Sunday Morning Worship on Aurora Road
Northfield Baptist Church meets on the west side of Northfield, Ohio, in a low brick complex along West Aurora Road. The address is 311 W. Aurora Rd., and the phone number for the church office is 330-467-7939. Pastor Mark Ashley has been with the church since 1991; Pastor Eric Puff joined the staff in 2002 and works with children's and adult ministries, church administration, communication, and technology.
The Sunday gathering begins with a time of praise led by a worship team of vocalists and instrumentalists. After that, the congregation goes before the Lord in prayer and Pastor Ashley brings a sermon that aims to explain and apply God's Word to everyday life. The service is streamed live through the church's livestream channel so that members and regular attenders can worship from home when they are traveling or unwell.
Visitors often ask what to wear. The atmosphere is casual to business casual, and people dress in a way that lets them focus on worship rather than on appearance. The auditorium and restrooms are accessible without having to navigate stairs, and most of the campus can be reached without steps.
Adult Bible Fellowships After the Service
At 11:15 a.m., the worship hour gives way to Adult Bible Fellowships, the small and medium-sized groups that form the front lines of care and community at Northfield Baptist Church. These classes meet in rooms throughout the campus and Ministry Center, and each one plans an on- or off-site gathering once a month for fellowship outside the classroom. Guests are warmly welcomed into any ABF and can move around until they find a fit.
The ABFs at Northfield Baptist Church include:
- Cultivating Couples for Christ, for engaged and longtime married couples, meeting in the Ministry Center Youth Room and led by Gary and Jan Hoffman and Tony and Kristen Fearon. Marriage topics alternate with Bible book studies.
- Family Matters, for couples walking life together from newborns through the college years, meeting in Room 240 (through the gym) under Greg Perelka, Ryan and Amy Graham.
- Abundant Life, a mixed-ages group that works through Bible passages and personal encouragement, meeting in Room 203 under Arnie Mendez and Pastor Eric and Carrie Puff.
- Builders, for singles and married adults in their thirties through their nineties, meeting in Room 200 (the cafeteria) under Tim Balis and Jerry Jordak.
- 10:25, a mixed-ages fellowship in the Ministry Center Front Room under Rick Horsfall.
- Friendship Fellowship, a class for adults in their sixties and up, meeting in the Ministry Center Middle Room under Brad Watters and Ken and Jane Vanderground, with a Zoom option for those who prefer to join remotely.
- Ladies Life Enrichment, a women's class in Room 204 led by Ada Pollock, focused on Bible study, mutual encouragement, and outreach.
- Anchored in the Spirit, a diverse mixed-ages group in Room 201 under Sean Steele that emphasizes healthy community and active discussion.
- College and Young Professionals, for post-high-school singles, meeting in Room 207 under Pastor Mark Ashley and Tim Balis, with seasonal off-site Bible studies.
Young adults in their twenties and thirties who want something more intimate than a Sunday class gather for a midweek Bible study at the home of Tim and Carolyn Balis. The studies rotate through topics aimed at everyday faithfulness, and the day and time are set to fit the group's work schedules.
Crew 82 and the Teen Years
The youth group at Northfield Baptist Church is called Crew 82. On Sunday mornings, the teen boys and teen girls meet separately during the Adult Bible Fellowship hour at 11:15 a.m., then gather as one group on Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. Throughout the year, Crew 82 enjoys retreats, youth events, service projects, and mission trips. The youth ministry exists to see young people come to Christ, be equipped in their faith, and serve God full-time whether on the mission field or in their local church.
Crew 82 plans its own calendar of events. The teens run service projects, host socials, and partner with the broader missions program of the church. The bulletin and events page keep families posted on what is coming next.
NBC Kids: From Nursery Through Grade Six
Children are central to the life of Northfield Baptist Church, and the children's ministry provides programming during both the Morning Worship service and the Adult Bible Fellowship hour. The goal is to give parents a chance to focus on the sermon and the Word while their children learn about God in ways that fit their ages, in safe and comfortable classrooms staffed by approved volunteers.
The check-in happens at the NBC Kids area. From there, children move directly to the room that fits their age:
- Nursery for infants
- Toddlers for two- and three-year-olds
- Pre-Primary for pre-K and kindergarten
- Primary for grades one through three
- Junior for grades four through six
Throughout the year, NBC Kids plans events for the wider community. March Hoopla, Vacation Bible School, and Girls Basketball Camp have all become favorites. Children's choir gives kids a chance to learn songs and serve in worship. Background checks and a children's ministry application are required for every volunteer who works with minors.
A Statement of Faith Anchored in Scripture
Northfield Baptist Church holds to a brief, traditional statement of faith. The Bible is God's inspired Word, without error, the sole basis for belief and the final authority for life. There is one living and true God, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each fully God.
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the substitute for sinners, rose again, and now serves as the only mediator between God and man. He will return bodily to consummate history. The Holy Spirit is a divine person who convicts of sin, brings the new birth, seals, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer.
