A Church on Oak Street in Zionsville
Zionsville Fellowship Church sits at 9090 Oak Street in the heart of Zionsville, Indiana, just northwest of Indianapolis. The church describes itself with a single sentence: "We exist to glorify God by being and making disciples of Jesus Christ who are a community of worshippers on mission." Each Sunday, members and visitors gather at 10:00 AM for a service that runs like a steady rhythm in the life of this Boone County community, followed by coffee, snacks, and unhurried conversation in the lobby.
The church is non-denominational and broadly Reformed in its teaching, with a stated confession closest to the 1689 London Baptist Confession and a deep appreciation for the ancient creeds of the Christian church. It is also a church with deep regional roots: its members partner regularly with Neighborhood Fellowship, a sister church on the near east side of Indianapolis, and with the volunteer-run Compassion Clinic that operates across the street from that congregation. Together those ministries give the church an identity that reaches well beyond its own parking lot.
Sunday Mornings at Ten
The Sunday gathering is the center of life at ZF. Members come "to find fresh grace, encouragement, and joy in Jesus Christ - the friend of sinners and sufferers like us." The format is simple and deliberate. The church says it gathers "to devote ourselves to prayer, scripture reading, singing, and biblical preaching," with Christ-centered and theologically faithful expositional preaching set as the high priority.
The musical blend reflects both ancient and modern streams. Worship is led by Clint Stevens, the worship director, who also oversees the audio, visual, and lighting teams that support the service. The church sings hymns and modern songs "that draw our attention to God's greatness and grace." Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and the sermon archive also lives on the church's Vimeo and podcast channels for anyone who wants to revisit a message or who is searching the area remotely.
For first-time guests, the morning is intentionally low-friction. Newcomers can fill out a connection card online so an elder or staff member can follow up during the week. A Welcome Center near the lobby offers help with CheckIns, the secure children's system, and finding Sunday School rooms. After the service the coffee is poured and the chairs rearranged, and many first conversations happen over a cup of joe.
Beliefs Rooted in the Creeds and Reformed Confession
ZF teaches and holds to beliefs "which have their basis in the Scriptures, are in keeping with the creeds of the early church councils, and have been held in common by all communions of orthodox believers." The church affirms three ancient creeds by name - the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Chalcedonian Definition - and on top of those lays out a number of more specific commitments.
The church holds that the Bible is God's authoritative and inspired Word, without error in all its teaching. It teaches the Trinity, with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three divine persons in one nature, co-equal and co-existent. It affirms the full deity and true humanity of Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, his sinless life, his miracles, his atoning death, his bodily resurrection, his ascension, and his promised return to judge the living and the dead.
Salvation is held to be a free gift of God received through repentance from sin and faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, publicly demonstrated in baptism and lived out in participation with the church. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are described as ordinances initiated by Christ, not as means of salvation, with the Lord's Table offered regularly to all members. Church government is by a plural eldership supported by deacons, and the elders also "teach from a Christ-centered and broadly Reformed perspective." The church affirms the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation and points to the 1689 London Baptist Confession as the historic confession its teaching most closely aligns with.
Shepherds, Deacons, and the Shape of the Church
The local church is led by a plurality of elders who share the work of teaching, shepherding, and protecting the congregation, supported by a deacon team that cares for practical, financial, and facility needs. At Zionsville Fellowship the elders are Drew Hunter, Dave Newton, Aaron Lewis, Scott McCullough, Dave Smith, Nick Taylor, and Josh Elmore.
Drew Hunter is the Teaching Pastor and provides overall leadership, biblical teaching, and eldership. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute and holds two MAs from Wheaton College Graduate School, in Biblical Exegesis and in Systematic and Historical Theology. He is the author of "Made for Friendship" and several volumes in Crossway's "Knowing the Bible" series, and he and his wife Christina are raising four sons.
Dave Newton joined ZF in 2026 as an associate pastor and elder. He also graduated from Moody Bible Institute and holds an MA from Wheaton College Graduate School with an emphasis in biblical theology and exegesis. Before coming to Zionsville he served at Grace Church of DuPage in Illinois and at Gospel Fellowship of Sussex in Wisconsin. Dave and his wife Shasta have been married since 1994 and have two children.
