Three campuses on the bluffs
Grand View Methodist Church sits on John Wesley Drive in Dubuque, Iowa, with a sign visible from JFK Road just past the soccer complex and ACE Hardware. It has been at this location since 2003, though the congregation itself was founded in 1877, making it one of the oldest Methodist bodies in the tri-state area. The Dubuque campus is the largest of three. Two smaller sister congregations - Wesley Methodist Church in East Dubuque, Illinois, and Center Grove Methodist Church on Brunskill Road in Dubuque - share the same pastoral team, the same mission statement, and the same calendar of events under the Grand View umbrella.
The church is a member congregation of the Global Methodist Church, part of the Upper Midwest Annual Conference. As the congregation describes it, "It is an exciting time to be a part of this new expression of Methodism." Its motto is short and direct: Love God. Love Others. Serve the World.
Five Sunday services, three styles, one building
Sunday is a layered morning at Grand View. Three services are held at the John Wesley Drive campus and one each at Wesley and Center Grove:
- 8:00 AM Traditional Worship at Grand View - a classic service with organ-led hymns, special music, and liturgy.
- 9:30 AM Contemporary Worship at Grand View - led by the Church House Band and livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube, and Church Online.
- 9:30 AM Traditional Worship at Wesley in East Dubuque - Pastor Crystal Weber leads worship from the front and Pastor Tom's sermon is delivered via livestream from Dubuque.
- 10:45 AM Contemporary Worship at Grand View - a second Church House Band service.
- 10:45 AM Traditional Worship at Center Grove on Brunskill Road.
Faith Formation for all ages is offered at 9:30 AM during the school year, so parents can drop children off for Sunday School or nursery and join an adult class themselves. The Methodist Marriage Class (led by Erin and Kelly Haven) and the Methodist Roots Class - which walks through what Methodists believe and why - both meet in that hour.
Wednesday nights: CFX
During the school year, Wednesday evenings belong to Christian Family Xperience, or CFX. Doors open at 5:45 PM for a family meal - the whole room eats together, from nursery to senior adults. At 6:15 PM, everyone splits into age-appropriate small groups: nursery, elementary (broken further into PreK-Kindergarten, 1st-3rd, and 4th-5th), middle school, high school, a parents group, a parents-of-young-children group, and adult cell groups. The night finishes by 7:30. CFX is the main pipeline for the church's faith formation ministry and the place where most of the year's ministry calendar is announced.
Cell groups and the Grand View Reads rhythm
Small groups, called cell groups, are at the center of life at Grand View. Each group has twelve or fewer members, meets once a week for about an hour, and follows a shared daily Scripture reading called Grand View Reads. During the meeting, members talk about what they read, pray for one another, and hold each other accountable. Often, the same passage appears in the following Sunday's sermon.
There is no sign-up and no registration - people simply show up to whichever group fits their life. The current schedule includes women's groups (Monday 6 PM, Wednesday 1 PM, Thursday 12 PM), men's groups (Tuesday 12 PM, Wednesday 6 PM), mixed groups on nearly every day of the week, a Wesley campus group on Monday evenings, and a college-age group called C&C that meets Monday at 7 PM. There are also two Women of Faith groups (Tuesday 3:30 PM and Wednesday 4:30 PM) that work through a book together; newcomers are welcomed midstream and given the materials they need to catch up.
Children and youth at Grand View
The faith formation ministry describes its goal plainly: "high-quality, meaningful Christian Education to all children," in partnership with parents. Nursery care (ages 0-3) is provided during the 9:30 AM worship service at Grand View and during Wednesday-night CFX. All nursery leaders are background-checked active church members, many of them retired teachers and mothers. Children PreK through 5th grade are encouraged to attend any and all church events; they break into smaller age groups weekly for Sunday School and CFX during the school year.
Middle school and high school students are at the heart of the youth ministry, with regular Sunday School, Wednesday-night programming, a Student Leadership Team, and a High School Core Group. Summer and year-round youth events include an annual mission trip week called Serve Our City, a Youth Global Day of Evangelism hosted on site in partnership with Dare2Share Ministries, and regular youth group outings. Families with younger children can also join the Parents of Young Children Group, which meets on the CDM playground for kid play and adult conversation.
One annual tradition is Bible Sunday, when second and sixth graders are each given an age-appropriate Bible of their own during the 10:45 AM service. The Bibles are theirs to keep.
The Damka Matters Mission
Grand View's most distinctive mission partnership is in Damka, a village on the edge of Muslim territory in Nigeria. The ministry is named "Damka Matters" because, as the church puts it, "every person truly matters, especially those who may feel left on the outskirts of our global society." Grand View helped build the Damka Primary School in 2018; it now serves 225 students, and 45 students from the area attend the Ethel Johnson Comprehensive Secondary School in Karim. Each child is sponsored for a full year by Grand View members.
