Neland Avenue Christian Church

What Neland Avenue Christian Church does

Neland Avenue Christian Church is an independent, nonprofit religious congregation headquartered at 940 Neland Avenue SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in October 1915 by members of Sherman Street and Oakdale Park congregations as the Sixteenth Christian Reformed Church, it was one of the denomination's first all-English-language churches and adopted its current name in January 1916. The church provides weekly Sunday worship at 10:00 a.m. both in-person and via online streaming on Vimeo, YouTube, and Facebook, alongside a multi-tier faith formation portfolio spanning nursery through high school (Children and Worship, Sunday School, GEMS, Cadets, TNG), adult Bible studies and men's/women's groups, and an Anti-Racism Team trained by CORE. Community-facing programs include Family Promise shelter meals, missionary partnerships, mentoring, two named scholarship funds, and a formal Building Use rental program serving the King Park neighborhood.

The organisation is funded entirely through donations rather than commercial sales, operating seven giving streams (General Fund, Christian Education Fund, Mission Fund, Benevolence Fund, automatic withdrawals, mail-in gifts, and online giving). Online donations are processed via the EasyTithe platform, which charges donors 2.6% plus $0.39 per credit card transaction or 0.75% plus $0.39 per bank withdrawal. The church's technology stack is limited to commodity third-party tools — EasyTithe for payments, Vimeo/YouTube/Facebook for streaming and archival, and Google Forms for registrations — with no proprietary software, public API, or AI/ML components. Staffing consists of approximately 10 paid roles led by co-pastors Joel DeMoor and Cindy de Jong, supported by a Ministries Coordinator, Worship Coordinator, and Church Administrator.

The most significant recent structural event is the church's May 2025 disaffiliation from the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA), ending a 110-year denominational relationship and transitioning the organisation to independent church status while it explores affiliation with another denomination. A building renovation visible in September 2024 site photography indicates recent capital reinvestment in the physical facility. The church maintains a rotating community art gallery as a cultural engagement channel and partners with mission agencies including Resonate Global Mission, International Justice Mission, InterVarsity, CORD Ministries, Haiti Poverty Ministries, Family Promise of West Michigan, and Grand Rapids Christian High School.

Name

Neland Avenue Christian Church

Legal name

Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church

Website

https://neland.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Neland Avenue Christian Church is an independent, donation-funded Christian congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving the King Park neighborhood through weekly worship, faith formation programs for all ages, community outreach, and a building-use rental program, following its 2025 disaffiliation from the CRCNA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Worship Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Christian worship services
• Faith formation programs
• Community outreach ministries
• Youth ministry programs
• Religious education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. General Fund Donations: Regular Sunday collections and online donations supporting church operations including staff, building, programs, and broader church ministry shares through the Christian Reformed Church.
2. Christian Education Fund: Donations designated to support families sending children to Christian K-12 schools.
3. Mission Fund: Donations supporting missionaries domestically and internationally.
4. Benevolence Fund: Donations used by deacons to meet short-term financial needs of members and neighbors, with weekly rotating special causes.
5. Automatic Withdrawal: Recurring automatic donations from checking or savings accounts, reported as part of year-end giving statements.
6. Mail-in Gifts: Checks mailed to the church office, payable to Neland Avenue Church.
7. Online Giving: Credit card and bank account donations via EasyTithe platform with transaction fees of 2.6% plus $0.39 per credit card transaction or 0.75% plus $0.39 per checking/savings withdrawal.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Neland Avenue Christian Church is an independent Christian congregation that fundamentally delivers weekly worship services (in-person and online streaming) along with a comprehensive suite of faith formation programs for all ages, including Sunday School, Children and Worship, youth ministries (GEMS, Cadets, TNG), adult Bible studies, anti-racism education, and seasonal devotionals. It also runs community outreach ministries such as missionary support, Family Promise shelter meals, mentoring, scholarships, and an on-site art gallery and facility rental program for the King Park neighborhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Product overview