Aaron Lewis, an elder since 2018, first walked through ZF's doors as a Purdue graduate in 2006 for a yearlong pastoral internship, returned after seminary to a five-year stint on staff overseeing high school, college, and young adult ministries, and now works in IT sales while continuing to co-lead a small group with his wife Jenna. Scott McCullough, an elder since 2021, moved from Greenville, Texas in 2016 and now serves in high school and hospitality ministries. Dave Smith, an elder since 2020, came from the Chicago area where he served as a worship leader at The Orchard Evangelical Free Church. Nick Taylor, an elder since 2016, grew up in Kokomo, settled in the Carmel-Zionsville area, and has attended ZF since marrying Traci in 1987. Josh Elmore, a former deacon and small group leader, has biblical-counseling training from Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette.
The deacon team is led by six ministry-area teams that handle the everyday work of the church: a Safety and Security Team (Doug Eriks and Mark Lewis), a Building Use Team that oversees weddings and special events (Meghan Browne, Lynn Eriks, and Jen Graves), an Interior Facilities Team (Mark Lewis and JD Graves), an Exterior Facilities Team (Mike Miller), a Finance Team (Nick Thompson and Patrick Browne), and a Communion and Community Care Team (Cathie Lewis, Cody Elmore, and McCaela Thompson).
Singing, Music, and a Volunteer Tech Team
Music is described as a serving ministry: the most important voice within musical worship is the congregation. Clint Stevens and the team lead a blended repertoire of "old and new" songs anchored in the gospel, supported by a worship team of vocalists and instrumentalists. Anyone who believes they are gifted in voice or instrumentation is invited to try out.
The Sunday service also depends on a tech team of volunteers who mix audio, run slides, and produce live video. No previous experience is required, though comfort with computers is helpful. The team is one of several coordinated serving opportunities that keep the gathering running week after week.
Children from the Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Children are central to ZF's vision of the family. Nursery care is available throughout the entire Sunday morning service for infants and toddlers (the nursery hosts three rooms: infants 2 to 12 months, "inbetweeners" 12 to 24 months, and toddlers 2 years through preschool age). The nursery opens fifteen minutes before the service begins.
After the first portion of the service, preschoolers through fifth graders are dismissed to their Sunday School classes. Preschool uses The Biggest Story curriculum from Crossway, with worship music and age-appropriate Bible teaching. Kindergarten through fifth grade continues with the same curriculum, which walks children through the Bible as a single unfolding story from Genesis to Revelation. Parents pick up children in person at the close of the service by presenting the guardian tag given at check-in.
Safety is taken seriously. The church uses the CheckIns secure system for nursery through fifth grade, all children's ministry volunteers are background-checked through MinistrySafe, complete Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, and must have been ZF members for at least six months before serving with the youngest children. A modified curriculum is also in place in a Special Needs classroom that runs during the same dismissal time, with gross motor activities and a snack, so that children with special needs can learn alongside their peers in a way suited to them.
Middle School and High School on Sunday Nights
Student ministry begins in sixth grade. The middle school program uses a three-year rotating curriculum that walks students through Creation and the Fall, the essentials of the Christian faith and a comparison of world religions, and finally the Seven Checkpoints along with apologetics. Each year also brings an 8th Grade Leadership Retreat at Lake Rudolph Campground in southern Indiana with a day at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari, a fall retreat on a three-year rotation, and a back-to-school overnight with pancake breakfast that doubles as the prayer-partner reveal for outgoing eighth graders.
A ZF Catechism class meets two Sunday evenings per month during the school year for students in grades six through eight, using The New City Catechism as its backbone. Catechism here is treated as both formation and counter-formation, shaping students into a community whose communal life reflects the likeness of Christ.
The high school ministry meets Sunday nights during the school year from 6:00 to 7:30 PM in the High School room, with games, worship, teaching, discussion, and fellowship. Small groups also meet at various times during the week and are led by adults who guide students in Bible study, life-sharing, and prayer. Each student entering ninth grade is matched with an anonymous adult prayer partner who prays for them through graduation, with a reveal ceremony on Senior Recognition Sunday in May. The high school calendar also includes an annual winter retreat in Wisconsin called Great White North, held over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend at Fort Wilderness near Rhinelander.
The student ministry team is led by Tim Khan, the Student Ministry Director, with Pam Basch coordinating the middle school ministry.
College and Young Adults in Zionsville
The Young Adult ministry meets every Tuesday at 7:00 PM at rotating locations in Zionsville for a relaxed evening of community and competition. Biweekly lunches at a member's home follow Sunday services, and college students are welcome at both. Twice a year the church family sends care packages to undergraduate students who have kept their addresses updated with the church office. A GroupMe chat keeps everyone connected on weekly locations and events.
Women's Ministry Around the Word
The ZF Women's Ministry is led by Christina Hunter and centers on the "one anothers" of Scripture: loving, encouraging, forgiving one another as disciples of Jesus. The ministry team plans events that strengthen small groups and intentional friendships across generations.
