White Oak Christian Church is a multi-campus congregation that has served Cincinnati's west side and the surrounding Ross Township area for decades. From its original campus in Colerain Township, the church launched a second location in Ross Township in 2009, and the two have grown together as one church with two front doors. Its stated mission - Connecting People to Full Life in Jesus - shows up in everything from its Sunday services to its baptism conversations, life groups, and partnerships that stretch from Cincinnati to East Africa.
One Church, Two Campuses
White Oak meets at two locations, each with its own campus pastor and worship team, but the same teaching, beliefs, and shared calendar.
Colerain Campus sits at 3675 Blue Rock Road, Cincinnati, OH 45247, and gathers on Sundays at 9:00 and 10:30 am. Kevin Smith has served as Colerain's campus pastor since 2019, after fifteen years in student ministry at Bright Christian Church. He and his wife Katie live in West Harrison, Indiana, with their four kids, two of whom are in college and two in high school.
Ross Campus is located at 1500 Ross-Millville Road, Hamilton, OH 45013, and offers three Sunday services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 am. Chris Emmons is the Ross campus pastor. He and his wife Pam, who moved into the Ross community looking for a church home, joined the White Oak staff in 2020 after years of leading groups on the campus. They have two sons, Sam and Isaac.
The decision to become a multi-site church goes back to 2007 and 2008. In the fall of 2008, the current lead pastor was asked to step into the role of campus pastor and build a launch team for what became the Ross Township campus. That campus opened its doors the following year, and a church that once met in a single neighborhood room has spent the years since adding services, staff, and student programs across both locations.
Connecting People to Full Life in Jesus
The mission statement is short - Connecting People to Full Life in Jesus - and the vision unpacks it into three movements: everyone is on the path to full life by discovering their identity in Jesus, being equipped to love, and being deployed for mission. The church frames its life around those three verbs. Discover happens through Discover White Oak dinners, baptism conversations, and the church's podcast and formation resources. Equip happens through Life Groups, the Formation learning hub, RightNow Media, and teaching series like Practicing the Way and Exodus: Formed in Freedom. Deploy happens through serving teams, local mission partners, and short-term trips with global partners.
Lead Pastor Nathan Hinkle often ties the language of full life back to Jesus' words in John 10:10. Before coming to White Oak, he was once a youth pastor at the church in the early 2000s, and one of his longtime rhythms has been a single annual day away to read, dream, and plan for what student ministry could become next.
What to Expect on a Sunday
Each service at both campuses includes a time of music with words on the screen, a message from the current teaching series, and a regular observance of communion that remembers the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Children's programs run alongside every service, and the church describes its gatherings as featuring modern worship, relevant teaching, and excellent children's programming.
The I'm New page invites first-time guests to let the church know they're coming through a short online form, then directs them to a campus. Dress is explicitly come as you are; the church says it cares more about meeting people than about what they wear, so anything from dressy to casual is welcome.
For those who can't make it in person, messages are released online every Sunday at 7:00 pm, with audio for each week of a series posted for both the Colerain and Ross campuses. The full archive of recent series, from Under the Crown: Sermon on the Mount and The Connected Life to Community: Life with God, Lived Together, is available on demand.
White Oak Kids
Children are a central part of the church's identity. White Oak Kids runs age-appropriate classes for newborns through elementary on Sundays at both campuses, with a staff and volunteer team that includes a dedicated Kids Pastor at each location.
At the Ross Campus, Kat Messerschmidt leads the program. A homeschooling mom with a giant garden and a chicken flock, Kat sees her role as an extension of Deuteronomy 11:19 - helping families make faith part of everyday life. Karen Lynch Clark leads the program at the Colerain Campus, where she oversees coaches and volunteers, loves cheering on the Cincinnati Bengals with her grandkids, and counts it a privilege to walk with kids and families through big spiritual questions.
The classrooms are organized into:
- Nursery for newborns through 24 months
- 2's and 3's
- Pre-K and Kindergarten
- Elementary Ministry
The church also produces White Oak Kids at Home, a video resource for preschoolers and elementary-age children with crafts, stories, and family conversation prompts that families can use during the week.
White Oak Students
Student ministry serves fourth through twelfth graders across both campuses with three distinct rhythms.
