The Grove Covenant Church on South 9th Street
Set along South 9th Street on the south side of Lafayette, The Grove Covenant Church has been a steady presence in this stretch of Tippecanoe County for more than a century. Today's church gathers for Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m., both in person and on YouTube, and its campus stretches across a main building and an adjoining Life Center. The lobby is set up with a Welcome Counter, fresh donuts, and coffee each Sunday morning, and the sanctuary sits just beyond the front doors. Around the building, an attached Life Center hosts kids, youth, and the Senior Triple L fellowship, while a Biblical Herb Garden grows out back as one of the quieter outdoor features.
Visitors will find an active congregation shaped by a clear rhythm of welcome, teaching, and service. Children's programs begin at the start of worship, elementary-age Kids Out Loud dismisses mid-service, and youth meet on Wednesday nights. LifeGroups circle the week in homes and on campus, and the church supports more than two dozen missionaries and outreach partners around the world. After 154 years as a congregation, the church chose a new name - The Grove - to picture what it hopes to be.
A Pando Aspen Grove and a New Name
The church's name change came after 154 years as a congregation, when its leaders sensed the name needed to catch up with what God was already doing in the community. They turned to Ephesians 3:14-21 and the Apostle Paul's image of a people "rooted and established in love." From there, the conversation moved to the Pando Aspen Grove in Fishlake National Forest, Utah - a stand of aspen trees that behaves as one living organism, sharing a single root system and trading nutrients, water, and healing from one stem to another.
That grove became the metaphor that stuck. The church wrote about a tightly knit community, "unified in vision and purpose, and loving one another sacrificially for God's glory, for our own abundant lives in Christ, and for the sake of others, our neighbors." Like an aspen grove, the picture is of a place where parts in crisis receive supply and restoration from the whole, and where what is shared under the surface keeps the whole thing alive.
Mission, Touchstones, and a Rule of Life
The stated mission of The Grove is "To become a community of people who know God, follow Jesus and pursue God's purposes in the World." That mission is lived out through three Touchstones: WELCOME, the choice to be hospitable and gracious to all people; TRANSFORMATION, the desire to be transformed and ever-transforming; and PRESENCE, the aim to be like Jesus in this world.
Beneath the Touchstones sit Five Distinctives that make up the church's Rule of Life. Apprenticeship means making room to learn and grow with Jesus both as a community and in personal Soul Training. Community is sharing life in practical ways and praying and caring for one another with intentionality. Worship asks members to make gathering with sisters and brothers at The Grove a priority. Service asks people to discover their gifts and commit to ministry both inside and beyond the church's walls. Generosity calls members to steward their finances faithfully and give intentionally to the church and to others.
The beliefs of the congregation are summed up in what the denomination calls Covenant Affirmations, a set of shared commitments within the larger Evangelical Covenant Church.
Sunday Worship at 10:30
Each Sunday morning the doors open and the lobby fills with the smell of coffee. Greeters hand out donuts, the Welcome Counter answers first-time questions, and visitors are invited to linger before heading into the sanctuary. The service itself begins at 10:30 a.m. and lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes. It is a blend of music, prayer, and teaching, and the musical style is contemporary, with occasional traditional hymns sung either in their classic form or updated for the band's sound.
On the first Sunday of each month the congregation shares communion together, and the table is open to everyone: long-time attenders, members, and first-time guests. Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and recordings of past sermons are posted there along with audio downloads and a printed bulletin that is published weekly.
The Grove Kids
Children's ministry begins in the lobby at check-in. Infants through three-year-olds are cared for in the Nursery room, which is equipped with age-appropriate toys, climbing equipment, tables and chairs, and a small snack. A separate quiet room, accessible from the lobby and connected to the worship space, is available for nursing, feeding, or soothing babies; it has rocking chairs, a sound system, and a window into the sanctuary so parents can still see the service. All adult volunteers rotate once a month and are background-checked, with references vetted for teen helpers.
Preschool and kindergarten children join a class in the main building that starts at the beginning of worship. Elementary children begin worship with their families, hear a Children's Message, and are then invited to Kids Out Loud in the Life Center, a dedicated space where Grades 1-5 learn how to grow in relationship with Jesus. Children are invited but never required to attend their age-level groups; families who prefer to worship together are welcome to stay in the sanctuary. A Special Needs Ministry, "Special Kids, Special Needs," serves children who need additional support.
Kristin Devine Mueller, the church's Pastor of Families and Children, oversees these ministries. She joined as Director of Children's Ministry in 2018 and became Pastor of Families and Children in 2021, and is ordained to Word and Service in the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Student Ministry: Middle School, High School, and Confirmation
Students in grades 6 through 12 gather on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Life Center. The youth group is more than a midweek meeting; through the school year it includes small group conversation, Bible study, summer trips, and service opportunities alongside the weekly gathering of snacks and friendship. Pastor Chuck Potts oversees the Young Adults ministry and partners with Pastor Kristin on the student ministry team.
Students in grades 7 through 11 are invited into Rooted, a two-year confirmation discipleship group that meets Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. The group walks through the history of the church, the Christian faith, and the stories of the Bible, with a series of checkpoints built into the year.