The church teaches that God created mankind for fellowship with Him but that mankind voluntarily fell into sin and came under God's judgment. Salvation is by grace through faith alone, apart from human effort, in the person and completed work of Jesus Christ. All who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. Those justified by faith will dwell eternally with God, while those who continue in unbelief will perish in eternal judgment.
Northfield Baptist Church looks forward to the bodily return of Christ and a literal thousand-year reign that begins His eternal kingdom. The church is non-charismatic and adheres to the historic Baptist distinctives.
Governed by the Congregation
Northfield Baptist Church is governed by the congregation under the authority of Christ. Members of the body choose both pastors and deacons to lead the church, in keeping with what the church believes the New Testament teaches. Men and women are also called to a wide range of boards and committees that care for the various aspects of church life, from facilities to finances to missions.
Becoming a member involves attending a new-member class that meets over four weeks. Baptism is taught as part of that process, and the pastors are glad to talk with anyone interested in either step. The next membership class typically begins a few weeks after a new series of sign-ups.
The Family Resource Center: A Food Pantry on the Same Campus
Next to the main building sits the Ministry Center, home to the Family Resource Center. The FRC is a ministry of Northfield Baptist Church that follows the guidelines of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and provides food and household products to neighbors in need. As an agency of the food bank, it serves residents of Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina, Holmes, Carroll, Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties who fall below the income levels set by the food bank.
First-time clients participate in a short interview. Once they are in the system, they may return twice a month. The pantry is open to receive clients on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.
For the interview, clients bring a piece of mail or a statement showing their current address (such as a utility bill, credit card statement, or government letter dated within the last sixty days) along with a photo ID. The pantry team helps visitors register and pick the items that will help their household.
A Worldwide Mission Effort
Northfield Baptist Church views missions as an integral ministry, both of the church and of its members. The Great Commission shapes the way the church prays, gives, and sends. NBC supports missionaries and ministries in the United States and across the world through prayer, financial gifts collected through ABFs and special offerings, encouragement cards, and short-term trips when missionaries are stateside on furlough.
Among the missionaries and ministries Northfield Baptist supports are David and Hannah Alexander, appointees to Peru with Baptist Mid-Missions; Nate and Maam Beckman, church planters in Bangkok, Thailand, with BMM; Dave and Jeannie Ferguson of BMM; Steve and Beth Gault, field administrator for Africa and Europe with BMM; John and Penny Jackson of Jackson Ministries; Joe and Esther Keim of Mission to Amish People; Ken and Amy Lowe, serving in Portugal with Faith Global Missions; Bill and Becky Petite, church planters in Southern Japan with ABWE; Dave, Ruth Ann, and Andrea Rogers with ABWE Chile; Josh, Rachel, Nate, and Anna Stewart, serving in Taiwan with BMM; Michael and Sherri Vanek at Faith Baptist Church and Community Center in inner-city Cleveland; Chris and Darcy Vergiels, church planters in Brazil with BMM; Rob and Penny Whitty in Ghana with BMM; and Cameron and Kerry Woolford of Servant Leaders International.
Alongside missionaries, NBC partners with camps, schools, and ministries that strengthen the church. Camp Patmos is a Christian youth camp on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie. Skyview Ranch is a Christian camp in Millersburg, Ohio. Cedarville University, the College of Biblical Studies-Houston, Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, and Shepherds College are supported as training grounds for future ministry leaders. Bringing Children Hope, True Freedom Ministries, ABWE, Baptist Mid-Missions, the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, and the Ohio Association of Regular Baptist Churches are all partners in gospel work.
GriefShare and Other Care Ministries
For those walking through grief, Northfield Baptist Church hosts GriefShare, a widely used program of video seminars and small-group discussion that helps people rebuild their lives after the death of a loved one. The church also runs a funeral ministry team that sets up, serves, and cleans up after a meal that follows funeral services, giving families a place to gather and remember.
RightNow Media is available to NBC families as a free library of more than twenty thousand Bible-study videos for kids, youth, parents, couples, college students, singles, and working professionals. Members can create an account through the church and access the library on any device.
Giving, the App, and the Bulletin
Tithes and gifts support everything from the local ministries to the worldwide work of the missionaries Northfield partners with. An offering box sits in the foyer for those who give in person, and online giving is available through the church's giving page. Members who want to participate in the life of the church can also download the SimpleChurch app for iPhone or Android to check kids in for Sunday school, submit attendance for their group, give online, and view the church directory.
The weekly bulletin keeps the congregation informed about upcoming studies, retreats, leadership conferences, ladies' events, and youth activities, and serves as a snapshot of how the church is carrying out its mission week by week.
Welcome to Northfield
Northfield Baptist Church exists to make growing followers of Jesus Christ. Together the congregation worships, serves, learns, and reaches out to the world with the truth of the gospel. The simple cadence of the church - Come, Join, Grow, Serve - shapes every program and every partnership. Whether someone is looking for a Sunday home, a small group to belong to, a place for their children and teens to grow, a food pantry in a hard season, or a church family to walk with through every stage of life, Northfield Baptist Church aims to be that place on Aurora Road.