On a corner of East 10th Street in Holland, Michigan, six wooden pillars and a tin rooster weather vane mark the oldest building in the city. Behind those pillars sits Pillar Church, a congregation dually affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC), and the place where those two Reformed traditions came back together 130 years after splitting apart. Pillar describes itself as a church for the city, and the phrase is taken seriously enough that the congregation has become a small network of three worshipping communities - on 9th Street, in a downtown Warehouse, and inside Western Theological Seminary's chapel - all sharing one mission, one pastoral staff, and one seasonal journal that walks the church through the Christian year.
A Church Born of Immigrants, Restored After a 130-Year Divide
Pillar's story begins in 1847, when a band of immigrants led by the Reverend Albertus Van Raalte came to the west side of Michigan at the invitation of the state. They planted a church for their new community, survived a hard first winter, and in 1856 built the Greek Revival sanctuary where the congregation still worships. Members of the Pillar community helped establish what would become Hope College, and they also played a central role in founding Western Theological Seminary three blocks east of the building.
The split came in 1882, when the tensions between the RCA and the CRC forced the Holland church to choose a side. In 1884 it aligned with the Christian Reformed Church, and the two denominations spun apart for more than a century. In the fall of 2012, Pillar re-established itself as a dually affiliated congregation of both the RCA and the CRC - a symbolic and practical reconciliation that the church now describes as one of its four central commitments: reconciling divisions, raising up leaders, redeeming the city, and renewing the church.
That 2012 re-establishment is the hinge of Pillar's identity. The vision statement that hangs over everything else at Pillar reads, simply, that Pillar is and seeks to be a multi-generational community of faith being formed in Christ for the good of the world. A church for the city, committed to reconciling divisions, raising up leaders, redeeming the city, and renewing the church in such a way that your name is known, your story is heard, and your questions are honored.
The Building, the Pillars, and the Rooster on Top
Pillar's sanctuary is the oldest building in Holland, having survived the great Holland Fire of 1871. It stands in what the church calls the dynamic nexus between downtown Holland and the Hope College campus, a setting that makes the building both a historic landmark and a daily crossroads for students, downtown workers, and neighbors. The 1856 architecture is Greek Revival, but the six wooden pillars that give the congregation its identity were not turned on a lathe. Each one was built on site around a single cedar beam at the center, with tapered boards wrapped around the beam like barrel staves. They still welcome every person who passes through the doors.
The tin rooster that has crowned the building since 1856 is more than decoration. In the Reformed tradition, the rooster points first to Peter's denial of Christ and then to Peter's reinstatement - a reminder that the church is made up of the broken and the blessed. Second, the rooster rises before the sun and announces the coming day; in the same way, the church is to be the herald of the light. Both ideas are part of how Pillar tells its own story.
One Church, Three Worshipping Communities: the Growing Small Vision
Pillar is one congregation with three distinct worshipping communities, an arrangement the staff calls Growing Small. The phrase captures the conviction that growth and intimacy have to be held together: as more people join, the church needs more places to gather, not fewer.
The first site, Pillar on 9th, gathers in the historic sanctuary at 57 East 10th Street. The Warehouse launched in September 2021 at 136 East 6th Street, a few blocks south and west of the main building. The Chapel launched in September 2024 inside Mulder Chapel at Western Theological Seminary, 101 East 13th Street. Each site has its own pastor, its own hospitality and music teams, and its own feel, and all three share the same ordained leadership, the same preaching tradition, and the same Creative Liturgical worship style.
Pillar on 9th: Classical Sanctuary, Word and Sacrament
Pillar on 9th gathers at 9:00 and 10:30 AM on Sundays in the historic sanctuary. The worship here leans into the beauty of a classical church building: hymns and songs, Scripture and sacrament, prayed and sung liturgy. Word and Sacrament sit at the center, and the lead pastor, the Rev. Jon Brown, is the primary preacher. Children are equally at the center - nurseries for infants through 2-year-olds and Faith Formation classes for preschoolers through fifth grade are offered during both services, so families can choose to worship together in one service and attend class at the other. Sacred Dance, a movement and prayer offering for K-5 students, and Celebration Sundays, when kids 4 and up worship with their families for the whole service, are woven into the year.
Pillar at the Warehouse: Tables, Conversation, and the Same Liturgy
The Warehouse space does not look or feel like a traditional sanctuary. Worshippers sit around tables. The service makes extended space for conversation alongside the same Creative Liturgical worship, Word, and Sacrament that mark Pillar on 9th. Services meet at 9:15 and 10:45 AM. Pillar Kids Outdoor Faith Formation is offered at the 9:15 service for ages 2 through 12 at the Window on the Waterfront playscape; nursery care is available during both services for children under two. Parking is on the north side of 6th Street at the Window on the Waterfront lot or in the 7th Street parking structure. Accessible parking and a wheelchair-accessible entrance are on the east side of the building. The Rev. Anna Erickson serves as the Warehouse Campus Pastor.
