Warren Woods Baptist Church has stood on Twelve Mile Road in Warren, Michigan since 1964, the second home of a church family that first gathered in 1953 in neighboring Roseville. The motto above the church's name is "Passionately Following Jesus Together," and three phrases shape the life of the congregation: Encounter God through worship, Experience Community through Bible Fellowship Groups, and Engage the World as the body of Christ serves Metro Detroit and beyond.
Located right across from Macomb Community College, Warren Woods Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist congregation that holds to verse-by-verse preaching, weekly gathering around the Lord's Supper and baptism, and an active program of ministry for every age - from newborns in the Wiggle Worms room to senior adults in the JOY group.
A Church on Twelve Mile Road
Warren Woods Baptist Church began in 1953 in Roseville, Michigan. Eleven years later, in 1964, the congregation moved to its current home at 14251 E 12 Mile Road in Warren, just across from Macomb Community College. Through decades of change, the church's "essentials" remain the same: it welcomes everyone looking for a place to belong, preaches and teaches the Bible because it believes Scripture has the power to change lives, gives generously to those in need, and loves God and neighbors in tangible obedience to Jesus' great commandment.
The church belongs to the wider Southern Baptist family of churches, partnering with the Baptist State Convention of Michigan and working alongside cooperative missions and relief efforts such as the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, and the Baptist Global Response network when disaster strikes around the world.
Sunday Mornings at 11 AM
The main gathering of Warren Woods Baptist Church meets at 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings and typically runs seventy to seventy-five minutes. Worship blends modern worship songs with beloved hymns, and preaching is clear, verse-by-verse exposition of the Bible that aims to connect the timeless truths of Scripture to everyday life. People gather to pray, sing, hear the Word, and observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper together.
Visitors can expect a 70 to 75 minute gathering, fresh coffee available weekly, and friendly volunteers ready to answer questions. Most people come dressed casually. Reserved parking spots marked for guests sit on the right as you pull into the lot, and a welcome table just inside the front doors offers a friendly face to direct first-time guests where they need to go. After the gathering, anyone who visited for the first time is invited to stop by the welcome desk to receive a small guest gift.
For those ready to make Warren Woods their church home, the pastors lead a casual "Next Steps" class a few times each year. It is less a class than a conversation about faith, what the church believes, and what church membership means at a Baptist church.
Kids: From Wiggle Worms to Main Street
Children have a central place at Warren Woods. The church runs age-specific, developmentally appropriate programs for newborns through fifth grade at both 9:45 and 11:00 AM every Sunday morning, and the nursery and children's classes are staffed by caring adults in safe, clean environments.
For the littlest ones, two classes meet every Sunday morning:
- Wiggle Worms - newborns through 2 years old.
- Wise Owls - 3 and 4 year olds.
Little ones sing songs, learn Bible stories, play games, and hear about the love of God. The Newborn to Pre-School program is led by Courtney Karrer, a wife and mom of two who wants the church's smallest attenders to feel safe and loved so that a foundation can be laid for a life-giving relationship with Jesus.
Kindergarten through fifth graders meet as Main Street Kids, the church's primary Sunday morning environment for elementary-age children. The goal is to create a fun, welcoming space where young kids build a foundation of faith by growing in their understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done. Kids sing, craft, form friendships, and engage with the Bible. CoCo Kostadinovski, the Main Street Kids Curriculum Coordinator, helps teach Bible stories and lead crafts and worship songs most Sundays, and can also be found singing with the church's praise band.
Children of all ages are also welcome in the main 11:00 AM gathering, so parents who want their kids beside them can worship together as a family.
Wednesday Nights: Kids4Truth and The Loft
Mid-week ministry is a cornerstone at Warren Woods. On Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM, the church offers three things happening at once.
Kids4Truth Club meets from 6:00 to 7:30 PM for children in Pre-K through fifth grade. Kids4Truth is a scripture-memory program in which every aspect of the club helps students understand the verses they are memorizing and apply them to their own lives - helping them know what they believe and why they believe it.
The Loft is the gathering place for the 2:20 Collective, the youth ministry for students in sixth through twelfth grade. Named after 2:20 Collective's tagline verse, Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" - the Loft seeks to equip students to become disciples of Jesus by creating fun, Bible-centered gatherings. Students belong, build relationships, ask big questions, and grow in their knowledge of God, while the ministry also works to support parents in their God-given role as the primary spiritual leaders of the family. Aside from regular gatherings, the youth host fun youth-only events and game nights, take part in summer and winter camps (such as FUGE camps), and serve together through local service projects.
On Wednesday evenings, the Loft is led by Emma Hagerdorn, who also serves as the church's Worship and Youth Leader. She joined the team in November 2025, is a graduate of Cedarville University with a degree in Worship, and is currently working on a Master of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Equip Group and Adult Bible Fellowship
Adults at Warren Woods grow together in two main settings: Sunday morning Bible Fellowship Groups and the Wednesday evening Equip Group.
Bible Fellowship Groups meet at 9:45 AM on Sundays for every adult who wants to study the Bible, build ministry together, and fellowship with other believers. Current studies on rotation include Explore The Bible, 1 & 2 Peter, The Book of Hebrews, and 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. The church invites anyone interested to contact them and join a small group.