PreTeen is the entry point for fourth through sixth graders, meeting Sunday mornings at the Colerain Campus with interactive teaching and small-group time.
Sunday Mornings Middle School is a Bible-study experience just for sixth through eighth graders at the Ross Campus, meeting 10:30 to 11:30 am in Room 330.
MDWK is the church's Wednesday night gathering for middle schoolers (grades 6 to 8), running 6:30 to 8:00 pm in Room 330 at Ross and in the Multi Purpose Room 110 at Colerain.
Sunday Nights is the high school experience for grades 9 to 12, meeting 6:00 to 8:00 pm in Room 330 at Ross and in Room 110 at Colerain. Through deeper Bible study, authentic friendships, worship, and honest conversation, students are challenged to grow in their faith and find community.
Andy Crowl serves as Ross Student Pastor. A bass fisherman, baseball card collector, and adoptive dad who has only ever broken his pinky toe, Andy loves helping students know Jesus. Donovan Gregory serves as Colerain Student Pastor. He and his wife Kaylee, married in 2023, are expecting their first child, and Donovan's favorite passage, John 3:16-18, has shaped his work with students since he first memorized it.
Parents can join private Facebook groups for either campus to stay in the loop on calendars, parent labs, and student events like the October Parent Lab on parenting with mental health in mind.
Life Groups
White Oak invests heavily in Life Groups as the primary small-group environment. The church describes Life Groups as people to walk with - studying Scripture, praying, and growing in faith together, not just doing life side by side. Groups meet on the campuses, in homes, and in other places people love to connect, with most new groups launching in September and January.
Group leaders are coached to make Scripture, prayer, and mutual care the center of the gathering, and Life Group participation is one of the main paths the church points people toward after their first visit. The church also provides free access to RightNow Media - a streaming library of Bible studies and curriculum - for anyone connected to White Oak.
Formation: Becoming an Apprentice of Jesus
The Formation Pastor, Erin Feiser, oversees a learning hub designed around three movements - be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what He did. The hub gathers messages, groups, and reading recommendations around ancient Christian practices like Sabbath, prayer, fasting, solitude, Scripture, community, simplicity, generosity, and hospitality.
The current teaching series, Exodus: Formed in Freedom, traces the story of God not just rescuing people out of slavery but forming them into someone new. The church has also walked through John Mark Comer's Practicing the Way together, and a corresponding podcast seasons is hosted by Comer and produced for White Oak and other Practicing the Way partners.
Erin, who has been part of White Oak for years and was both baptized and commissioned as Formation Pastor on December 19 - exactly 25 years apart in her life - leads Formation Conversations, short videos and podcasts that walk through the practices and stories of people whose lives have been shaped by them.
Baptism
Baptism at White Oak is by immersion and is reserved for those who have chosen to follow Jesus, repent of sin, confess faith, and accept Him as Savior and Lord. Anyone interested registers for a Baptism Conversation with one of the campus pastors: Chris Emmons for the Ross Campus or Kevin Smith for the Colerain Campus. The church also provides a written FAQ covering what baptism is and means, who should be baptized, whether the form of baptism matters, and how someone baptized as an infant should think about being baptized again.
Mission and Outreach
The missions ministry follows the pattern of Acts 1:8, focusing on what is here, what is near, and what is far. Locally, the church partners with three long-standing ministries:
- Bloc Ministries - a relational local ministry that meets practical needs and points people to Christ.
- LifeForward - a life-affirming pregnancy resource center that White Oak was instrumental in founding in the 1970s and continues to support with finances and volunteers.
- S.O.N. Ministries - a community and church-sponsored food pantry serving the White Oak and Groesbeck areas of Colerain Township. White Oak is both a financial and volunteer partner.
Globally, the church supports:
- Agape International Missions (AIM), working against exploitation and supporting survivors across multiple countries.
- Christia Seva Mission, planting churches and serving spiritual and physical needs in South Asian villages.
- Comenserv, a long-running ministry in East Africa reaching people in countries like Kenya and Somalia.
- Impact West Africa, which combines medical and entrepreneurial ministry, including a Farming God's Way program.
- ICOM, the International Conference on Missions, which equips mission workers and connects churches with missionaries.
Trip leaders regularly invite members to sign up for upcoming mission trips through the church's Missions page.