Pillar at the Chapel: In the Round, with Silence and Sacrament
The newest worshipping community meets at 10:00 AM in Mulder Chapel on the campus of Western Theological Seminary. The chapel is laid out in the round, and the liturgy draws on the Reformed Anglican tradition - historic Christian forms, the centrality of the Word, silence and contemplation, and the sacraments, all carried in the Creative Liturgical language that Pillar uses across its sites. Preaching is shared by Pastor Jon Brown, Pastor Anna Erickson, and the Rev. Winn Collier, the Western Theological Seminary faculty member who directs the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination. The Rev. Joel Boersma, Pillar's Pastor of College Ministries, is the primary campus host. After the Passing of the Peace, children ages 2 through 12 are invited to a Bible story, craft, and discussion; nursery care is offered for children under two.
Creative Liturgical: Pillar's Way of Worship
Pillar describes its common worship life as Creative Liturgical. The phrase is intentional: the church draws on historic Christian liturgy - creeds, prayers, the reading of Scripture, the sacraments - and pairs that with contemporary songs, visual art, commissioned seasonal pieces, and new compositions. The worship arts ministry releases original recordings on Bandcamp and Spotify, and visual art is produced for the Pillar Journal's seasonal issues. Across all three sites, the same liturgical backbone ties the music and prayers together: borrowed words and new ones, old hymns and spiritual songs, all of it offered to the triune God.
The Center for Pastoral Leadership and the Eugene Peterson Legacy
Pillar's location on the corner of 9th Street and College Avenue - essentially on the Hope College campus and three blocks from Western Theological Seminary - shapes one of its most distinctive ministries: the Center for Pastoral Leadership. The Center is a pastoral residency for people discerning a call to ministry. Residents work full-time on the Pillar staff, complete a Master of Divinity at an approved seminary (Western Seminary is preferred) within five years, live in a shared three-bedroom condominium within walking distance of the church and seminary, and receive full tuition, housing, and a $1,000 monthly stipend. The formation is shaped by the works of Eugene Peterson and Lesslie Newbigin - missional instincts and a pastoral imagination read together. The Rev. Winn Collier, who preaches regularly at The Chapel, directs the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary, and that intellectual and pastoral lineage is felt across the residency.
City Groups and the Three B's
Outside Sunday mornings, the backbone of Pillar's relational life is City Groups. A City Group is a small, non-prescriptive gathering that decides together how to do life and faith - some study a book of the Bible, some work through a book together, most share meals and mix all three. Groups are guided by the Three B's: Belong, Belief, and Being For. Groups meet at least monthly, many weekly or bi-weekly, and each leader is paired with a City Group Shepherd from the Pillar community who offers pastoral support. The groups are intentionally simple - the goal is a place to belong, a place to believe together, and a place to be for the world - and they are the church's main on-ramp for people who want to be known beyond Sunday.
Lifelong Formation: Women, Men, Young Adults, and Seniors
Pillar organizes its adult formation by season and by stage of life.
Women's ministry gathers around Common Ground, a biweekly study for mothers of children from birth through grade school with a morning and an evening option, childcare at morning; Sacred Space, a Thursday morning study of Pete Greig's How to Hear God; Around the Table, a drop-in dinner and Bible study on varying Tuesdays and Thursdays; a Monday Evening Book of the Bible Study with a three-weeks-on, one-week-fellowship rhythm; a Monday Evening Bible Study with Nancy Brown; a Tuesday Morning Bible Study with Alissa; and a Wednesday Afternoon Bible Study with Nancy Brown.
Men's ministry centers on small groups: Men in the Word: Bible in a Year, using Tara Leigh Cobble's The Bible Recap; Pit Crew, a study of Joseph that pairs Bible discussion with personal storytelling about the pits of life; a Friday Morning Men's Group with Pastor Brian Keepers; Intentional Fatherhood, a monthly group for dads meeting in leader Blaine Kooiker's home; a Men's Book Study on John Lennox's God, AI and the End of History with Vinnie Morton; and The Uncommon Guide to Retirement with Chip Seabolt. Larger men's gatherings - meals, keynote speakers, fellowship - are held through the year.
Young Adults ministry gathers people roughly 18 through 30 - college students, graduate students, and young professionals - for small groups and monthly fellowship events, in a season the church calls a season of gaps.
Prime Timers, a new fellowship for Pillarites 55 and over, holds monthly events such as covered-dish suppers, a campfire at Camp Geneva, a holiday hobby fair, and a cookie exchange.
Grieving Well, a bereavement support group led by the bereavement counselor Stacy Hubley, meets Tuesday evenings for anyone navigating the loss of a loved one. One-on-One Conversations connect people of any age with a Pillar discipler for mentoring over coffee or a meal.
