Rooted in Byron Center, Reaching the Communities Beyond
Woodhaven Reformed Church gathers at 3959 68th Street Southwest in Byron Center, Michigan, a fast-growing community on the southwest side of Grand Rapids. From that single location, the congregation's stated mission is to radically transform the communities around us with the hope and love of Jesus Christ. Everything the church does is meant to live that out - a warm welcome on Sunday morning, small groups meeting in homes across the area, food packed for local students, and partnerships with ministries in Jamaica, Ukraine, Cambodia, and Guatemala.
Woodhaven is part of the Reformed Church in America, a fellowship of congregations that traces its story back to 1628. As an RCA church, Woodhaven holds to the historic Christian creeds and Reformed confessions while also working to make those commitments visible in everyday life. Members describe it as laid-back, close-knit, and genuinely family-feeling, with a worship style that blends contemporary songs and timeless hymns and preaching rooted in Scripture.
Three Principles that Shape Everything
The mission at Woodhaven is supported by three guiding principles. The first is to create irresistible environments - spaces where everyone feels valued and embraced and where the love of Jesus is reflected in how a person is welcomed. The second is to build meaningful relationships, both inside and outside the church walls, because the leadership believes no one thrives alone. The third is to emphasize transformational truths, centering on the teachings of Jesus and growing daily in His likeness.
Those three commitments - welcome, relationship, and truth - run through every ministry that follows. They are visible in a Hello Team that meets visitors at the door, in community groups that share meals in homes across Byron Center, and in a discipleship pathway that walks people from a first visit into leadership and service.
What Sunday Morning Looks Like
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:00 AM and usually runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. People are encouraged to arrive a little early for coffee and conversation before the service starts. Parking is open anywhere on the campus, with handicap-accessible parking available near Door C. Visitors can enter through any of the covered entrances, where members of the Hello Team are often holding the door and ready to answer questions.
The atmosphere is intentionally relaxed. There is no dress code - the church says come as you are and wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. Worship blends contemporary music and classic hymns, led by a volunteer worship team of vocalists and instrumentalists. Messages are deeply rooted in Scripture and focused on practical application, designed to be engaging for adults and to model faith for the kids who are present in the room or in their own program down the hall.
Coffee and tea stations are set up in the back of the sanctuary before and after the service. Newcomers are welcome to stop by the connection point after worship to ask questions about next steps, baptism, community groups, or serving on a team.
Woodhaven Kids and Woodhaven Students
Children are a visible part of life at Woodhaven. Woodhaven Kids is offered every Sunday morning at 10:00 AM during the worship service for kids from birth through fifth grade. A nursery and preschool space welcomes children from birth through age five year-round, while kindergarten through fifth grade students gather for worship, Bible stories, and small-group time during the school year. The check-in desk opens fifteen minutes before the service, sits near the southeast entrance, and uses a touchscreen system that prints matching name badges and security tickets for parents and children. Pre-registration is available to streamline the morning.
On Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, the church runs a second program for kids birth through fifth grade that includes dinner, games, and teaching. All Woodhaven Kids volunteers go through a thorough application process and background checks. Parents are encouraged to serve, and child baptism is available as part of the Reformed Church in America's practice of covenant baptism.
For middle and high schoolers, Woodhaven Students meets every Sunday night during the school year at 6:00 PM. The student ministry is built around four building blocks - large group gatherings, small groups, discipleship, and service - and it is designed to be a high-energy, fun atmosphere where teens can take their next step with Jesus. Most events meet in the gym on the back side of the property, though some are off campus. Students are welcomed at a Check-In Station where they fill out a contact card and are paired with a small-group leader. Josh, the next steps director, leads a team of trained volunteers.
The Discipleship Pathway
Woodhaven teaches that discipleship is not a straight line but a cyclical journey. Its pathway, drawn from the way Jesus invited His first disciples, has five movements.
Come and See begins with Sunday morning worship and continues with Woodhaven 101, a one-hour lunch where newcomers meet the team, hear the church's history, and learn about groups and serving. Follow Me moves into baptism or profession of faith, both personal and public declarations rooted in centuries of Christian tradition. Trust Me takes the shape of community groups and topical classes that gather around the table, study Scripture, and serve together. Remain in Me is the smallest setting - gender-specific discipleship groups of three to five people meeting weekly for accelerated spiritual growth. Feed My Sheep points outward, into service opportunities for the church, the city, and ministry partners.
Josh, the next steps director, walks people through this pathway and helps match newcomers to a group or serving team.
Baptism and Profession of Faith
Woodhaven celebrates baptism as a sign of God's covenant of grace, whether for an infant or an adult. Following the practice of the Reformed Church in America, the church baptizes infants as a sign of God's covenant promise and trust that one day the child will embrace the faith personally; it also baptizes adults who make a public profession of faith. Baptism is understood as a vital sign and seal of the covenant, though not as a requirement for salvation.
Profession of Faith is a separate step for those who want to make a public declaration of their commitment to follow Jesus and embrace the Christian faith. Woodhaven offers a nine-week Profession of Faith course centered on the Apostles' Creed, plus a devotional that walks participants through writing their own creed. Candidates are then welcomed into membership during a worship service, with the congregation promising to support them in their continued growth.
Beliefs: Anchored in the Reformed Tradition
As an RCA congregation, Woodhaven affirms the historic Christian creeds and Reformed confessions as the standards that shape its teaching. The church embraces the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed as core statements of the Christian faith shared across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions. It also embraces the Reformed confessions - the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Belhar Confession - as the standards that give its witness a particular shape.