SHAKEN: A Journey of Generosity
SHAKEN is the church's multi-year generosity initiative, grounded in the conviction that God is a giver and that generosity is a form of worship rather than an obligation. The campaign frames giving as a response to what God has done in Christ, with seven giving motivations - God went first, worship is worth breaking the vase for, store up treasure in heaven, steward, don't consume, generosity forms us, it isn't ours, and buy the field because the treasure is worth it - drawn from Scripture.
White Oak also tells a series of Shaken stories from members whose faith and finances have been transformed during the campaign, including Ashley Harger's journey into sobriety and renewed faith, the Phillips family's experience of their daughter Kylee's cancer diagnosis and miraculous recovery, Dale and Jordan Seals' walk through a 102-day NICU stay with their premature daughter Micaiah, and staff member Jamie Huber's testimony through a heart attack and the forgiveness of her medical debt.
What White Oak Believes
The church's statement of faith covers seven points, each anchored in a specific set of Bible passages:
- God is the creator of all. Genesis 1:1; Ephesians 4:6.
- Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God, who died for our sins, arose from the dead, and is coming again to gather his people and judge the world. John 1:14; 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
- The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian and empowers them for service. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 12:1-11.
- The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the guide and final authority for all matters of faith and practice. Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21.
- Every person has value as a creation of God, but all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23.
- Salvation, forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life are available to all who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Those who accept Him must repent, confess their faith, and be baptized. Mark 16:16; John 3:16; 14:6; 16:31; Acts 2:38; 4:12; Romans 3:28; 10:9.
- The church is the body of Christ, God's family of faith on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to make disciples. Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Timothy 3:15; Acts 16:5.
Leadership
White Oak is led by Lead Pastor Nathan Hinkle and an executive team that includes Executive Pastor Jeff Derico, Communications Pastor Kyle Cannon, and Executive Director of Operations Brian Doerman. Each campus is pastored day-to-day by Kevin Smith (Colerain) and Chris Emmons (Ross). The Formation Pastor, Erin Feiser, oversees the Formation learning hub and the missions team.
Worship is led by Darin Hudson, who serves as Programming Director and Ross Worship Pastor, and Zac Owens, Colerain Worship Pastor. Kids Pastors Karen Lynch Clark (Colerain) and Kat Messerschmidt (Ross), along with Student Pastors Andy Crowl (Ross) and Donovan Gregory (Colerain), round out the ministry leadership.
The church is governed by a board of elders, men chosen from within the congregation and grounded in the qualifications described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Elders are responsible for the spiritual welfare of the church, for directing and administering its life, for preaching and teaching, for prayer, for setting policy, and for ordaining others. The current elders include Gary Weisenberger (Chairman), Will Mueller (Vice Chairman), Dennis McDaniel (Secretary), Scott Dearth, Joseph Smith, Dan Harris, Eugene Ungermann, and John Moad. The elders can be reached at elders@thewocc.com.
Serving and Getting Connected
Serving is one of the primary ways members find community. Opportunities include the Kids Ministry team, the Student Ministry team, greeting and the HUB on Sunday mornings, the worship and production teams, life group leadership, and the missions team. The church points new attenders toward three next steps: Discover White Oak (a dinner conversation held several times a year at both campuses where newcomers meet pastors and staff and learn what it means to become a partner), a Life Group, and a Serve team.
Those interested in baptism can sign up for a conversation with a campus pastor, and a prayer request form is always available for anyone who would like the staff or elders to pray for them. Newsletters (What's Happening at White Oak and Momentum) keep subscribers informed of upcoming events, next steps, and a recap of Sunday's teaching.
Giving and Building Use
White Oak receives gifts online through Pushpay, in the offering boxes at the back of the auditoriums on Sundays, by mail to the church office, and by stock transfer through UBS (account number WL35010, contact Brian Doerman). A 2025 Annual Report is published each year, and a weekly Stewardship Update reports attendance and giving from the previous Sunday.
The church's facilities are also available for use by outside groups, with a Building Use Policy, an online event and room reservation form, and calendars for each campus reviewed before requests are confirmed. In-house teams maintain landscaping, cleaning, and repairs year-round, and the church periodically gathers members for Ross and Colerain Work Days to care for the buildings together.