About

Discovery Church is a place to connect deeply, follow intentionally, and serve justly—all with God and each other.

Our Vision

Connect Deeply

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:1

We are designed for relationships. We know that our relationships are where we most often find our identity and meaning. These longings to know others and be known by others are rooted in our design because we reflect the community that God exists in.

At Discovery, we work to create opportunities to encounter our Lord as well as foster authentic dialogue between individuals, cultivate cohesion for households, and enable environments for neighbors to draw together.

Follow Intentionally

“I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

Jesus, John 10:14

Our attention and our minds are prized commodities. As we are adopted into God’s family, the Holy Spirit starts the work of transforming us with the renewing of our minds. We fan the flame of curiosity, exploring the truths God has revealed to us through Jesus. We actively and attentively listen for and seek out these truths with dedication and faithfulness as enabled through the Spirit. Our following is an act of submission: an acceptance to the invitation of the life-abundant. Yet, this veneration is also an act of rebellion against the tyrannical cultures of hollow busyness, vapid consumerism, and grinding attention economy.

At Discovery, we nurture this process of transformation with the study and application of scriptures, the practice of sacraments, and the response of worship.

Serve Justly

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world . . . whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Jesus, John 3:19, 21

As we integrate our identities to the course of living them out, we will find that we impact the various worlds we exist in. From homes to workplaces, neighborhoods to nations, the ways in which we operate can—and will—testify to God’s love in our lives. As Jesus modeled servant leadership, so too are we called to serve with the same attitudes: pragmatically, humbly, graciously, mercifully, eagerly, thankfully, tenderly, truthfully.

At Discovery, we partner with individuals and organizations, locally and globally, to develop avenues of service in the name of the Lord.

learn about our missionary partners

Our Values

We join the Holy Spirit’s work to invest in God’s people and our neighbors so that we become, personally and communally, the church which looks more and more like Jesus.

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, prayer is the foundation for all we do. We pray not as routine, but on the promise that Jesus carries our prayers to God who hears and responds to His children’s prayers.

We have a vision for Discovery Church to be a “House of Prayer” Church, and to become a hub church to model and resource others in how to be a church that is growing in the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer.

As individuals and a church, we offer an atmosphere of God’s welcoming grace and hospitality so that in word and service we share the good news of Jesus’ new life to those the Holy Spirit leads us to.

Discovery Church aims to serve our immediate neighborhood through community events and to aid our neighbors all over the world by partnering with:

Bridge Street Ministries (Formerly Bridge Street House of Prayer/BSHOP)

Bridge Street Ministries is a community of people who are surrendered to the love of Jesus working in and through them to bring transformation in their neighborhood, primarily through youth. Bridge Street works to empower and engage young people in the mission of God here in the West Side of Grand Rapids.

Cultivate Renewal

Cultivate Renewal (led by previous Discovery youth pastor Rev. Kevin Schutte) offers hope by proactively serving, nourishing, renewing, and refreshing leaders who are increasingly becoming emotionally isolated, lonely, fearing failure, spiritually depleted, and burning out at a record pace. This support is given through a series of gatherings and onsite learning excursions.

DOOR International

We support Jojo and Wendy Ninan at Deaf Opportunity Out Reach (DOOR) in their endeavors to help spread the word of Christ to the worldwide deaf community through a deaf leadership training program.

Reach Beyond, Ecuador

We support Geoff and Tammy Kooistra, who head the engineering and technology component of this worldwide radio ministry.

Walhof Family

We support Dr. Kim and Pastor Kris Walhof (former Discovery members/intern) who minister in Kapsowar, Kenya. Kim serves at the Kapsowar Hospital with the Serge Missions Agency. Kris teaches at the Kapsowar Theological Seminary through Resonate Global Missions.

World Renew, Southern Africa

We support Steve and Beth Sywulka through World Renew who help with agricultural and business development in under-developed communities.

ASJ - For a More Just Society

ASJ is a Christian organization working to achieve social justice for the poorest and most vulnerable members of Honduran society by targeting macro level issues of injustice.

Comunidad Cristiana Internacional

Comunidad Cristiana Internacional (CCI) of South Wyoming is a church plant led by Pastor Robert Kennedy. He leads this church plant in reaching the Hispanic community in their region and in greater Grand Rapids as God directs. They share the good news of new life in Jesus and implement ministries to bring the power of the gospel into people’s hearts and homes.

University of Wisconsin Campus Pastor Evan Tinklenberg

Evan, former Worship & Youth Director at Discovery, is the Campus Pastor at Geneva Campus Church, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His responsibilities include working toward theological formation to students at a secular university and inviting those who don’t know Jesus to come and see what he is like. As a chaplain to the campus, he also provides pastoral care and avenues for discipleship both to members of Geneva and to the wider university community.

Jabez Ministry

Peter Gordon leads this disability ministry on the Grand Valley State University campus which aims to meet the unique spiritual needs of students with disabilities and raise awareness that the person with disabilities, people who are both individually and collectively created as the Image of God. The purpose of this ministry is to give attention to the spiritual needs and concerns of students with disabilities.

Meet Our Staff

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