In its own words, Woodhaven believes there is one God who exists in three co-equal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and that this God is the creator and sustainer of all things. Scripture, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the most important guide for belief and life. Following the Reformers' principle of Sola Scriptura, the church holds that everything needed for salvation and a life of faith is found in Scripture, while also valuing the study of God's creation. The Heidelberg Catechism's gentle teacher tone, the Belgic Confession's comprehensive summary, and the Canons of Dort's clear teaching on salvation and grace are all named as part of what Woodhaven teaches.
The church teaches that humans were created in the image of God for relationship with God and one another, that sin has wounded those relationships, and that by grace alone, through faith alone, in the work of Christ alone, we are saved. It confesses the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ as the foundation of the Christian faith and the work of the Holy Spirit in applying that salvation. The church also looks forward to the day when God will make all things new, while focusing its energy now on seeking the kingdom and serving as a faithful witness in the world.
Community Groups and Discipleship Groups
Community groups are the primary small-group rhythm at Woodhaven. Groups typically meet twice a month in homes, at the church, or around Byron Center, with a variety of days and times to fit different schedules. Each gathering includes a shared meal, Scripture study, prayer, and conversation, with many groups offering childcare. Groups are open to anyone - church membership is not required - and people are encouraged to come even if they cannot attend every meeting. Discussion guides follow the Sunday sermon series, so small groups are tied directly to what is being taught on Sunday morning.
For those who want something more focused, discipleship groups are gender-specific groups of three to five people who meet weekly for accelerated spiritual transformation. Community group hosts are trained and supported by the church, with resources including a host playbook, sermon-based discussion guides, and training on facilitating conversations and serving together.
Local Service: Byron Center, Grand Rapids, and Beyond
Woodhaven is wired to send people outward. Three monthly service opportunities run through the church. Hand2Hand brings Woodhaven people together to pack weekend food for students at Byron Center High School on the first Sunday of each month after the service. Dégagé Serve Nights travel to Dégagé Ministries in Grand Rapids, where the group shares dinner, plays bingo, and spends time with neighbors experiencing homelessness or poverty. Bob's Friends is a monthly visit to Walker Village in Standale, where volunteers share a meal, games, and conversation with eighteen adults who live there.
Beyond those recurring projects, Woodhaven supports several local partners. Byron Center Ministries serves those in need physically, emotionally, and spiritually through a personal care pantry, mental health counseling, community home repairs, and food assistance programs. Dégagé Ministries provides emergency, empowerment, and engagement services in Grand Rapids. Hand2Hand is a broader network that delivers weekend food to students across the area. Grand Rapids Dream Center focuses on building relationships in Grand Rapids neighborhoods. Internationally, the church supports 20 Liters, which equips vulnerable people with clean water solutions.
Global Partners and Missionaries
Woodhaven's mission extends well beyond Byron Center. The church partners with three global ministries. Jamaica Deaf Village is a community where Deaf people in Jamaica can live, work, and grow, supported through discipleship, jobs, training, and community. Josiah Venture equips young leaders in Central and Eastern Europe to fulfill Christ's commission. Paradise Bound Ministries has worked in Guatemala since 1997 alongside local Christians passionate about reaching the country for Christ.
Woodhaven also walks with a number of missionaries personally. Mark and Deb Wilson serve with the RCA in Cambodia, and Chris and Ren Briggs serve with the RCA in Jamaica. Five families serve with Josiah Venture in Ukraine - Vitaliy and Sofia Andriiets, Lee and Katie Humerian, Mykola and Anna Semenov, Nadiya and Artem Vorobyova, and Vladyslav and Yelyzaveta Tsupik. Jerry Hekhuis serves with Good News Christian Fellowship. The church periodically organizes mission trips, including a trip to Good News Fellowship in New Port Richey, Florida.
Faith at Home: Bible, Prayer, and Books
The church invests heavily in helping people grow between Sundays. The Bible page points to the YouVersion Bible App, the R.E.A.P. method for purposeful reading (Read, Examine, Apply, Pray), and a BibleProject plan that helps readers see Scripture as a unified story leading to Jesus. The congregation participates in One Book, One Body, a year-long community Bible reading plan that unites churches across the area around Scripture.
The prayer page gathers tools for a deeper prayer life: the Prayer Course by Pete Greig, handouts from the church's series on the Lord's Prayer, and a set of resources for writing your own psalm and praying through Advent. A prayer request form invites people to share needs so staff and prayer teams can lift them up, and a weekly prayer email keeps the congregation interceding for one another.
For those who want to read further, the church curates a substantial library of books and podcasts organized by topic - apologetics, theology and Christian doctrine, heaven and the afterlife, character studies, spiritual disciplines, prayer, evangelism, Christian living, parenting, and marriage. Authors include C.S. Lewis, Timothy Keller, N.T. Wright, John Calvin, John Mark Comer, and many others. Podcasts recommended include BibleProject, Core Christianity, Think Biblically, and Lectio 365.
Getting Involved
Woodhaven organizes its people through in-house teams including the Building and Grounds Team, Care Team, Community Group Leaders, Fellowship Team, Funeral Team, Hello Team, Prayer Team, Tech Team, Woodhaven Kids volunteers, Woodhaven Youth volunteers, and Worship Team. Each team has a clear purpose and an easy way to sign up. The Hello Team creates the first impression on Sunday mornings, the Care Team supports people who are hurting, the Tech Team supports the worship service, and the Funeral Team provides meals for grieving families.
For anyone ready to take a next step, the Next Steps page gathers baptism, community groups, the discipleship pathway, profession of faith, kids, students, serving, and resources in one place. Woodhaven 101 is offered as a one-hour lunch for anyone wanting to learn the story and vision behind the church. Giving is available online, and messages are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot be there in person.