Church Profile
Service Times
9:30 AM
(616) 243-1388
Pastor Chris De Blaay
Our Mission
The Branch is a community of people who’ve come together to share life in community and serve the world. Together we lock arms, lay-people and paid staff, volunteers and pastors, everyone playing a critical role — each person’s contribution important.
Vision
A community united with God in the renewal of all things through Christ.
As you read this, God is at work in our world renewing all that is broken and lost. But here’s the thing: God isn’t doing it alone. Instead, God has chosen to gather a people to join in that renewal by becoming disciples of Jesus. Stepping out on this journey not only means that our lives will be radically changed, but we will also witness and experience what we all long for: heaven coming to earth — right here, right now.
Values
Here are the key characteristics we have identified as central to our identity.
Participation
In a world of consumerism and tribalism, we choose participation. We will purposefully make space for everyone to contribute to our life together. Every person, regardless of age, race, gender or sexual identity, can fully participate in every aspect of our community. All people in our family are just that – important, valued, needed parts of a whole.
Partnership
In a world of competition, we choose partnership. We will partner with each other — joining our lives together in community in order to offer joy, encouragement, support and strength to one another. We will also collaborate with other churches and local stakeholders, learning from them and working together for the sake of the Kingdom. This will mean a deepening of our relationship with Comunidad Cristiana de Grand Rapids and the Nepali Speaking Community Church, as well as a discernment with how we can best continue as a member of the Alger Heights Collaborative.
Liberty
In a world that longs for black and white, we choose liberty. We will find unity in the essentials of the Christian faith, and in all things we will offer charity. But in matters of faith in which we have disagreement and hold differing views, we will give each other liberty. It is exactly this place of tension that holds immense opportunity for God to shape and mold us into Christ’s likeness.
Incarnation
In a world of isolation and disconnection, we choose incarnation. We will take ownership for the spaces in which we live, work, and go to school, seeing them as the places God is asking us to be on mission. Whether our place is downtown, in the suburbs, or in the country, we believe that our places matter to God and are worthy of our investment.
Simplicity
In a world of endless choices, we choose simplicity. We don’t believe God calls us to be overextended, distracted or burned-out; therefore, we will both individually and corporately focus on the specific things God has asking us to pay attention to in this season.
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About The Branch Church
From the beginning, the Branch has been a story of unexpected twists and turns.
It’s a story that begins in 2004 with two friends and a coffee shop in Holland, Michigan. Every Friday they would get together to catch up on life, share dreams and ask questions. How does the Church live out its calling in America today? What role are we to play as pastors? What is the theological impetus for….(blah blah blah). Looking back, it was the perfect environment for the ideas and dreams of a new church to emerge — but at the time, Andy and Chris were largely oblivious (no surprise, really). They loved talking about this stuff — but neither had any plans of starting a church, let alone doing it together.
Meanwhile, in Grand Rapids, a church on the southeast side of the city — New Life Reformed Church — was asking questions too. What did their future hold? What was the direction God wanted them to go? How could they be faithful with what God had given them? Again, looking back, one can see how the environment was right for New Life to choose radical generosity. But at the time, no one at New Life had any plans to let a new church start in their building.
And yet, here we are. All these years later, the Branch exists because a whole host of people were willing to let God take their lives in a new direction.
Today, the Branch continues to be guided down new roads. Most recently, we chose to give away our building (trust us…no one had that on their radar) in order to enter into a partnership with Comunidad Cristiana de Grand Rapids, a new Hispanic church that started in the building in 2014 and the Nepali Speaking Community – a new church reaching out to Nepali refugees.
Letting God guide you down unexpected paths can feel risky, but our story reminds us that there’s nothing more certain than God’s faithfulness and provision.
Denomination / Affiliation:
Reformed
Dress Style:
casual
Average Age of Attendees:
20-30
Primary Language:
English
MINISTRIES AND GROUPS
Church Ministries
Kids
Small Groups
Groups and Public Services
Weddings and Receptions
Funerals
Kids Summer Camp
CREATE is a week long arts camp committed to giving all students the opportunity to explore and unleash their creative potential.
BELIEFS
How we pursue reconciliation and renewal in our own lives and in the world may look different for each of us. We invite you to consider if any of these opportunities might be a gift to you. Not all of them will resonate with you (and even if they did, it likely wouldn’t be healthy to do all of them!). What opportunities is God leading you toward?
Learning Communities
A variety of topics will be explored in these communities in the fall and spring. Groups will meet for 6 weeks with the purpose of giving people the knowledge and resources they need to grow in their relationship with God, each other and the world. This will also be a place to connect in relationship with others (spring dates TBA).
Missional Communities
These families on mission will put knowledge and resources into action, intentionally discerning ways to be involved in God’s renewing work. The work and rhythms of each MC may look different — a fact we celebrate.
Cultural Agility Learning Community
A group from the Branch will be joining with other area churches for a 9-month process of growth and discernment around how to be culturally agile. The end result: determine the next steps God is asking us to take around racial reconciliation.
BranchKids and BranchStudents
We will continue to invest in the next generation, creating spaces for them to hear about God’s love, explore how faith intersects life, and build relationships with their peers.
Spiritual Practices
Every Wednesday morning from 8:00-8:45am join a group at the Garfield Park Nature Reserve (Jefferson Ave. between Alger and Burton Ave.) to practice routines and disciplines that can deepen our relationship with God and our understanding of ourselves. Can’t make this time? Let us know and we’ll pass along the resources we’re using so that you can practice at home.
Huddles
These groups of 4-8 people commit to a 12-18 month discipleship process. In community, and with a high level of accountability, people engage key theological ideas, learning to listen to what God is saying to them and what God is asking them to do.
Partnerships
We will be taking steps to deepen our relationship with Communidad Cristiana de Grand Rapids, the Nepali Speaking Community through the sharing of resources as well as worshipping together.
Retreat
Click here for more info about our Lent retreat.
Rhythms
Every person, family, organization and church have certain rhythms that give form and purpose to their life. Soccer is every Tuesday at 7. A weekly staff meeting is every Monday at 10. Worship is Sunday at 9:30. The right rhythms are important for shaping us into the people we are called to be.
Participating in worship
We will commit to participating in our weekly gathering, contributing our gifts, stories and presence.
People of every race, age, gender, and sexual identity are invited to contribute to and shape our offering.
We draw from the broad range of Christian practices in order to engage our body, mind and soul and connect us with God and our neighbor.
Training our souls
We will commit to regularly practicing soul-training-exercises (often called spiritual disciplines) so that we might be shaped into Christ’s likeness.
Trying really hard to change isn’t enough. Effort alone falls short. We must train ourselves in a new way.
What exercises we choose depend on who we are, where we are in life, and what would be most helpful. There’s no one-size-fits all.
And so we take ownership of our growth, intentionally seeking and searching for what will be most formative for us.
Investing in relationship
We will commit to walking with each other.
In community we discover things about who we are and who God is that we would not find out alone.
We know that relationships take intentionality and time; therefore, we will ask God to show us which relationships we are to invest in and then take the steps needed to regularly meet with those people.
Pursuing reconciliation
We will commit to pursuing justice in concrete ways as we are led by the Spirit.
We are not asked to fix the world by ourselves, but to join in the work that God is already doing among us.
Where and how and when we do that may look different for each person.
But as we participate in worship, practice soul-training-exercises and live in community, we believe that the where and how and when will become more clear.
Baptism:
Both
Communion Frequency:
Weekly
MAP
The Branch Church is a Reformed Church located in Zip Code 49508.
Church Profile Manager: Emily Frank