Two Sunday Services, One Congregation on Garfield Street
Hinsdale Covenant Church meets in a building at 412 South Garfield in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb that sits along the Burlington Northern line about twenty miles southwest of downtown Chicago. From that address the congregation has built an intergenerational community that lives by a single sentence: Being Formed By Jesus and Flourishing Together, growing, deepening roots and bearing fruit in the world, God's gift to us.
On a typical Sunday the church gathers twice. A traditional service begins at 9:00am, and a contemporary service follows at 10:30am. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of every month, and the 10:30am hour is also when CovenantKids children's ministry opens its classrooms downstairs. The 9:00am service is livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person. The livestream is intentionally simple, designed for the homebound rather than as a substitute for gathering.
An Evangelical Covenant Identity
Hinsdale Covenant belongs to the Evangelical Covenant Church, a multiethnic denomination founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants and now at work on five continents. The denomination's six Covenant Affirmations summarize what the congregation teaches: the centrality of the Word of God, the necessity of the new birth, a commitment to the whole mission of the church, the church as a fellowship of believers, a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit, and the reality of freedom in Christ. The ECC values the Bible as the Word of God, the gift of God's grace, a deepening spiritual life through faith in Jesus Christ, extending God's love and compassion to a hurting world, and the strength that comes from unity within diversity.
The Flourishing Pathway
Formation is the watchword of the congregation, and the Flourishing Pathway is the way the church walks it together. Every adult who calls Hinsdale Covenant home is invited to complete a brief Flourishing Pathway intake form; within seventy-two hours a member of the pastoral staff responds with personalized next steps. The pathway unfolds through five offerings. Jesus 101 is a four-week open environment for exploring the basics of the Christian faith and life's biggest questions. Good Soil Groups are four-month cohorts that build daily habits for following Jesus. Friendship Bands are groups of three to five men or women who meet weekly for transformational conversation and prayer. Greenhouse Groups are limited seasonal offerings led by pastors on specific formation practices such as prayer, scripture, generosity, or service. Canopy Courses are longer cohorts that culminate in a capstone experience, such as a forthcoming Footsteps of Paul pilgrimage.
The current teaching calendar centers on a series called Firm Foundation, which begins with a foundational study of biblical theology that traces God's redemptive storyline from Genesis to Revelation. The aim is to move beyond proof-texting and see the Bible as one cohesive story rooted in historic Christian doctrine.
CovenantKids: Children at the Center
Children's ministry is woven into the Sunday rhythm. During the 10:30am contemporary service, three classrooms open in the lower level: Nursery for children from birth through age two, led by education professionals and including free play, music, and Bible stories; Little Lambs for ages three through pre-K, with hands-on Bible lessons, music, and free play; and Covenant Kids for elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade, who begin in the sanctuary with their families for the opening songs and prayer and are then dismissed downstairs for large-group worship, teaching, and small-group reflection divided into K-1st, 2nd-3rd, and 4th-5th rooms.
First-time families are asked to complete a Children's Ministry Registration and Consent form annually. The church maintains a Safe Church Policy that requires background checks and safety training for every staff member and volunteer who works with children.
Hinsdale Covenant also practices the holy milestones of child dedication, baptism, communion, and confirmation. Parents who emphasize believer baptism may choose a dedication liturgy that celebrates the blessing of life and follows Jesus blessing the little children in Mark 10. For baptism, the Evangelical Covenant tradition practices both believer and infant baptism, with each family discerning with a pastor which to emphasize at home. Communion, offered on the first Sunday of the month, is open to any follower of Jesus, and the church welcomes children who have made a profession of faith to the table when their parents judge them ready. Confirmation is a two-year program for seventh and eighth graders led by Lead Pastor Lars Stromberg, meeting twice a month on Sundays during the school year to present an overview of the Bible and church beliefs and to give students the opportunity to make or strengthen their own commitment to follow Christ.
Youth: Flip Side, Hi-League, and Confirmation
Middle school and high school students have their own weekly gatherings. Flip Side, for sixth through eighth graders, meets Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00pm for games, worship, a reflection on faith, small group time, retreats, and Mystery Van excursions. Hi-League, for ninth through twelfth graders, meets Sundays from 7:00 to 9:00pm in the same format. The youth ministry is led by Director of Youth Ministry Collin Kemp, with Youth Ministry Associate and Children's Ministry Coordinator Mary Claire Stockebrand supporting both programs.
