Sugar Grove Church on Old County Road 17
Sugar Grove Church sits along Old County Road 17 on the southeast edge of Goshen, Indiana, a non-denominational community that has built its identity around straightforward Bible teaching and three Sunday services designed for different musical tastes. The congregation describes itself as Biblically based and committed to preaching the good news of Jesus Christ every Sunday, and its calendar reflects that focus: weekly worship on Sunday, midweek programming for students, Awana on Tuesday nights, men's and women's discipleship groups across the week, and care ministries that walk alongside people in crisis.
Three Sunday Services: Classic and Modern
The church holds three Sunday services in two distinct settings. The 8:30 AM service takes place in the upstairs chapel and is labeled "Classic." It features the organ and piano, with a worship team leading familiar hymns and choruses before the preaching of God's Word.
The 9:30 and 11:00 AM services meet in the downstairs worship center, entered through the main entrance, and follow a "Modern" pattern with contemporary worship songs, prayer, and preaching. Nursery and children's programming for ages 0 through 4th grade are available during all three services.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and sermon videos are posted to the archive on Mondays. A Spotify playlist of the weekly Modern worship setlist is also kept online for anyone who wants to learn the songs ahead of time.
What Sugar Grove Believes
Sugar Grove holds a detailed doctrinal statement built around the inerrancy of Scripture and the historic Christian understanding of God. The church teaches belief in the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, three persons co-equal and co-eternal. It affirms that the Old and New Testaments, as originally written, are verbally inspired of God and final in authority for doctrine and conduct.
The statement covers the person and work of Christ, including his deity, humanity, virgin birth, death, burial, bodily resurrection, ascension, present advocacy, and promised return, as well as the role of the Holy Spirit as the indweller of every true believer. The church teaches that the Church is the body of Christ, that water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by obedient believers (though not essential to salvation), and that salvation is received by faith in Christ's substitutionary death.
The statement also affirms the assurance and security of the believer, the reality and ultimate defeat of Satan, a literal heaven and hell, the resurrection of the dead, and the personal, pre-millennial return of Christ for his saints and then with his saints in glory.
Pastoral Team, Elders, and Deacons
The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor Brett Baranic, with Ryan Nord serving as Administrative Pastor, Rick Donald as Adult Ministry Pastor, and Jason Hobbs as Worship Pastor. Together they oversee the ministry of the church and the preaching of the Word.
An elder board chaired by Aaron Smith, alongside Paul Gonzalez, Chris Knafel, Matt Yoder, and Josh Moore, with Josh Creek and Kevin Gunn serving as Pastoral Residents. Elders are held to the qualifications laid out in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5, and are charged with holding fast to the preaching and teaching of God's Word and caring for God's Church.
The deacon board, chaired by Rick Nystrand, includes Jamin Garoutte, Kyle Martin, Scott Zimmerman, CJ Brinks, Sam Henry, Daryl Miller, Corey Maust, and Jeremy Tallman. Their role is practical service to the members of the church, following the pattern described in 1 Timothy 3.
SG Kids: Nursery through 4th Grade
Sugar Grove's children's ministry, branded as SG Kids, runs during the 9:30 and 11:00 Sunday services and uses the Gospel Project curriculum to walk children through Scripture. Programming is divided by age: nursery for ages 0 to 1, preschool for ages 2 to 5, and elementary for Kindergarten through 4th grade. The church welcomes and supports children with special needs.
During the service, elementary-age children join their families for the musical portion of worship and then are dismissed to their classrooms. Nursery and preschool children can be taken directly to their classes before the service starts. Breanna Flickema leads the program as SG Kids Director, with Brielle Miller serving as Assistant Director.
Awana: Tuesday Night Discipleship
From September through March, Awana meets at the church on Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The program is open to kids ages 4 through 6th grade and combines Scripture memorization, a Bible teaching segment, and games. Deborah Miller leads the local Awana as Commander.
Student Ministry: Wednesdays for Grades 5-12
The Student Ministry gathers on Wednesday nights for students in 5th through 12th grade, with the goal of introducing them to Jesus Christ, helping them grow in their faith, and giving them opportunities to put that faith into motion. CJ Leiby directs the ministry.
