The Neighborhood on 67th Avenue

Mountain Ridge Church sits on the north side of Glendale, Arizona, just off the Loop 101 at 23104 N 67th Avenue, in a neighborhood of broad streets and stucco homes that frame the city's edge against the desert. Across the city the church is known for a single, repeated phrase: "Bringing people back to God." That sentence, the staff says, is not a slogan but a mission. Everything at Mountain Ridge, from the two Sunday gatherings to the after-service hang on the lawn, flows out of that one goal.

The church has built its identity around the language of neighborhood. Its online welcome reads "Welcome to the Neighborhood," new visitors are invited to a monthly gathering by the same name, and the building itself is designed so that people run into one another before and after services. Food, drinks, yard games, and conversation are all part of the rhythm. For a first-time guest, Mountain Ridge is meant to feel less like an institution to be entered and more like a place to be met.

Sundays at 9:15 and 10:45 AM

Two identical services meet every Sunday morning at 9:15 and 10:45 AM. Each gathering runs about an hour and opens with an engaging worship set before moving into a Bible-based message from the teaching team. The worship style is contemporary, and the services are designed to feel like a weekend experience rather than a formal obligation. People are encouraged to come early, stay late, and treat the hour as a starting point rather than a finished event.

Outside the auditorium, the lobby stays busy. The Mountain Ridge team runs a coffee shop on site, and the wide outdoor lawn is set up with food, drinks, and yard games so that families and friends have room to linger. A monthly Welcome to the Neighborhood gathering, held on the third Sunday of each month, gives newer guests a laid-back chance to meet staff and ask questions without pressure. Anyone planning a visit can fill out a Plan My Visit form online.

Elevate Kids: Birth through 6th Grade

Children from birth through sixth grade are invited into Elevate Kids, the church's purpose-built children's ministry. The team describes its work this way: "Partnering with families to help kids meet, know and follow Jesus." Every weekend the ministry creates an interactive, age-appropriate experience that mixes Bible teaching with games, music, and activities, with safety and fun treated as equally important.

Check-in begins at the Elevate Kids entrance, where a reserved parking space is held for first-time families. A small number of basic questions opens an account, after which children are led to a grade-specific venue within the kids auditorium. At pickup, parents present the identification badge they were given at check-in. No badge, no release. Parents of newborns through sixth graders can expect the same secure, welcoming process at both Sunday services.

For families who cannot attend in person, an Online Kids Experience links to a Parent Cue video library, and the ministry keeps an active social feed at @mrcelevatekids on Instagram and a Facebook page under the same name.

Thrive Youth: 7th through 12th Grade

Students in grades 7 through 12 meet under the banner of Thrive Youth. The ministry's own words are "Leading YOUTH to bring people back to God by living out a faith that thrives," drawn from Ephesians 2:10. Programming centers on three rhythms: Sunday mornings during the 10:45 service, Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM, and ongoing small-group connection.

Thrive gatherings are built around relationships as much as teaching. The staff describes nights that include dodgeball, treats, and the kind of honest questions teenagers want to ask. A dedicated youth pastor, Jonny Arena, leads the team, and a NextGen administration staff supports families. Parents who want to follow along can find Thrive on Instagram at @mrcthrive, with regular updates on events, what students are learning, and resources for the wider family. Questions about Thrive can be sent to thrive@mountainridge.org.

Tot Town: Mondays for Preschoolers

Preschoolers and their parents have a weekly hang of their own at Tot Town, hosted every Monday inside the Mountain Ridge Worship Center auditorium and outdoor playground. The room is turned into a giant playland with story time, crafts, and activities designed to build social, fine-motor, and large-motor skills at the same time.

The first Monday is free. After that, weekly visits cost $5 per child, and a yearly family membership is available for $55. The program is designed for parents looking for a creative way to spend a morning with their preschooler while connecting with other families. Current schedule and weather updates are posted on the Mountain Ridge Tot Town Facebook page.

Bloom: Women's Ministry

The women's ministry at Mountain Ridge is called Bloom, named for the picture in Jeremiah 17:7-8 of a tree planted by the water, always green and bearing fruit even in drought. Bloom exists, the team writes, "to remind you that you don't have to walk through it alone," and offers a mix of weekly Bible studies and seasonal events aimed at women in every stage and season of life.

Weekly Bible studies meet on several days and locations, so women can choose a fit:

• Cheryl Akers leads a group in Glendale on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM every other week.
• Marry Ann Parmenter leads another group at the church on the first and third Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.
• Jennifer Simmers and Emily Arena lead a Wednesday morning study at the church from 9:30 to 11:00 AM on the first and third weeks, with childcare provided.
• Beth Jones leads a Thursday morning study at the church from 9:15 to 11:00 AM every other week.
• Jerrie Ortiz leads another in Sun City on alternating Thursdays.

Throughout the year Bloom hosts retreats, workshops, and community gatherings, including an annual women's conference. The point, the leaders write, is to grow deeper in relationship with God, build authentic friendships, and be encouraged to flourish in every season.

Groups Across the Valley

Outside the weekend services, Mountain Ridge lives in homes across the Phoenix valley through its Groups ministry. The tagline is simple: "finding freedom through groups." Groups of 10 to 20 people gather in neighborhoods to talk through recent sermons, share a meal, and pray for one another.

Anyone can search for an open group through the online group finder, and those who want to host their own group can apply to lead one. The ministry frames groups as the place where Sunday teaching becomes daily life - a setting where friendships grow and faith has room to take root.

