On Mount Olivet Road in Kalamazoo
Temple Baptist Church sits at 3706 Mount Olivet Road on the north side of Kalamazoo, Michigan, where it functions as an independent, dispensational, KJV Bible-believing Baptist congregation. Its three-fold purpose - worshiping Jesus Christ, magnifying the Word of God, and fulfilling the Great Commission - shapes everything from Sunday school to midweek prayer.
Two Pastors Serving Side by Side
Lead Pastor RJ Morelli and his wife Traci have been at Temple Baptist since 2014, when he took the pulpit after serving in pastoral ministry since 1997. He has also served as an instructor at Tabernacle Baptist Bible College. The Morellis have two sons: Cody, who has completed service in the United States Marine Corps, and Tyler, who lives in Florida with his wife Amber and daughter Evelyn.
Assistant Pastor TJ Becki and his wife Makayla joined Temple Baptist in May 2023. He was ordained in November 2024 and serves the church full time through preaching and teaching the Word.
A Week Built Around the Word
Four set pieces fill the weekly schedule:
- Sunday School at 9:30 AM, with classes organized by age.
- Sunday Morning Worship at 10:30 AM, with a separate Children's Church for ages 4 to 12 during the service.
- Sunday Evening Teaching Service at 6:30 PM, devoted to preaching the Word.
- Wednesday Prayer Service at 6:30 PM, an evening built around corporate prayer.
Children in Delta Club also gather on Wednesday at 6:30 PM, running alongside the prayer service.
From Children to Primetimers
Temple Baptist organizes its ministries by life stage, so every member of the household has a place.
Children (ages 4 to 12) attend Sunday school at 9:30 AM, Children's Church during the 10:30 AM worship hour, and Delta Club on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.
College and Young Adults (ages 18 to 29) meet on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM with food provided, and join Sunday school at 9:30 AM as well.
Adults (ages 30 to 55) gather on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM on alternating weeks, alongside Sunday school at 9:30 AM.
Primetimers (55 and older) participate in Sunday school at 9:30 AM and meet twice a month for fellowship.
Nine Pillars That Shape the Church
Temple Baptist's doctrinal convictions are organized into nine pillars.
First, the Lord Jesus Christ is the source of life. Through faith in His death, burial, and resurrection, believers are born again spiritually and reconciled to God. Second, the Word of God is the standard and authority by which all other things are measured. The church uses the Authorized King James Bible as its standard of truth in every teaching, and no other version is taught from or discussed as authoritative.
Third, the local church's main responsibility is the Great Commission: preaching the gospel of grace to the whole world, then discipling new believers through scripture teaching, a process the church simply calls discipleship. Fourth, the Bible is to be rightly divided through dispensational study, comparing scripture with scripture, as the only consistent way to interpret it literally without confusion or heresy.
Fifth, prayer is the church's direct connection to God and the way it taps into His power; it is treated as primary whenever the body gathers. Sixth, every member is expected to serve. Each believer has a unique function in the body, and warming a seat is not part of the design.
Seventh, charity - the biblical word for sacrificial, God-like love put into practice - is set above Bible knowledge, gifts, or spiritual disciplines as the true measure of a believer's life. Eighth, the goal of a local church is not size but reproduction: training pastors, teachers, and servants who can plant or strengthen other churches.
Ninth, unity is protected at all costs. Members submit their opinions, preferences, and experiences to the Word and to Christ as the Head of the body, since division, gossip, and complaining undo the picture the church is meant to reflect.
The Plan of Salvation
Temple Baptist teaches a clear, four-point gospel.
Everyone is a sinner. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." The starting point is admitting that fact.
Everyone owes a sin debt. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death" - speaking of eternal death, the second death described in Revelation 20:14. Dying in one's sin means paying that penalty forever.
That debt has already been paid. Jesus Christ died for sinners while they were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Eternal life is a gift received by faith, not through church attendance, baptism, or moral effort.
Everyone can be saved. Romans 10:9 promises, "That 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." The church urges anyone who has trusted Christ, or who has questions, to reach out directly.
Giving, Sermons, and Staying Connected
Tithes and free-will offerings are submitted through an online giving portal. The church describes members' giving as obedience to the Word, anchoring the practice in Philippians 4:19: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Sermon audio is organized by subject on the church's YouTube channel, where other media also lives. A pastor responds personally to anyone who fills out the connect form, calls 269-343-0010, or emails templebaptist.kalamazoo@gmail.com.