Grades 5 through 6 meet from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, while grades 7 through 12 meet from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The ministry also runs camps, mission trips, and special events throughout the year.
Adult Ministry: Men, Women, Young Adults, and Seniors
Adult Ministry at Sugar Grove is organized around several small-group tracks. Men's and women's groups meet throughout the week and center on Bible study, accountability, and prayer, providing a way to develop meaningful relationships with other believers.
Among the women's offerings, Moms in Prayer meets at the church on Monday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 AM during the school year, gathering mothers of various ages to pray and discuss Scripture. Tabitha Circle, a sewing ministry that serves others in the church and community, meets in the large group room at 1:00 PM on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays from September through May.
Young Adults meet on Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in room 210, with a focus on Bible study, fellowship, discipleship, and prayer. During the summer, meeting places and times shift and are listed on the church calendar.
Senior adults have a social group called "3rd Monday" that meets on the third Monday of every month from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the student center, with fun outings, life-related speakers, and a carry-in lunch. Senior Sunday School meets after the 8:30 service, and additional Bible studies run throughout the week. The church also makes the previous Sunday's sermon available to Greencroft residents on Channel 13 at 5:00 PM each Saturday.
Small Groups and Marriage
Small groups are central to Sugar Grove's discipleship model. Groups meet on different days of the week, some in homes and some at the church, and specialized groups address specific life issues such as GriefShare and Divorce Care. Groups run for 12 weeks and launch every fall and winter, with a shortened summer option. The church invites newcomers to reach out so staff can help match them with a group that fits.
The marriage ministry pairs mentor couples with young couples planning to marry. Mentors walk couples through a SYMBIS pre-marriage assessment during pre-marital counseling and continue as a trusted source of encouragement beyond the wedding day. The church cites research showing a 30% greater probability of marital success with some form of pre-marital coaching.
Care Ministry
The Care Ministry exists to make sure no one walks through hard seasons alone. A trained team offers pastoral counseling and partners with local counselors for referrals, hospital and home visits (often coordinated through small groups), Divorce Care for adults and Divorce Care for Kids, GriefShare, food and financial assistance, and a Home Repair Ministry that connects women in the church with trustworthy volunteers for basic home or auto repairs. The church can also help coordinate funerals or celebrations of life held on site.
Community Partnerships
Sugar Grove encourages members to serve alongside several local organizations. The church hosts an annual Officer Appreciation Day for local law enforcement officers and their families, an event that draws more than 200 officers and feeds close to 1,000 people with games, inflatables, wagon rides, go-karts, and a shooting range.
Other partnerships include RETA, a no-cost pregnancy clinic and family resource center; Downtown Ministries, which serves neighbors impacted by poverty and abuse; Cultivate Food Rescue, which provides meals for families facing food insecurity across Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph Counties; Child Evangelism Ministries; First Light Mission, which serves people experiencing homelessness in the region; and New Mercies Ministries, which provides supportive housing and restorative services for women and families. The church also keeps an ongoing anti-traffacking fund for overseas work that has been supported since 2018.
Family Summit
Each year Sugar Grove hosts Family Summit, a one-day parenting and discipleship conference. The gathering brings in outside speakers, including Walt Mueller of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, Larry McCall of Walking Like Jesus Ministries, and Elizabeth Urbanowicz of Foundation Worldview, to address the challenges of raising and discipling children in today's culture. A vision video is available for anyone who wants to hear the heart behind the conference.
Visiting Sugar Grove
Sugar Grove Church is located at 58512 Old County Road 17 in Goshen, Indiana, with a phone line at 574-875-5622 and a general inbox at info@sugargrovechurch.com. The church worships on Sundays at 8:30 AM (Classic, upstairs), 9:30 AM, and 11:00 AM (Modern, downstairs). Children's programming is available for ages 0 through 4th grade during the 9:30 and 11:00 services, and all services are livestreamed on YouTube for those who want to join from home.