A Church on Collinsville Road Built Around Three Words
Bethel Baptist Church sits on Collinsville Road in Troy, Illinois, in Madison County just outside the St. Louis metro area. The congregation has gathered around three values the staff calls BETHELORD'S, BETHELOVE, and BETHELIGHT, an acronym that runs through nearly everything the church does, from its preaching schedule to its mission partnerships.
BETHEL has used its current name for many years, and Senior Pastor Tim Lewis has been on staff for more than three decades. The church describes itself as "committed to following Jesus Christ. He is our Savior, Teacher, and King," and its mission statement reads, "To boldly follow Christ in transforming the world one person at a time." That statement shows up on the welcome page, in the About section, and across the church's printed and audio materials.
Two Sunday Mornings, One Service
Bethel meets twice on Sunday morning, at 9:00 AM and 10:45 AM, on its campus at 7775 Collinsville Rd. The 9:00 AM service is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, while the 10:45 AM gathering is in person only.
According to the church's FAQ, the two Sunday services are identical. They share the same music, the same message, and the same contemporary style. Visitors can pick whichever hour suits them best without missing anything.
Casual dress is the norm. The FAQ is direct about it: "At Bethel you will find all types of people from all walks of life. We have no dress code. We are more interested in who you are than in what you wear."
Bethel Kids and Students
Children have a place of their own on Sunday mornings. Bethel Kids offers Sunday School classes for all ages during both services, so families can attend either hour and still have their children in a class of their own. The children's ministry also runs seasonal events through the year, including Vacation Bible School, Spring Fling, and Kids Camp.
Babies and toddlers are cared for by qualified volunteers during worship, so parents can attend either service without worry.
Students in sixth through twelfth grade gather on Wednesday nights for Bethel Student Ministry. The format combines worship through song, Scripture study, small group discussion, and time for games. The student ministry also schedules a packed calendar of fellowship, service, discipleship, and worship events throughout the year, accessible through the church's events page.
Bethel Academy
The Bethel campus is also home to Bethel Academy, a Christian school that operates separately from the church. Parents interested in the school can find more information through bethelacademytroy.com.
Preaching the Book of Hebrews
In 2026 Bethel's pulpit is moving through a series titled "Hebrews: Knowing Jesus and Why It Matters," working chapter by chapter through the Epistle to the Hebrews. Recent messages have included "Moses: Our Example," "The Faith of The Patriarchs," "Our Example: The Faith of Abraham," "Keys to a Maturing Faith," "A Better Sanctuary and Sacrifice," and "A Better and Greater Covenant and Promises." The previous series, "Psalm 119: Formed by God's Word," walked through selected sections of the longest psalm in nearly a dozen sermons.
Pastor Tim Lewis carries much of the teaching load, with regular contributions from J Carr, Next Generation Pastor, and John Shaw, Discipleship and Missions Pastor. Guest preachers such as Justin Orr round out the rotation. Sermons are archived on the church's sermons page, and the church also distributes the audio through Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so anyone can follow along away from Troy.
Worship, Music, and the Team
Music is led by Andrew Bowen, the church's Worship Pastor. Bowen came on staff in 2019 to direct musical worship and praise, and he works with a team of musicians that the church actively invites people to audition for.
Matthew Marshall serves as Technical Director, overseeing the production side of services and the church's broader technology. The technical team recruits new volunteers through the church's serve page.
Jill Finley leads the Women's Ministry and has done so since June 2000. Her focus is on helping women come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior, to engage with God through His Word, to grow deeper in faith, and to share that faith with others. The women's ministry holds its own gatherings throughout the year, in addition to the broader church calendar.
Discipleship Through Community Groups and Courses
Outside of the weekend services, Bethel builds smaller circles of community through two main tracks. Community Groups meet in homes and around the Troy area for Bible study, prayer, and shared life. The Courses and Studies track offers equipping classes, with current and upcoming offerings listed through the church's Planning Center registration pages.
Discipleship is led by John Shaw, who transitioned into the role in 2018 after more than a decade of leading Bethel Student Ministry. His focus is to help disciples of Jesus become disciple-makers with Jesus.
Missions: City, Nation, and World
Bethel organizes its missions work along three lines, an approach the staff calls City, Nation, and World, and it sets aside a planned Global Missions Offering so that supporting missionaries is a regular part of weekly giving rather than a once-a-year push.
In its own city, Bethel supports ministries such as:
- Bags to Mats, which meets every Tuesday evening from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at the Troy Township Library. Volunteers weave plastic shopping bags into sleeping mats for people experiencing homelessness. It takes roughly 600 to 800 bags to make a single mat.
- The Bethel Garden, an on-campus plot that supplies fresh produce to the local food pantry and to families in need through Ministries Unlimited.
- Correctional Ministry, in which Bethel volunteers bring the Gospel into men's and women's prisons in Greenville, Pinckneyville, and Ina, Illinois, as well as the Madison County Jail, and walk alongside men and women as they transition back into the community.
Across the nation, Bethel takes part in disaster relief with various agencies, sends family and student mission teams to partner with church plants in other states, and leads the Bethel Church Planting Network, a Midwest partnership that supports church planters and their families.
Around the world, Bethel partners with ministries that include African Vision of Hope in Zambia, supporting vulnerable children through education and Christian care; a yearly team to Romania that runs Vacation Bible School and serves children in placement centers; Love Packages, which ships Bibles and Christian literature across the globe; and Tapestry of Love, a holistic ministry to families in Magdalena, Guatemala.
Reading the Bible Together
BETHELOVE shows up in how the church treats Scripture. The Reading Together page walks the whole congregation through a chronological reading plan, posting each week's readings every Sunday. The current rotation moves through Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, the Pastoral Epistles, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, with five or six chapters assigned each weekday.
The same plan is distributed through the Bethel Sermons and Reading Together podcast feeds on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so any member or visitor can join the reading wherever they listen.
Beliefs and Affiliation
The church affirms that Jesus Christ is the supreme authority and that his followers are called to obey, love, give, and witness. The vision text echoes Matthew 4:19, where Jesus tells fishermen, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men," and applies the same call today.
Bethel is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Its FAQ is plain about what that means and what it does not: "We love the convention but we love Jesus way more." A more thorough statement of belief is maintained through the church's teaching resources.
Becoming a Member
Membership is not required to attend or to follow along online. For those who want to commit to the church, the pastoral staff leads a membership class several times a year on Sunday afternoons. The class covers what Bethel teaches, how it is governed, and what it expects of its members, and it serves both those considering joining and new members.
Giving and Serving
Bethel offers a few ways to give. Online giving runs through Planning Center, where members and supporters can set up one-time or recurring contributions directly from a bank account. The same number, 84321, can be texted to give using Planning Center. The church also accepts cryptocurrency gifts through Coinbase, both with and without a tax receipt. A year-end giving statement is provided for tax purposes.
The serve page invites volunteers into several areas at once, including Bethel Kids, the worship and music team (by audition), Community Group leadership, the hospitality team, and the technical team. Each track has its own sign-up form so that newcomers can pick a starting point that fits their gifts.
Visiting Bethel
Anyone curious about Bethel can walk in on a Sunday morning, pick either the 9:00 or 10:45 service, and expect the same welcome in both. Families will find children's classes during each service, students have a Wednesday night of their own, and adults can connect through community groups, equipping courses, women's ministry, or any of the city's mission partners during the week. Sermons are always available online, the reading plan is posted every Sunday, and the staff is happy to answer questions through the contact page or directly at 618-667-7775.