A Balanced Church in Town and Country
West Hills Church gathers in the heart of west St. Louis County, just minutes from the Highway 40 and 270 interchange, in the small, quiet community of Town and Country, Missouri. Members drive in from across the greater St. Louis region to worship, learn, and serve together, and the church's own three-word motto captures the congregation's priorities: "Worship the Lord. Love the Church. Serve the world."
The church describes itself as a "gospel-centered church who glorify God by living in authentic Christian community with one another, growing in spiritual maturity as disciples of Jesus, and serving the world missionally with the love of Christ." Its vision is "to make disciples who reach all of St. Louis and beyond with the good news of Jesus." West Hills is a Reformed, evangelical congregation formally associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America, and it partners with The Gospel Coalition and 9Marks in its church planting and theological networks.
What visitors most often notice about West Hills is not its doctrinal precision but its tone. Lead Pastor Will DuVal, in his own words, came to faith "the hard way," after decades of pursuing what Solomon called "vanities," and he preaches plainly about grace and the brokenness that drives people to it. The congregation that gathers around that teaching is the kind of mid-sized, multigenerational family the church itself calls "balanced."
Two Identical Services on Sunday Mornings
Worship services are held every Sunday at 9:00 and 10:45 a.m. The two services are identical in content, each running roughly 75 minutes, so newcomers can choose whichever time fits their week. The format is family-integrated: kids begin with their parents in the service and are dismissed to age-appropriate programming partway through, except in the nursery where infants and toddlers are cared for from the start. While the church's own building is being renovated, all Sunday morning services are hosted at Westminster Christian Academy, 800 Maryville Centre Drive, in Town and Country. Sunday parking is free and easy on the school's lot.
Visitors are told to come as they are. "You will see everything from coats with ties to jeans with tee-shirts," the church says. "We aren't all that concerned with how you look on the outside; we try and keep the focus where God does - on the heart." Music is blended, ranging from "timeless hymns to the best of what's on the radio." Both the expressive hand-raisers and the quiet meditator-on-the-lyrics types fit comfortably. Communion is observed as a shared meal of bread and juice, and baptism is offered to professing believers.
Sunday services are also streamed online, with the current sermon available through the church's livestream and archived in a podcast and sermon library going back several years. Visitors who want to catch a glimpse before attending can listen to recent messages through the After the Sermon and Ask the Pastors podcasts.
Balance, Engagement, Authenticity, Discipleship
West Hills identifies four words that distinguish its particular culture, and the leadership talks openly about each one.
Balance means neither too big nor too small. The church is large enough to offer solid children's, youth, and adult programming yet small enough that members can know one another by name. There are children in the children's ministry and older adults in the senior ministry, and the church does not skew so heavily in either direction that one generation feels lost. Engagement is the church's other identifying mark. "Almost our entire church is actively involved somewhere," the staff says, "most of them in multiple ministries." Between small groups, volunteering, and serving outside the church's walls, members are expected to put their faith into practice. Newcomers are warned at the church's Entry Point class that "if you stick around, we're gonna plug you in."
Authenticity means honesty about sin. The church's own statement on this topic is unusually frank: "There can be a social pressure here in West County to appear like you live a picture-perfect life. Yet Jesus said he came not for the healthy, but for the sick. His grace frees us to be radically honest about our sin, and our utter need for a Savior. So at West Hills, we don't 'shrink the cross' by pretending we have it all together; we bring our real selves, warts and all, trusting that we find healing and hope in Christ."
Discipleship is the fourth mark. "We don't water down the gospel here, to try and stay relevant in an increasingly secular society. Jesus calls us to 'go make disciples… teaching them to observe ALL that he has commanded us.' So we preach the whole counsel of God here, and we want to make disciples, who are going and making disciples."
A Year Away from Their Building
The elders proposed a substantial renovation of the West Hills church building, with new kids' bathrooms upstairs from the youth restrooms, an extended kids' classroom, a women's restroom redesign, a nursing mothers' room, a new gathering room, a renovated sanctuary, a kitchen update, a new "Doxa" youth space, and a rebuilt playground. Members voted on the project and approved it, and construction is now underway.
For the duration of the renovation, the entire congregation has decamped to borrowed and rented spaces around Town and Country. Sunday morning worship happens at Westminster Christian Academy, 800 Maryville Centre Drive, in Town and Country. Wednesday evening ministries for kids and youth meet at Greentrails United Methodist Church, 14237 Ladue Road, in Chesterfield. The Young Adult Ministry gathers Thursday evenings at McKnight Crossings Church, 2515 S McKnight Road, in St. Louis. The church offices have temporarily relocated to West County Assembly of God, 13431 North Outer 40 Road, in Town and Country, where staff can be reached Monday through Friday.
Pastoral and office staff can be reached at info@westhillsstl.org or by phone at 1.314.434.5963. Until the renovation is complete, the church's main gathering point for visitors on Sunday is the Westminster Christian Academy location.