Pastor Tom Shinkle has led multiple mission teams to the village, and the partnership has also produced a Christian church planted alongside the school. As he says, "Grand View is showing the world that Muslims and Christians can live together in peace." Members can support the work through child sponsorship, teacher salaries, mission team travel, uniforms, books, and a general Damka Matters fund, with giving available online or by check.
Suppers that hold the year together
Food is part of how Grand View builds community. The annual calendar is anchored by a string of long-running community suppers: the Wesley Sauerkraut and Pork Supper in late March, the Great Grand View Soup Supper in early March, and the Wesley Soup Supper in early November. Center Grove hosts its own Pork Chop Dinner each fall. Tickets are modest - adults around twelve to fifteen dollars, children less, and young kids free - and the rooms fill with neighbors as well as church members.
The Soup'er Bowl Drive runs each February, collecting cans of soup and boxes of crackers that are packed into kits and distributed through a partnership with Resources Unite. On Serve & Share Sundays, volunteers meet at Grand View to package the kits and then head out to mobile home parks and neighborhoods around Dubuque for direct distribution.
Worship on screen and in the room
The 9:30 AM Contemporary service at Grand View is the church's flagship broadcast, carried live on Facebook, YouTube, and the church's online church platform. Sermons are recorded and posted every week under series names that include Origin Story (a walk through Genesis), What Disciples Do, We > Me, Bold Enough, Make Room, Discipled for Life, Vital Signs, The Advantage, and seasonal sets such as You Need Christmas. Receive it this year. Rev. Tom Shinkle is the primary preacher; Alec Amosson, the Creative Director, also teaches. A small number of guest preachers and lay speakers round out the calendar.
Core values in plain language
Grand View's stated values give a clear picture of how the church sees itself. Reading and applying Scripture is central; the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds are honored as solid summaries of belief. Worship is described as essential - "meaningful, inspiring, accessible, and excellent." Relationships are valued over programs. Small groups are treated as the engine of discipleship, and the church teaches that all believers are part of the Body of Christ and expected to serve. Membership is a real commitment of prayers, presence, money, service, and witness. "All Means All" is its own line in the list of values, signaling an open invitation to anyone who wants to be part of the community. The list also includes "We Have Fun" - the church takes its work seriously, not itself - and "We Believe in Threes," a reference to the triune God and the rhythm of worship, small groups, and service.
The pastoral team
Rev. Tom Shinkle has served as lead pastor since 2009. He is known for sermons that connect Scripture to everyday life, and his interests outside the church include riding his Harley, gardening, camping, fishing, and cooking. He leads most preaching at the Grand View campus and his sermon is livestreamed into the Wesley service.
Pastor Crystal Weber serves as campus pastor for Wesley and Center Grove, a role she has held since those congregations joined Grand View in 2021. She is described as having "an inviting and calm demeanor" and is loved by the people of both smaller campuses.
Pastor Jen Zoller joined the staff in 2024 to oversee member care and children's faith formation. She was ordained a Deacon in the Global Methodist Church in June 2026.
Alec Amosson is the Creative Director, working in worship, music, technology, and youth ministry. He has been on staff since 2012.
Brandi Shinkle directs the Child Development Center and has served at Grand View since 2004 and as CDM director since 2012.
Sydney Mulgrew, a long-time member of Wesley, and Sophia Phelan, who grew up at Grand View, serve as Youth Ministry Assistants and help lead the C&C young-adult group.
Chantal Moore coordinates communications and marketing for the church.
Child Development Center
Sharing the Grand View campus is a licensed early childhood program called the Grand View Child Development Center. It is open year-round, Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and serves infants through preschoolers with Christian education woven into hands-on learning. The center is staffed as part of the church's ministry, and families enrolled there are part of the broader Grand View community.
First-time visit
For anyone coming through the doors for the first time, the church keeps things low-key. Dress is described as "come as you are" - jeans and a t-shirt fit right in alongside business casual. There is no long check-in process; visitors can take a seat and fill out a visitor card or bulletin tear-off during worship. Families are asked to check children under 18 into nursery or Sunday School. Parking is straightforward: turn off JFK onto John Wesley Drive and use the large lot. Those who want a hosted visit can fill out a Plan Your Visit form online, and someone from the church will connect beforehand, meet them at the door, give a tour, introduce them around, and make sure they meet Pastor Tom. The building, the people, and the Sunday morning schedule are designed so a first-time guest can find a seat, settle in, and leave already feeling like part of the room.