Pastor Doug Bergsma
Senior Pastor
In 2002, Pastor Doug and his wife Caryn felt a call to start a church in the Rockford area. With the full blessing of Pastor Duane Vander Klok of Resurrection Life Church in Grandville, where Doug and Caryn had both been serving, the first service was held in Pine Island Elementary school. As God blessed the work and added people, the church outgrew several temporary facilities. In April of 2005, the church moved to its current location.
Doug is a passionate, fun person, the kind of person you just want to be around! His number one passion is to see people come to Christ and grow into people that impact their world. His enthusiasm comes through in everything he does. Whether it's preaching the Word, laying down a guitar line as a member of the worship band, getting up before dawn to get into his favorite tree stand, or just contemplating his next great meal.
Doug attended Christ for the Nations Institute and comes from a family heritage of ministry; however, there is nothing religious about him. He has lived out his faith in the real world. Before founding this church, he balanced the challenges of raising a family of five and being heavily involved in volunteer ministry while running a small business. He found God to be his strength and joy through the tragedy of losing his first wife and youngest daughter in a tragic car accident.
Several years later, while on a missions trip to India, he met his wife Caryn. While serving together, they began to see that God had a larger plan. After they started the church, Caryn laid down her career as a Physician Assistant to dedicate herself to working alongside Doug.