A Reformed and Evangelical Identity
West Hills teaches "what accords with sound doctrine," and its statement of faith, drawn directly from Scripture, walks through the historic Christian categories.
The church affirms belief in one God, Creator of all things, eternally existing in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It teaches that God has spoken in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which are "the verbally inspired Word of God... without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged."
Humanity is created in God's image but fallen into sin through Adam, and only through Christ's saving work can sinners be rescued, reconciled, and renewed. Jesus Christ is "God incarnate, fully God and fully man," who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died under Pontius Pilate, rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at God's right hand. His atoning death and resurrection are "the only ground for salvation."
The Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, baptizes believers into union with Christ, adopts them as heirs, indwells them, illuminates them, guides them, and empowers them for Christ-like living. The church is the whole company of those justified by grace through faith in Christ, expressed locally in congregations whose membership is composed of believers. The church practices two ordinances - baptism and the Lord's Supper - that visibly express the gospel. Justifying grace is inseparable from sanctifying purpose, and Christians are to love God supremely, love others sacrificially, care for one another, show compassion to the poor, pursue justice for the oppressed, and engage in Christ's mission of disciple-making. The church looks for the personal, bodily, and glorious return of Jesus Christ and for the resurrection of the dead, with the believer receiving eternal blessedness and the unbeliever receiving condemnation.
Pastors, Elders, and Deacons
West Hills is led by a plurality of elders and a staff team. The elders are Will DuVal, Todd Gienke, Austin Gooch, Eric Maupin, Steve Mitchell, Mike Pijut, Thad Yessa, and Brad Young.
Will DuVal serves as Lead Pastor. He preaches most Sundays and writes the church's blog and podcast content. Thad Yessa serves as Pastor of Youth and Connections, overseeing student ministry and the church's connection strategy. Jeffery McMillian serves as Director of Young Adults, and Holly Snyder serves as Director of Children and Family Ministries. The staff team is rounded out by additional ministry staff in music, media, and communications.
The deacon board handles ministry assignments rather than governance. Callie Boren oversees adult education administration. Kim Budnick and Helen Johnson serve in senior ministry. Brad and Andrea Castle lead hospitality. Allison Dozier and Lindsay Stewart lead the church's design work. Jared and Dayna Eckardt lead the mercy ministry. Jody Gross leads missions. Karri Maupin and Michelle Pijut lead the corporate prayer ministry. Aaron Stewart leads men's ministry, and Nikki Yessa leads women's ministry. Katie Troll handles finance.
Entry Point, the church's newcomer class, is led by Pastor Thad and meets the second Sunday of every other month from 10:45 a.m. to noon during the second service. After the class, participants are invited to stay for lunch with the pastors and elders.
Partnering with Parents to Raise Followers of Jesus
Children's ministry at West Hills is built on a single conviction: parents are the primary spiritual caregivers in the home, and the church's job is to come alongside them. The program runs every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, and it extends well beyond Sunday.
On Sundays during the worship services, children from infants through elementary age are welcomed into age-appropriate classrooms and an interactive kids' worship gathering of their own, with songs, crafts, games, biblical teaching, and a focus on the Word of God. The children's ministry director and her team work to make sure the program is not just entertaining but genuinely formative. Sunday morning children's ministry meets at Westminster Christian Academy while the building is being renovated.
On Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., the children's program continues at Greentrails United Methodist Church. The church also runs an active Vacation Bible School each summer, with recent themes built around rainforest-style adventures, open to children ages three through entering sixth grade.
The youth ministry, branded West Hills Youth, gathers students in grades 6 through 12 for connection, worship, prayer, teaching, and small-group discussion. Sunday meetings are at 9:00 a.m. in room B103 at Westminster Christian Academy; Wednesday evening meetings are at Greentrails United Methodist Church from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The ministry's stated goal is "preparing students for adulthood by equipping them with a biblical worldview and challenging them to own and grow into a faith of their own," and the staff judges success not by how many students sit on the couches but by how many will fill pews "10… 20… years from now."
Young Adults on Thursday Nights
The Young Adult Ministry exists, in the church's words, "to reach the lost with the good news of the gospel and to ignite a passion to follow Jesus in young adults." Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. are the rhythm of the ministry, with worship through music, study of the Word, and small-group discussion and prayer. While the building is being renovated, the group meets at McKnight Crossings Church, 2515 S McKnight Road, in St. Louis. The ministry is led by Director of Young Adults Jeffery McMillian, who can be reached directly through the church office.
Life Groups and D-Groups: Where Most of the Show Happens
If there is a backbone to West Hills, it is the small-group ministry. Over three-quarters of the congregation are involved in a Life Group, and the church is unapologetic about its view that small groups are not an optional add-on but the primary place where Christian community happens.