The flagship women's ministry is Habits of the Heart, a Bible study that meets on Wednesday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15 AM and Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:15 PM at the church building. The current study moves through the Book of Exodus - titled "Delivered to Dwell" - and runs from September 2026 through March 2027. Infant and toddler care is offered at the morning session, along with a preschool Bible class and an elementary-age Bible class; the children study the same book of the Bible in a format designed for them. The cost is $50 for the year, with scholarships available.
Other women's offerings include MOMS (Making Our Motherhood Significant), which meets two Fridays a month from 9:15 to 11:15 AM around the theme of "Connection Points"; the annual Women's Christmas Tea on the second Saturday in December; a Women's Fellowship Breakfast held twice a year; and an intergenerational Women's Weekend each winter. A monthly Women's Ministry newsletter keeps everyone in the loop.
Men in Growth Groups, Breakfasts, and Bible Study
The Men's Ministry is committed to encouraging men as disciples of Jesus through biblical teaching, fellowship, and mission. A Friday morning Bible Study meets from 6:45 to 7:45 AM at the church, currently working through "The Ten Second Rule" by Clare DeGraf. Each fall and spring the church offers six-to-eight-week Men's Growth Groups led by pastoral staff on topics that have ranged from personal evangelism and being men of prayer to confronting racial problems as followers of Jesus and confronting domestic abuse.
The men's fellowship breakfast happens once a quarter, with coffee poured at 8:15 AM and breakfast served at 8:30 AM. Past themes have included "Be a Faithful Steward." Each fall the men gather for an overnight retreat at Highland Lakes Camp outside Mooresville, with cabins and hotel-style rooms available and programming open to young men aged 13 and up.
Senior Adults: The OWLS
For men and women 55 and older, the OWLS ("Older Wiser Loving Saints") program offers social and spiritual enrichment, including excursions to nearby points of interest, concerts, and special luncheons, with transportation often provided. The OWLS also engage in multi-generational service - particularly the Neighborhood Fellowship Gift Wish project and summer Vacation Bible School - and a subset of women knit prayer shawls to present to the sick and homebound. The group takes a break in the winter months but stays active through spring, summer, and fall. The OWLS Lunch Bunch meets every Tuesday at 12:00 noon, ending around 1:00 PM, with members bringing a meal and a drink for an unhurried conversation.
Family Camp and the Generations Together
Every summer, many ZF families spend a week together at Family Camp at Fort Wilderness, a Christian camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and a long-standing ministry partner of the church. Family Camp is deliberately multi-generational - whether attendees are young kids, older kids, grandkids, or no kids at all, the week is built around unhurried conversation, programming for all ages, and time to rest. Housing options range from tent and RV sites to higher-end lodging, with a waiting list for some options.
A Culture of Prayer
Prayer is treated as a foundational rhythm rather than an occasional event. Members of the Prayer Team meet on Fridays at 10:00 AM in the Prayer and Gathering Room, and they are also available during the week to meet one-on-one at the church or in members' homes. Elders pray for members at every elders' meeting and welcome requests for special prayer in line with James 5:14-15.
Members can also join prayer partners for middle school or high school students, sign up for prayer emails about urgent matters, or use a yearly Word and Prayer Guide that walks the church through shared topics of prayer through the week. On the first Wednesday of each month, Neighborhood Fellowship enjoys a meal together and celebrates the Lord's Supper at 6:30 PM, and ZF members are invited to join.
Neighborhood Fellowship on the Near East Side
Neighborhood Fellowship is ZF's sister church, located at 3102 E. 10th Street in Indianapolis. Started by Jim and Debbie Strietelmeier more than twenty-five years ago, it preaches the gospel and embodies the love of Christ among the urban poor. Jim went to be with the Lord in 2023, but the work he and Debbie began continues under the leadership of elders Huri Cañas, Barry Glaser, Mike Hale, and Max Weiss. ZF members serve the sister church in several coordinated ways.
Neighborhood Academy is a small, volunteer-run Christian school that offers a tuition-free education to students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. ZF members teach classes, tutor students, serve as prayer partners, provide meals, and donate supplies. Neighborhood Fellowship also operates a food pantry that ZF supports financially and through a monthly delivery team. Each summer ZF sends volunteers to help run the joint Vacation Bible School, while Neighborhood Fellowship's leaders and members provide ongoing ministry to the families in between.