Adults at The Grove
Adults at The Grove have a deep bench of ways to connect. The Adult Christian Formation class meets each Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in the Great Room and has recently worked through a video study called "The Easter Experience." LifeGroups are small communities of eight to twelve people who meet at least every other week to share life, pray, study the Bible, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. They sit at the intersection of WELCOME, TRANSFORMATION, and PRESENCE, and the church's hope is that through them members will live more fully into the mission of knowing God, following Jesus, and pursuing God's purposes in the world.
Women's ministry cultivates an authentic community where every woman is encouraged and equipped to connect more deeply with each other and to grow in Christ. Two weekly Bible studies anchor the calendar: NETam on Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m., and NETpm on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. A Women's Retreat runs each fall at Camp Tecumseh, and Women also host a monthly dinner out and seasonal outings at area destinations.
Men's ministry gathers around two weekly Bible studies: a Wednesday morning group that meets at 6:30 a.m. on Zoom, and a Wednesday evening group that meets at 6:30 p.m. in Room 10 near the Great Room for an inductive study of the upcoming sermon passage, led by Pastor Kurt. A monthly men's meal rotates between area restaurants and is open to any man who wants to connect with others on a journey of discipleship, service, and leadership.
1935, Triple L, and Pickleball
Two age-specific communities round out the adult ministry. 1935 is the young adults ministry, an authentic and compassionate community designed for men and women in their twenties and thirties. Triple L is the seniors' fellowship, named for the theme "Live Long and Like It," drawn from Psalm 91:16. Triple L meets monthly, usually on a Wednesday, with a mix of on-campus fellowship, off-campus tours, entertainment, and continuing education. Pastor Kurt is the staff contact, and a team of lay coordinators keeps the group running.
Outside of traditional ministry categories, the church also hosts three pickleball courts with spare paddles and game balls available. Open to members, attenders, and their invited guests, the group welcomes players of every skill level and teaches newcomers how to play.
Outreach in Greater Lafayette
Reaching out to the neighborhood around South 9th Street is built into the church's understanding of its mission. The Outreach Closet runs periodic toiletry drives, and the church partners with Miller Elementary and Bauer, with sign-ups for volunteers who want to serve in that school. The Covenant Community Development Corporation (CCDC) supports family stability in the area, and Getting Ahead is a 16-session program that helps individuals build resources for life. The Biblical Herb Garden at the church allows members and visitors to take cuttings as a small, tangible connection between Scripture and the land.
A Care Team walks alongside those experiencing grief and loss. The team listens, prays, and is present, and training classes are offered for anyone who would like to join. The church also hosts AA meetings on its campus and supports Trinity Life Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, Isaiah 117 House, Lafayette Urban Ministries, Bravely Women's Health, and other local partners.
Joining God's Mission Around the World
The Grove is committed to what it calls "the whole mission of God - extending the whole gospel to the whole world." The Missions Commission, made up of lay leaders, oversees a roster of missionaries and ministries that includes Evangelical Covenant missionaries serving in Ecuador, Taiwan, Europe, Great Britain, Cameroon, South Sudan, Japan, and Latin America, plus Cru staff at Purdue University, Cleveland, South Carolina, and Thailand, and International Students Inc. work.
Locally and regionally, the church supports Habitat for Humanity in Lafayette, Isaiah 117 House, Lafayette Urban Ministries, Trinity Life Ministry, Wheels for Work, Bravely Women's Health, Nou Hope Haiti, and Covenant Mountain Mission. Members can give directly to the missions fund and apply for short-term mission funds through the church office.
Soul Training
The Grove's term for spiritual disciplines is "Soul Training Practices." Members are encouraged to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in shaping their souls, much as a runner trains a body. The church offers resources in two areas - Scripture and Prayer Practices - that members can use to grow in their relationship with God. The framing is the same one used in the Rule of Life: there isn't anything inherently "spiritual" in the practices themselves, but they place a person where God can transform them.
Pastors and Staff
The staff team includes several pastors and directors alongside office support. Stacey Littlefield serves as Lead Pastor. Kurt Kincanon is the Administrative Pastor and is the regular preacher for the Wednesday evening men's study. Chuck Potts oversees the Young Adults (1935) ministry and works with student ministry. Kristin Devine Mueller is the Pastor of Families and Children. Kate Cogswell directs Spiritual Formation and Women's Ministries. Meghan McClellan directs Worship Arts and leads the contemporary worship team. Ronda Ooms directs Community Outreach.
Plan a Visit
If Sunday is the first visit, the practical details are simple. Worship is at 10:30 a.m. in person and online. The dress ranges from casual to shirt and tie, with most people dressing very casually. Children can stay with their families in the sanctuary or head to nursery, preschool, kindergarten, or elementary programming during the service. Coffee, donuts, and greeters are in the lobby before the service, and the Welcome Counter can answer any questions and help with finding the right room.
The church offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with summer hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Giving is available online through the church's giving portal, and a Church App carries sermons, events, and sign-ups for the whole congregation. Anyone interested in serving can fill out the Serve form, and anyone curious about the church's beliefs can read the Covenant Affirmations linked from the main navigation.