Equip Groups meet on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM in the church sanctuary. Each season tackles a single topic through both teaching and group discussion, designed to equip God's people to live faithful Christian lives at home, church, in their neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. The fall 2026 Equip Group takes up "Keys of the Kingdom," a study on elder-led congregationalism that walks through what it means to be a Baptist church, what a Baptist church believes about church structure and governance, why the church practices church membership, what authority the congregation and pastors hold, and why church structure matters for disciple-making and gospel-stewardship. Anchored in Ephesians 4:12-13, Equip Groups aim to help every member see that Jesus has already given a road map for making disciples and stewarding the gospel: the local church.
What Warren Woods Believes
Warren Woods Baptist Church holds to a clear set of biblical convictions expressed in nine statements of faith.
The church confesses belief in the Trinity: the one true and living God reveals Himself in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - infinitely holy and perfect in all His attributes. The Father lovingly orchestrates the plan of redemption, sending the Son into the world so that humanity can be reconciled to Him and adopting all who repent and place faith in Jesus. The Son, the eternal Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious atoning death, was resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return in power and glory to raise the dead, judge the wicked, and reign forever in the new creation. He is the one Mediator, fully God and fully man.
The Holy Spirit, fully divine, has been sent to indwell, guide, teach, comfort, help, and cultivate the character of Christ in the believer. He inspired the writing of the Scriptures and illuminates the Word of God for readers today.
All people are created in the image and likeness of God, equal in personhood, dignity, and worth, and distinct in their manhood and womanhood. Though created for unhindered relationship with God, the first humans fell through disobedience, and all people are born with a sinful nature, separated from God, and saved by grace through faith in Jesus. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is inspired by God, true, trustworthy, and sufficient, pointing to the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the one to whom all 66 books testify.
Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Those who repent of sin and trust in Him are united with Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, born again, and adopted as children of God. Christian living is set apart to God and His purposes; sanctification is the Spirit-led process of becoming more like Jesus throughout a lifetime. The local church is the visible expression of the universal Church over which Christ is the head, gathering regularly to fellowship, pray, worship, observe baptism and the Lord's Supper, and be equipped for ministry through the preaching of the Word.
From Our Neighbors to the Nations
The missions heartbeat of Warren Woods Baptist Church begins at home and reaches to the ends of the earth. The Missions Ministry meets the third Tuesday of every month at 6:00 PM to serve the local community - making blankets for children in foster care, supporting local refugee and homeless centers, and intentionally building relationships with neighbors across Metro Detroit. The church believes missions can take many forms, and that Jesus' call to invest time and energy to build His Kingdom is answered one neighbor, one act of service at a time.
Yearly programs such as Upward Basketball and Vacation Bible School welcome the broader community into the church to share the love and message of Jesus. The church also partners with ministries that carry the gospel beyond Metro Detroit: Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse, the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, and FUGE Camps. Warren Woods also welcomes the opportunity to walk alongside missionary families and individuals serving long-term overseas in prayer and financial support.
Smaller gatherings knit the church family together between the larger rhythms. A monthly Women's Brunch gives women a regular opportunity to know one another and build community. The senior adults of the church keep their own "JOY" group going, meeting once a month on the second Saturday for fellowship, prayer, and good food, and gathering with the Blue Water Association's "OASIS" (Older Adults Still in Service) on the second Thursday of each month at 11:00 AM at a selected restaurant.
Generosity and Giving
The church frames giving as "our worshipful response to our generous God." Members and visitors can give in three ways: place cash or checks in one of the giving boxes during Sunday morning or Wednesday night gatherings, give online through the church's secure giving portal, or mail checks made out to Warren Woods Baptist Church. Generous, ongoing giving supports the weekly ministries of the church and the partnerships that carry the gospel into the community and around the world.
The Pastoral Team
Three staff pastors and ministry leaders shepherd the Warren Woods family.
Clayton Knight has served as Senior Pastor since January 2021. He is passionate about preaching and teaching and helping church members connect the timeless truths of the Bible to everyday life. He believes doctrine and theology are for everyone in the church, not just pastors or seminary professors, and he desires to see WWBC become a family whose members know God truly, love one another tangibly, and are equipped for the unique ministry God has called them to. Clayton is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv) and Liberty University. He previously served as an Associate Pastor in Indianapolis for six years. A native of Texas, he has been married to his wife Sarah since 2013, and they have two daughters.
Joseph Fessler joined the team as Family Life Pastor in May 2023. He has a deep desire for the church to know their God and walk according to His precepts, and a conviction that the family unit is an essential picture of how members of a church submit to one another through the work of the Spirit. Joe is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM) and Pensacola Christian College, and previously served as an Associate Pastor for ten years overseeing discipleship ministries. Originally from Pennsylvania, he met his wife Jenny in Texas in 2005, and together they have three children.
Emma Hagerdorn joined as Worship and Youth Leader in November 2025. She is passionate about discipling the next generation and singing theological truths that help believers know Christ better and follow Him more faithfully. Before Warren Woods, she served as Worship Leader at a church plant in the Dayton area for two and a half years during her undergraduate studies. She is a graduate of Cedarville University with a degree in Worship and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Courtney Karrer leads the Newborn through Pre-School program, and CoCo Kostadinovski serves as the Main Street Kids Curriculum Coordinator. Together with the volunteers who teach, greet, lead music, and serve behind the scenes each week, they make Sunday morning and Wednesday night ministry possible for every age.
Stay Connected
Warren Woods Baptist Church records its Sunday gatherings so anyone can stay current with the sermon series even on weeks they have to miss. The latest sermon is available on YouTube, and giving can be done online at any time. Visitors planning a first trip can fill out the church's online form so that a friendly face can be on the lookout for them. The church's events calendar is updated regularly with what's coming up for kids, youth, adults, and the whole family.