The Compassion Clinic, located in a dedicated space just across the street from Neighborhood Fellowship, operates under the leadership of Dr. Javier Sevilla and the IU School of Medicine. The clinic is the largest volunteer clinic in the country, providing primary-care-based medical, dental, social, and legal services for the uninsured and underserved in the Indianapolis community. It is open to the public on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays, and ZF financially supports the operations while also accepting gifts toward the building's maintenance.
Zionsville Meadows and Other Practical Care
Each Sunday of the month, ZF provides worship services for residents at Zionsville Meadows. The services include singing, a biblical message, and ice cream afterward, beginning at 2:00 PM and finishing around 3:15 PM. ZF members also arrange visitation for residents who do not have family or regular guests, with Bob Ash coordinating the effort. Bob Ash likewise oversees pastoral visitation more broadly - to the sick, lonely, downcast, and shut-in, including members of other churches and the unchurched.
Pastoral visitation, premarital counseling, a Post-Abortion Bible Study for women, and a coordinated response to domestic abuse round out the counseling and care ministry. An elder-led Domestic Abuse Response Team has developed a holistic approach that includes confidential contact points, a published domestic abuse policy, and pastoral care for both victims and the wider congregation.
Missions Locally and Globally
The Director of Missions, Ryan Hallahan, helps ZF cultivate a culture of missions around a single sentence: "To make disciples and to plant and strengthen multiplying churches by spreading the gospel and serving those in need among all peoples." Locally, the church walks alongside Neighborhood Fellowship and the Compassion Clinic, sends its youth to serve at Wheeler Mission and Neighborhood Fellowship, and supports members serving in everyday mission in their workplaces and neighborhoods. Globally, ZF partners with missionaries and organizations committed to the least-reached people groups around the world.
Members can sign up for the monthly Missions Newsletter and join a Prayer Team that builds closer relationships with one of ZF's global partners. The 2026 missions theme is "join the battle," and the church publishes a missions booklet to help members learn, pray, give, and go.
Pastoral Training for the Next Generation
ZF runs two formal pastoral training programs to develop men for gospel ministry. A nine-month Residency, typically September through May, is for men who desire training prior to or after seminary, with a workload of around thirty hours a week. A one-year Internship (renewable up to three years) is designed for men who are concurrently pursuing an MDiv, with around twenty hours per week. The aim in both programs is growth in affection for God, character, and competency to serve in the church, and the supervising team is Danny Strong and Drew Hunter.
Becoming a Member, Joining a Small Group
Membership at ZF begins with a Welcome Reception held immediately after the service on the last Sunday of each month, a brief twenty-minute gathering in the study just off the main entrance where newcomers can meet leaders. From there, prospective members take the Discover ZF course, a series of sessions led by several elders on the gospel, beliefs, purpose and values, church life, leadership, and membership. The third step is an elder conversation where the candidate shares their story of coming to faith and asks any remaining questions about church life, baptism, and next steps.
Small Groups meet in homes throughout the Zionsville area during the week and are described as one of the primary ways the church lives out its purpose of being and making disciples. The pattern follows Acts 2:42-43, 47: devoted to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers, with the Lord adding to their number day by day.
Sermons, Bible Reading, and Teaching Resources
Sermons are preached primarily by Drew Hunter, with Dave Newton, Edgar Momoh, Aaron Lewis, Scott McCullough, and guest preachers such as Dane Ortlund filling in from time to time. Recent series at the time of publication include a walk through Philippians and a study in Isaiah. Each sermon pairs with a downloadable discussion guide and manuscript for personal or small-group study.
The church publishes a one-year Bible Reading Plan that moves through the whole Bible with three Old Testament and one New Testament reading per day, five readings a week so members can flex around their schedules. A Bible reading plan, sermon discussion guides, sermon manuscripts, and women's teaching resources are all hosted on the church site and updated through the year. The Word and Prayer Guide accompanies the calendar as a tool for unified prayer.
Giving and Planning Center
Giving is described as an act of worship and a way of partnering with the rest of the church in ministry and mission. The church's primary digital giving platform is Planning Center Giving, with the Church Center app available for those who prefer to give on a phone. Giving can be designated for the general budget or for specific partnerships such as the Neighborhood Fellowship food pantry or the Compassion Clinic, with both organizations accepting gifts online and through checks mailed to the church office.
Office Hours and Contact
The ZF office is open from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, at 9090 Oak Street, Zionsville, IN 46077. The mailing address is PO Box 141, Zionsville, IN 46077. The office phone is 317-873-4948 and the office email is office@zionsvillefellowship.org. The church's mission team can be reached at zfmissions@zionsvillefellowship.org, and the elders at elders@zionsvillefellowship.org.