Neland Avenue Christian Church offers a comprehensive suite of faith formation and community programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offering is Sunday Worship Services (in-person and online via Vimeo/YouTube streaming). Supporting programs include Children and Worship for young children, Sunday School and Youth Ministries (GEMS, Cadets, TNG) for children and teens, and Adult Education including Bible studies and the Anti-Racism Team. The church also operates an Art Gallery, Event Hosting services, and Outreach programs including Missionary Support, Family Promise Shelter Meals, Mentoring, and Scholarship programs. Seasonal devotional programs like Advent and Holy Week provide structured spiritual content. The church uses EasyTithe for online giving and Google Forms for registrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services
• Children and Worship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Eleven scholarship recipients assisted through David C. Snyder Memorial Scholarship for Grand Rapids Christian High School as of 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Resonate Global MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian Reformed Church denomination's missionary agency. Neland supports missionaries through this organization as part of their Mission Fund, sending resources internationally to support gospel ministry and community development worldwide.
• International Justice Mission (IJM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal nonprofit working to protect people in poverty from violence. Neland supports IJM through mission giving, contributing to efforts against human trafficking and modern slavery worldwide.
• InterVarsity Christian FellowshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdenominational Christian campus ministry. Neland supports campus-based ministry efforts through mission contributions.
• CORD Ministries InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Christian ministry supported through Neland's Mission Fund contributions.
• Haiti Poverty MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization serving impoverished communities in Haiti. Neland provides financial support through mission giving to support humanitarian work.
• Family Promise of West MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chapter of interfaith nonprofit offering homeless families a path from shelter to self-sufficiency. Neland prepares and serves meals four times yearly at the permanent shelter in Wyoming, which accommodates 11 families. This continues Neland's 25-year legacy of supporting homeless families through the Interfaith Hospitality Network.
• Wyoming Park United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner location for Family Promise shelter meals. Neland volunteers prepare and serve dinners at this church location at 2244 Porter SW in Wyoming, where the Family Promise shelter operates with commercial-grade kitchen facilities.
• CORE (Communities Organizing for Racial Equity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrand Rapids organization providing workshops and training for racial equity work. All Anti-Racism Team members and many Council members have completed CORE training. The church actively participates in CORE training programs and encourages congregation-wide participation to build capacity for anti-racism work.
• CRCNA Office of Race RelationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenominational resource for churches in the Christian Reformed Church network. Neland's Anti-Racism Team connects with this office for guidance and resources on racial justice advocacy within the Reformed tradition.
• Reformed African American Network (RAAN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork providing resources and contemporary theological thought from a Reformed perspective with diverse voices. Neland's Anti-Racism Team recommends RAAN resources for congregation education.
• Grand Rapids Christian High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate Christian high school that works with Neland to manage educational costs and support scholarship students with tutoring and guidance. As of 2022, eleven students received the David C. Snyder Memorial Scholarship and twelve received the Cheryl Hoogstrate Scholarship to attend GRCHS and continue to college.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eastminster Presbyterian Church: Grand Rapids mainline Protestant congregation with similar social justice orientation, community programming, and faith formation offerings. Comparable in scale, mission, and emphasis on neighborhood engagement.
• Shawnee Park Christian Reformed Church: Grand Rapids-area Christian Reformed Church with comparable congregation size, faith formation programming, and community outreach activities. Same denominational heritage and Reformed worship tradition.
• Sherman Street Christian Reformed Church: Grand Rapids-area Christian Reformed Church that was one of the founding congregations of Neland (members of Sherman Street helped establish Neland in 1915). Operates as a comparable CRC congregation with similar worship, youth, and outreach programming in the same regional context.
• Oakdale Park Christian Reformed Church: Another founding congregation of Neland Avenue Christian Church in 1915. A Grand Rapids CRC church with comparable congregation size, Reformed theology, and faith formation programming targeting the same regional demographic.
• Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church: Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids with similar denomination, theology, and programmatic offerings including worship, youth education, and small groups. Directly comparable peer for a CRC congregation of similar size.
• La Grave Avenue Christian Reformed Church: Historic downtown Grand Rapids Christian Reformed Church with similar worship, youth education, and community outreach programming. Directly comparable denomination, theology, and city footprint.
• Central Reformed Church: Grand Rapids-based Reformed congregation with similar heritage, theological tradition, and community engagement focus. Comparable scope of worship, education, and outreach ministries within the same regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Mars Hill Bible Church: Larger Grand Rapids-area Christian congregation with multi-site operations and contemporary worship model. While larger in scale, it represents a comparable Protestant congregation serving the same regional donor and member base.
• Fountain Street Church: Larger, more established Grand Rapids congregation with a longer history of progressive social justice programming. Comparable in mission focus but broader in programmatic scope and historical profile.

Others

• Family Promise of West Michigan: Core strategic partner of Neland providing the Family Promise shelter meals program. While not a peer in the congregational sense, it is a closely aligned nonprofit partner organization with comparable scale, mission-driven funding model, and community engagement focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/NelandAvenueChristianReformedChurch
• Facebookfacebook.com/nelandavenuecrc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neland-avenue-christian-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Neland Avenue Christian Church