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Bethany Baptist Church
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Sundays at 10:30 AM · 6700 W Gunnison St

About Bethany

A church family in Harwood Heights since 1979

Meet our staff and elders, read what we believe, and see how two churches became Bethany.
Our staffEldersWhat we believeHistoryContact
Pastor David Cross and the worship team leading on a Sunday

Our staff

The people you'll meet

Pastor David Cross

David Cross, Senior Pastor

Pastor Dave spent over twenty years in missions work to Muslims before beginning a more local pastoral ministry in 2019. He and his wife Cheryl served in the Arabian Gulf for several years, then planted a ministry team in Minneapolis, followed by a season of leadership as VP of IT in a large mission agency, and president of two smaller mission agencies.

Pastor Dave is author and contributor to five books with another on the way. He enjoys hiking, gardening, and all things outdoors with his wife and five children. You can follow Pastor Dave at x.com/davidcross.

Meet Pastor Dave
Stephanie Beilke with her husband Mike

Stephanie Beilke, Office Administrator

Stephanie came to faith and was baptized right here at Bethany. She has been our office administrator since 2016: “Best job ever!!” (Her words, really!)

She loves to spend time with her grandchildren, binge watch seasonal food shows and veg out watching movies. Shopping and Facebook garage sales are on top of her list as well.

Cheryl Cross, Worship Arts Director

Cheryl leads worship arts at Bethany. She and Pastor Dave served together in the Arabian Gulf and planted a ministry team in Minneapolis, and they have five children.

Jared Axelrad, Youth Director

Jared leads Anchored, Bethany’s youth group for 7th to 12th grade. Students meet Friday nights from 7 to 9 PM.

About Anchored Youth

In their words

What Bethany means to them

Leadership

Bethany's elder team

What we believe

Our doctrinal statement

We look to the Bible as our guide for doctrine. If there are questions from modern culture, we search for the way the Bible would answer modern culture.

We are affiliated with Converge, formerly known as Baptist General Conference.

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21; Psalms 19:7; Proverbs 30:5-6; Matthew 4:4; Psalms 119:105

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

I Peter 1:2; Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 2:18, 21-22; Matthew 3:16-17; Jude 20-21

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:45; 11:25; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:10

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal, visible return to earth.

Matthew 1:18-25; 3:17, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 24, 25; Luke 2:7; John 1:1, 14, 17:11; Hebrews 5:5-10; I John 4:2; I Timothy 3:16

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.

Psalms 139:7; Genesis 6:3; Ephesians 5:22-25; Matthew 12:28; John 3:8; Romans 8:9-11; Hebrews 9:14

Regeneration

We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as personal Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 3:23; 5:12-21; 6:23; 8:9-11; II Corinthians 5:10, 17; Colossians 2:13, 14; I John 1:8

The Church

We believe in the universal Church, a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local Church consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local Church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

I Corinthians 10:32, 12:13; I Timothy 3:14; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 2:20

Christian conduct

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well being of his fellowmen; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

Hebrews 6:1, 2; Colossians 3:17; I Peter 2:11, 12; I Thessalonians 4:1-7

The ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local Church, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20; I Corinthians 1:22-25

Religious liberty

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each Church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having patronage of the other.

I Timothy 2:5; Romans 13:1-7

Church cooperation

We believe that local Churches may best promote the cause of Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the Churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary, independent basis.

Acts 15:13-18; I Corinthians 16:1-4

Last things

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal deliverance of the righteous believers, and the endless suffering of the wicked unbelievers.

Matthew 25:31; Acts 1:11; I Corinthians 15:51; II Corinthians 5:10; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 20, 21, 22

Bethany's history

Four pastors, one heart for missions

  1. 1979

    The union of two churches

    Bethany Baptist Church was formed in August 1979 by the union of two churches, “The Church of the Open Door,” an independent evangelical church, and a second church that stood under the Converge Midwest banner, “Bethel Baptist.” Upon the merge, the site of “Bethel Baptist,” which was in Harwood Heights, Illinois, was chosen to create the church as we know it today, “Bethany Baptist Church.” This marriage of the two churches was facilitated by a Pastor named Fred Lutz, who would become the first Pastor of Bethany.

  2. 1982

    Pastor Lutz and Pastor Tanis

    As Pastor Lutz was only a part-time pastor at that time, a man named Pastor Bernard Tanis was hired as the Associate Pastor in 1982. Later on, following the retirement of Pastor Lutz, Pastor Tanis would go on to become the next Lead Pastor of the church. Under Pastor Tanis’ leadership, Bethany would grow in not only attendance but also in our building’s structure. The church engaged in a major project to build a new west wing, which includes Sunday School rooms, a nursery, the pastor’s office, a kitchen, and the community conference room we refer to as the “Friendship Center.” And while numerical growth was fantastic to see, the heart of Bethany Church remained in missions. During Pastor Tanis’s time as lead pastor, we would begin Bethany’s long history of both supporting long-term missionaries as well as sending out short-term mission teams. Under this model, our missions team has thrived and still remains a focal point of the church today. After pastoring Bethany for 13 years, Pastor Tanis would go on to take a leadership position with Converge Midwest.

  3. 1994

    Pastor Rob Nelson

    In 1994, a man named Pastor Rob Nelson took on the role of Lead Pastor at Bethany. With a passion for relationships and mentoring, Pastor Nelson led Bethany’s congregation, which would continue to be a thriving body. With our congregation realizing that more ministerial opportunities were needed and desired within the church itself, Pastor Rob led the church through two more major building projects. Discerning that both our children’s ministries and adult ministries alike found community in physical activity, the first project consisted of building a new gymnasium. Since its inception, the gym has gone on to be host to our AWANA program, weekly youth group ministries, open gyms, housing for visiting churches, and so many other event possibilities. The second major project was the overhaul of the basement, which aside from simply needing more space, created new Sunday School rooms, storage and organizational spaces, and an updated and bigger youth room. Alongside that, we were blessed with being able to even make the basement ADA compliant with an elevator for possible access purposes. Building growth aside, it was during the time of Pastor Nelson’s leadership that the worship style gradually changed from a solely traditional format to a more contemporary style of service. After 20 years of service at Bethany, Pastor Nelson entered retirement in 2015.

  4. 2017

    Pastor Rick George

    In 2017, Pastor Rick George became the fourth Lead Pastor in Bethany’s 40-year history. During his tenure, Pastor George was able to guide the church through a change in the church’s polity by helping update our church’s bylaws as well as leading a transition to an Elder-led congregation. Further guidance was needed as Pastor George was also able to help the church through the terrible reality that was COVID-19. With his expertise in technology and a vision of what the congregation needed throughout that period, we were able to navigate through a time that consisted of Zoom worship, masks, and a sometimes overwhelming mentality of fear that perpetuated so many people. With prayer, dedication, and sound leadership, Bethany Baptist persisted through a hard time, and amongst the hardships, blessing shone through. Bethany saw no staff cuts, salaries were able to be managed and met, and all commitments to missionaries were maintained and satisfied. Following the pandemic and the fulfillment of his vision at Bethany, Pastor George felt the Lord calling him out of the church and resigned in early 2022.

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6700 W Gunnison St, Harwood Heights, IL 60706

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  • Converge
  • Converge MidAmerica
  • Alpha
  • Answers in Genesis