five years before joining Northeastern, the Pierponts traveled in a full-time concert ministry to churches across the Midwest. They came to Northeastern in 2002, and the church ordained Nathan to the gospel ministry in 2006. He and Jennifer have seven children.
Beliefs and What Is Taught
Northeastern Baptist holds to a detailed confession of faith that reflects its Regular Baptist heritage. The church teaches that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are verbally and plenarily inspired, infallible, and inerrant, and that the Bible is the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard for Christian conduct and belief. There is one living and true God, infinite in being, existing eternally in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - equal in every divine perfection and distinct in office within the work of redemption.
The church confesses the full deity and full sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, who died on the cross as a substitutionary payment for the unjust, was raised bodily, and now sits at the right hand of the Father as our high priest. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, who convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment, regenerates repentant sinners, indwells, sanctifies, comforts, and empowers believers.
Salvation is taught as wholly of grace, conditioned upon repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, with regeneration as an instantaneous new birth and justification as God's declaration of the believer's righteousness on the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ. The church teaches the eternal security of the believer, that those born again are sealed unto the day of redemption and can never be lost. The ordinances are believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, observed in remembrance of His death. The church also holds to a pretribulational rapture of the church, a literal seven-year tribulation, and a premillennial return of Christ to establish His kingdom.
On marriage and sexuality, the statement of beliefs is explicit. The church teaches that human gender is established by the Creator in two binary categories of male and female, that marriage is the joining of one man and one woman, that sexual intimacy is to be expressed only within the bonds of a Biblically defined marriage, and that marriage is only to be entered into with another believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the pastors and staff will only officiate weddings between one man and one woman who are both believers, and the facilities of the church will only host weddings that meet this definition.
Outreach: In Our Community, In Our Nation, Around the World
Northeastern Baptist is committed to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in the community, across the country, and around the world, and it does so through a network of ministry partnerships. In the local community, the church supports Alternatives of Kalamazoo, both financially and through participation in fundraising events, and partners with the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission to help neighbors in need. The congregation also supports Baptist Children's Home, Christian Resources International, Heritage Christian Academy, and RBM Ministries.
Beyond Kalamazoo, the church stands behind a number of national ministry partners whose names and prayer needs are shared with the congregation through the ministry partner prayer page. The church also walks alongside missionaries and ministry partners serving across the globe, including families and organizations working in places such as South Africa and Brazil through sending agencies like ABWE and BMM. The church publishes a detailed prayer guide to help members pray for missionaries in categories that include the missionary's relationship with God, physical and emotional needs, family relationships, effective ministry, ability to communicate, and team relationships.
Library and GriefShare Support
The church library, located in the building, inspires readers of all ages to grow in their faith and adopt the godly virtues of Christ. Books are checked out for four weeks and DVDs and CDs for two weeks. The library is open from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Sunday mornings, and library volunteers are available 30 minutes before and after the 11:00 AM service to assist. An online catalog allows members to search for titles, authors, and subjects, and a library team serves once a month before and after the 11:00 AM service.
For those walking through grief, Northeastern Baptist hosts GriefShare, a 13-week support series that uses video teaching from respected grief experts along with stories from people who have experienced loss. Each weekly meeting opens with a 30-minute video and moves into group discussion, helping participants navigate the unpredictable terrain of grief with steady support.
Becoming a Member
The members of Northeastern Baptist describe themselves as a community of people who help one another follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Membership is taken as both weighty and wonderful. The path to becoming a member follows five steps. First, a profession of faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second, agreement with the church's constitution and articles of faith. Third, completion of a membership application available in the church office. Fourth, an interview with the deacon representative of the Membership Committee. Fifth, attendance at the Sunday service at which the new membership is announced to the congregation.
Ways to Serve
Service teams connect every member to an opportunity to use their gifts. The Music Team welcomes instrumentalists and singers. The Nursery Team cares for newborns through age 2, allowing parents to attend the worship service, a Bible elective, or serve in ministry. The Children's Ministry Team includes teachers and assistants who share God's Word with preschool and elementary children. The Kitchen Team assists with the preparation, serving, and cleanup of special church family meals and post-funeral meals. The A/V Team serves in the sound booth as sound technicians, livestream operators, and media operators. The Ushers Team welcomes guests, assists with seating, and hands out bulletins. Athletic Fields Team members help with the lawn care of the softball fields and surrounding areas. The Groundskeeping Team uses skills in flowers and landscaping. Members can also serve as part of the Library Team.
Digital Tools, the App, and Giving
The church livestreams the 11:00 AM service on its main page, on Facebook, and on YouTube. An archived video page and a sermon audio archive through Podbean allow members and visitors to access past messages. The church also has a mobile app available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play, providing church updates, community connection, and livestream access.
An online community built on Church Community Builder serves as a church directory, volunteer center, event registry, and small group interaction hub, and provides secure access to personal giving statements. Free access to RightNow Media is offered as a digital video library of more than 20,000 Bible studies, conference teachings, and shows for kids, teens, adults, parents, and married couples, viewable on phones, tablets, computers, or televisions.
Giving is offered online through a secure platform, with the church encouraging members to give cheerfully as an act of worship. Online giving is presented as a way to simplify generosity, support the church's record-keeping, and allow members to focus fully on the worship service. The office can be reached at 269-344-1694, and the building stands at 6536 East G Avenue, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49048.