Life Groups are coed groups of adults that meet weekly in homes across the St. Louis area, on almost every evening of the week. They combine Bible study, discussion, application, prayer, accountability, and life-on-life sharing. The church's framing is that Life Groups are "the ideal context for putting into practice all 44 of the New Testament 'one another' exhortations." Discipleship Groups, or D-groups, are a smaller, more intense layer of community. They are gender-specific groups of three to five men or women who meet for Bible study, accountability, and prayer. Some are mentor-led, with one member discipling the others, and others are mutual, "iron sharpening iron." Some focus inward on the West Hills community, others outward on the Great Commission. The only measure of success the church names is whether members are "growing in [their] love of God and others."
Marriage Mentorship is a third layer of small-group ministry. Seasoned couples are paired with couples earlier in marriage for guidance, encouragement, prayer, and honest conversation about the joys and struggles of marriage. Meetings are flexible and informal, designed to fit each pair.
Studying the Bible Together on Sunday Mornings
On Sunday mornings at 9:00 and 10:45, while children's ministry runs and the corporate worship service gathers, the church also offers Adult Bible Classes. Topics rotate across the year and have included the Book of Romans, the Book of Galatians, Apologetics and Evangelism, Prayers in the Psalms, and Parenting 101. Each class includes teaching, interactive discussion, fellowship, and practical application. Recent class recordings are available to listen to online.
Entry Point, the church's newcomer class, meets the second Sunday of every other month from 10:45 a.m. to noon. Pastor Thad leads the class, which covers the church's mission, ministries, finances, and distinctives. After the lesson, participants are invited to stay for lunch with the pastors and elders. Visitors who want to learn more about West Hills can also submit a question through the church's website.
Distinct Ministries for Men, Women, and Seniors
The men's ministry offers three lanes of connection. First, fellowship and service gatherings, watching a big game, pickup basketball, or meeting a need in the church together. Second, a monthly men's breakfast for devotional study, prayer, and relationship. Third, a more intensive weekly leadership training program for men who want to go deeper in faith and accountability.
The women's ministry operates on a similar two-track approach. Fellowship outings meet monthly for fun and friendship, while Bible studies and discipleship opportunities deepen the walk with God. The leadership is rooted in the conviction that women are of equal and infinite value to God and that the church's role is to encourage them to flourish in the gifts He has given.
The senior ministry meets monthly for a senior's luncheon with food, prayer, and conversation, and the church sees this season of life as a "crown of glory," quoting Proverbs 16:31, and a time rich with potential for ministry. Activities include games, conversation, and service to ministries and individuals both inside and outside the church.
A Heart for St. Louis and Beyond
West Hills supports more than a dozen missionaries and church-planting efforts worldwide and partners with a network of regional ministries in St. Louis.
Internationally, the church supports Oasis International, which loves and serves refugees from war-torn countries; Compassion International, which sponsors children in poverty through local churches; the Fellowship of Former Christian Scientists, which connects people from a Christian Science background with Christ-centered resources; and Operation Christmas Child, the Samaritan's Purse shoebox ministry.
In the region, West Hills partners with Reach Reproductive Health, which serves women and families in crisis pregnancies; Good Neighbor, a refugee resettlement effort in partnership with St. Louis Metro and Oasis International; LOVEtheLOU, a North St. Louis community development effort; a ministry to the international students attending colleges and universities in the area; a local outreach to the St. Louis Muslim community; and Safe Families for Children, which keeps vulnerable children safe and out of the foster system. A Life Team equips the congregation for the fight for life and partners with sidewalk ministry and soul-care work.
The church's mercy ministry also responds to practical needs within the congregation and surrounding community, providing physical and financial assistance to those in crisis.
Counseling, Books, and Podcasts to Keep Growing
West Hills runs a counseling ministry in cooperation with Generations Counseling. A professional counselor sees clients right out of the church offices, offering a free initial consultation and specializing in family conflict, relationship issues, and anxiety, with additional help available for depression, grief, life coaching, intimacy issues, coping skills, addiction, and spiritual confusion.
The church has partnered with RightNow Media to provide every member with free access to a library of more than 10,000 Bible study videos. An online bookstore, run in partnership with 10 of Those, makes curated Christian books and resources available to the congregation. The church also opens its doors to several parachurch ministries, including the American Red Cross for blood drives, One Heart Family Ministries, Christian Bible Studies, First Light, and a weekly support group from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
Two podcasts extend the church's teaching beyond Sunday morning. The After the Sermon podcast, hosted by Lead Pastor Will DuVal, answers follow-up questions from the previous Sunday's sermon and shares applications submitted by listeners. The Ask the Pastors podcast fields questions from listeners on Scripture, faith, and life, with pastors offering biblically grounded, pastorally sensitive answers. Both podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube.
A Prayer Team bears the prayer needs of the congregation and intercedes for missionaries, missions partners, and the salvation of the lost. Giving is available online, and the church uses Church Center for event registration, life-group sign-ups, and member communication.
From a borrowed auditorium at Westminster Christian Academy to Wednesday nights at Greentrails United Methodist Church to Thursday evenings at McKnight Crossings Church, West Hills continues to live out its three-word motto - "Worship the Lord. Love the Church. Serve the world" - in a season of intentional mobility, and looks forward to returning to its renovated building when the work is complete.