What Mountain Ridge Believes

The Beliefs page walks through the Christian story in seven movements, beginning with the Bible and ending with restoration. The church holds the 66 books of the Protestant canon to be trustworthy, without error, and of highest authority among all means of revelation. Scripture, the church teaches, is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) and not to be added to or taken from.

God is described as one God eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - a community of love within the godhead. From that community God created the universe and humanity in His image, placing the first man and woman in a garden to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. The Fall, when Adam and Eve disobeyed, brought shame, spiritual separation, and a depraved nature passed down to every generation.

Redemption runs from Genesis 3:15 through the cross. God promised a deliverer, anchored that promise through Abraham and Israel, and fulfilled it in Jesus Christ, who lived without sin, died as the propitiation for sin, rose again in victory, and now intercedes for His people at the Father's right hand. Believers are adopted as children, given the Holy Spirit, and formed into the church.

The church looks forward to the return of Christ in glory to judge the nations, the resurrection of all peoples, and the establishment of new heavens and a new earth where the redeemed live in perfect, sinless worship. For those who want to read further, Mountain Ridge points readers to The Baptist Faith and Message, the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Serving on a Team

Serving is built into the rhythm at Mountain Ridge. The Serve team puts it this way: "When you serve on a team, you help bring people back to God." Open teams include Kids, Youth, Impressions (the greeting and hospitality crew), Worship, Production (audio, video, lighting), and the Coffee Shop. Whatever someone's gifts or stage of life, there is a place to step in.

Teams are also how the church builds its sense of family. Staff write that stepping onto a team gives people a way to put their "passion into purpose" and become the hands and feet of Jesus, both inside the building and out in the community.

Mission Partners Near and Far

Mountain Ridge supports a wide network of mission partners locally and around the world, framed by the language of "teaming up with passionate partners to spread the hope of Jesus to all the world." The list splits roughly into local care and global sending.

Closer to home, New Life Pregnancy supports women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, ministers healing to those who have experienced abortion, and promotes abstinence education in the community. Rio Vista Center helps families move through crisis toward self-sufficiency. Asante Church is a sister congregation walking together with Mountain Ridge in everyday ministry.

Farther out, the church partners with 1Mission, a community development organization that gives people in poverty the opportunity to earn a house through serving their own community. Through the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board, Mountain Ridge connects with the broader Southern Baptist work of church planting, revitalization, and global missions. Heartline Ministries serves Haitian children and families through holistic programs addressing orphanhood and poverty. Crossroads Prison Ministries brings Bible study and mentorship into incarceration. Collective Hope works among vulnerable children in Nepal. The combined effort is to keep the church living sent, never turned inward.

The Building and Event Space

The Mountain Ridge campus is more than a Sunday gathering place. The church rents its facilities to outside groups and offers an event-space package that includes an oversized gymnasium with basketball and volleyball equipment, three different venues with A/V capability, an outdoor quarter-circle stage on a grass lawn, and a wide lobby with the coffee shop. Wedding parties, sports leagues, school events, and community meetings have all used the space.

The same building that hosts the Sunday services also opens up for student parking during the school year, a partnership with nearby Mountain Ridge High School that serves families in the wider community.

Student Parking for Mountain Ridge High School

Every school year Mountain Ridge opens a portion of its parking lot to juniors and seniors at nearby Mountain Ridge High School. The program has become one of the church's most visible community partnerships. Families register each spring for the following year, with a $175 fee plus a $25 non-refundable registration fee. Registration requires a driver's license or permit, proof of insurance, vehicle registration, payment, and an acknowledged parking waiver.

Spots are assigned to an individual student and an individual vehicle, cannot be shared, and are released back to the church if no longer needed. Pro-rated refunds are available for the unused portion of the year. The arrangement is part of how Mountain Ridge lives out its neighborhood identity - serving not only its own attenders but the high school students who drive past the building every day.

Meet the Staff

The teaching team is led by Brett Carlson, who serves as Lead Pastor, and Cory Bramlett, who serves as Associate Pastor. Together they shape the weekend pulpit and the long-term direction of the church.

Jonny Arena is the Youth Pastor, overseeing Thrive and the NextGen culture. Cathy Brooks is the Kids Director, leading Elevate Kids with a background in both safety and child development. Danny Vinculado is the Worship Director, responsible for the weekend services and special events. Kari Coughlin directs the church's preschool ministry, including Tot Town. The broader staff team also includes directors for finance, creative arts, social media, the cafe, and NextGen administration.

Encounter: Online and the App

For those who cannot be in the auditorium, Mountain Ridge offers what the church calls Encounter, an online expression of the weekend gathering. Services stream live at 9:15 and 10:45 AM through the church's YouTube channel, and past sermons stay available to watch or catch up on any time of the week.

A dedicated Mountain Ridge Church mobile app keeps members and regular attenders connected with devotionals, podcasts, event details, and ongoing content. The Encounter ministry is built around a single idea: church does not stop at the church's address. Whether someone is sitting in the auditorium, watching from a living room, or scrolling through a podcast on a commute, the goal is the same - to give people a way to keep meeting Jesus.

Giving

Mountain Ridge describes giving as stewardship. The church teaches that everything belongs to God and that tithing - giving back one tenth of earnings - is the starting point of Christian generosity, with offerings as gifts given above the tithe. Together, the church writes, the congregation works "to reach the lost and make an impact on the Valley."

Givers can give online through FellowshipOne Go with the option to set up recurring gifts and review giving history and tax statements. There is a Giving Box in the lobby for in-person offerings, and gifts can be mailed to the church address. The church also provides planned giving options for those who want to include Mountain Ridge in their estate plans, as well as a stock giving program for marketable securities. The full breakdown of ways to give is on the Giving page.