Men's and Women's Ministry
Adult discipleship is structured around distinct rhythms for men and women. Wednesday Morning Men's Group gathers in the Garden Court at 8:00am for breakfast and lively discussion, often with guest speakers and a look at God's Word. The Thursday Afternoon Men's Group meets at 4:30pm for Bible study, prayer, and fellowship year-round. Men's Fraternity convenes Thursdays from 6:15 to 7:25am from October through November and January through March, with coffee, a featured speaker, and discussion on being better citizens, employees, employers, husbands, and fathers. Men can also request an accountability friend through Lead Pastor Lars Stromberg.
Women's ministry centers on three offerings. Mom's Group meets Thursdays for connection, study, and prayer, with childcare available from September through May. The Wednesday Bible Study meets in the Upper Room at 9:30am, working through scripture with a study guide; the current companion is Darrel Johnson's The Story That Makes Sense of Our Story. The Women's Spiritual Formation Group gathers Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00pm, reading and responding to a chapter of Albert Haase's Coming Home to Your True Self between sessions.
Missions Beyond Hinsdale
The church's Missions Committee lists six local and global partnerships. The congregation has supported Alaska Christian College on the Kenai Peninsula for more than twenty years through summer service projects and student scholarships, helping educate Alaskan Natives in a Covenant context. Several ECC Global Workers are supported in prayer and finances, including retirees Cathy Campobello (Colombia) and Steve and Barb Swanson (Sweden), as well as Fabio and Johnna Muniz and Dale Lusk of Merge Ministries. Since 2018 the church has partnered with the Hindustani Covenant Church in India to build a church in Chopda, provide COVID relief, and lay the foundation of Hinsdale English Medium School, which now enrolls 144 tribal students. Locally, the church partners with Love INC, a clearinghouse that connects neighbors with resources, and with New Community Outreach in Chicago's Bronzeville, supporting restorative justice programming, a community garden, and a back-to-school fair. The congregation also supports YoungLives, a Young Life ministry for pregnant and parenting teens in the Chicagoland area, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship through Joe Thackwell's national high school transition work.
The Staff and the Building
Pastor Lars Stromberg has served Hinsdale Covenant since 2006. A Bethel University graduate who earned his Master of Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary and was ordained in the Covenant Church in 2008, he is known for teaching and preaching with creativity and care, especially in his beloved Confirmation class. Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence joined the staff in 2016, holds degrees from Regent College and Calvin Theological Seminary, was ordained in 2021, and focuses on intergenerational spiritual formation. Minister of Pastoral Care Greg Johnson, a child of the church and former youth pastor, cares for seniors and members in need. Organist Ruth Rottschafer has served the church since 1998 and previously directed music for sixteen years. Worship Coordinator Jennie Hsieh organizes worship teams for the Sunday morning experience, joined by regular contemporary leaders Stephanie Koklys and Steve Klimkowski.
The Garden Court serves as the fellowship hub, where coffee, tea, and refreshments are available before services, and the Upper Room hosts weekday Bible studies. Hinsdale Covenant Preschool, led by director Becki Hrubes, operates on site as part of the church's ministry to families in the community.
Joining and Giving
Twice a year the church offers a membership class; the first step is a short video about the denomination and the church, followed by a meeting with Pastor Lars to share faith stories and pray together. Newcomers are welcomed by greeters at the door and invited to fill out a connection form so a staff member can follow up.
Giving can be made online, by text to (630) 716-9208, by stock or mutual fund donation through Covenant Trust Company, by Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA, by donor-advised fund, by email to the financial assistant, or in person on Sundays through numbered offering envelopes.
A First Visit
Greeters welcome visitors at the door ten minutes before each service. Parking is available in the attached lot on the side and back of the building and on surrounding streets including 4th Street and Washington Avenue. Children's ministry opens during the 10:30am service in the lower level for infants through fifth grade, and registration forms can be completed in advance. The church's address is 412 South Garfield, Hinsdale, Illinois 60521, and the office can be reached at 630-323-2318 or office@hinsdalecovenant.com.