Pillar Kids: Nurseries, Faith Formation, and Resources for the Family
Pillar Kids offers nurseries and age-graded Faith Formation classes for infants through fifth grade during Sunday services. Class names are rooted in the building's animal motif: Chicks (infants), Ducks (toddlers), Bunnies (twos), Sheep (3-4.5), Ponies (kindergartners), Goats (1st-2nd), and Roosters (3rd-5th). Check-in opens 15 minutes before each service; each child receives a three-digit security tag matched to the parent or guardian, and only a matched tag releases the child. Two nursing mother's rooms are available. Children with special needs are welcomed with a questionnaire at registration so the team can prepare appropriate supports. At Pillar on 9th, nurseries and classes run during both the 9:00 and 10:30 services; at The Warehouse, outdoor Faith Formation is offered at the 9:15 service for ages 2-12 with nursery care at both services; at The Chapel, children's programming begins after the Passing of the Peace. Lauren Lawinger leads the ministry. Pillar also publishes parent resources - guides on blessing children, on the spiritual characteristics of childhood, and on what parents can learn from Jesus's interactions with children - and supports each baptized child with a 25% tuition scholarship (up to $1,000) toward Christian school or Christian summer camp through the Baptismal Vow Fund.
Students and College: Aiming Next Door to Hope
Pillar Student Ministries is a relationally-driven community for sixth through twelfth graders. Middle School Youth Group (grades 6-8) and High School Youth Group (grades 9-12) meet on Sunday evenings during the school year. The ministry is led by Director Dillon Bramlett and a team of adult small-group leaders for each grade band.
Because Pillar is essentially on the campus of Hope College and three blocks from Western Theological Seminary, college ministry is woven into the church's identity. Young Life College meets Tuesdays at 8 PM at the Campus Ministries House. College Luncheons follow the 10:30 Sunday service monthly during the school year. Behold the Word small groups commit a single iconic text of Scripture to memory over six weeks. The Rev. Joel Boersma, who also hosts The Chapel, shepherds the ministry, and the Center for Pastoral Leadership grows directly out of the same Hope-Western ecosystem.
Belong Ministries: A Community for All Abilities
On the fourth Monday of each month from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, Pillar hosts Belong Ministries, a gathering of people of all abilities who share a meal, an activity, a lesson, and a time of worship together. The current season focuses on the fruit of the Spirit, particularly learning to love big. Belong is led by Kenzie Brewer and is one of the clearest expressions of Pillar's conviction that the congregation should be a place where every name is known, every story is heard, and every question is honored.
Alpha and Christ in the City
Alpha, the international introduction to the Christian faith, runs in person and online twice a year at Pillar. Each session begins with a meal (online groups skip the meal), a video talk designed to engage and inspire conversation, and small-group discussion that the church describes as the most important part of the night. Alpha is designed for people who would not call themselves Christian, who have been hurt by church, or who simply have big questions about God.
Christ in the City is Pillar's annual summer series. Each Wednesday evening brings a speaker, art, and a Companion Journal that walks the congregation through a season of Scripture and reflection. Past years have focused on presence in a wandering world, in our pain, in another's pain, across difference, and in a partisan world, with teachers drawn from Western Theological Seminary faculty, local pastors, and Christian leaders from across the country.
Reaching Outward: Local and Global Mission Partners
Pillar's commitment to redeeming the city runs through a long list of local mission partners that the church supports financially and with volunteers: Community Action House, Hope (a youth-development program), Escape-Out, COAHM's Doors of Hope, Kids Hope USA, Brothers and Sisters Homes, Beechpoint, My House Ministry, One17 International, and the ministry of World of Hope, among others. Globally, Pillar supports four missionaries - three in the Middle East and one in Nicaragua. Mission trips, both local and global, are organized through the church, and the church's Baptismal Vow Fund extends scholarship support beyond Christian school tuition to Christian summer camps.
The Pillar Journal and the Christian Year
The Pillar Journal is a seasonal devotional produced by Pillar Church to guide the congregation through the Christian year. Each volume follows the church's liturgical calendar - Advent, Lent, Eastertide, Ordinary Time - and pairs Scripture, prayers, reflections, and visual art. Recent issues include Advent 2022, Lent 2023, Ordinary Time 2023, Advent 2023, Lent 2024, Eastertide 2024, Ordinary Time 2024, Advent 2024, Lent 2025, Advent 2025, Lent 2026, and Ordinary Time 2026 (The Speed of Love). The journal can be read online or downloaded as a PDF.
Generosity, Weddings, and the Rhythms of the Week
Generosity is a word the church uses to describe the Pillar community. Tithes and donations go toward the general operating budget and can be given online through Church Center or in the offering boxes near each door. A separate Baptismal Vow Fund supports Christian school and Christian summer camp scholarships, and a Mission Partners and Friends Offering supports local and global mission throughout the year.
Pillar also hosts weddings in the historic sanctuary. Members may reserve the building up to 18 months in advance; non-members may apply 12 months in advance. One wedding is held per weekend, on Friday or Saturday for members and on Saturday for non-members, and no weddings are held on Sundays, national holidays, the weekend of Hope College Convocation, or during Tulip Time. All weddings follow the liturgy and confessions of the RCA and CRC. Outside clergy may officiate if they are ordained in an approved ecclesiastical body.
Throughout the week, the church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The church can be reached at (616) 392-8686 or connect@pillarchurch.com. The full calendar, registrations, and online giving live on Church Center, sermons are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel and archived there, and the Pillar Journal podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Buzzsprout.