Know Jesus. Make Him Known.
Southwest Bible Church sits at the corner of Murray Boulevard and Weir Road in Beaverton, Oregon, a single campus anchored by two Sunday morning worship services, a year-round children's ministry, an active youth program, and a deeply intentional network of home groups. The congregation's stated motto, "Know Jesus. Make Him Known.", frames everything from the sermons taught in the main auditorium to the short-term mission trips organized through the global outreach committee. Under the leadership of Senior Pastor Scott Gilchrist and a team of associate pastors, the church has grown into a large multi-generational body with its own Christian school, a summer day camp, and partnerships with more than a dozen ministries across the Pacific Northwest and around the world.
Sunday Mornings at Southwest Bible
The weekly rhythm of the church is built around two Sunday morning services, held at 8:30 am and 11:00 am in the main auditorium. Both services are identical in format. Coffee and tea are served in the lobby before each gathering, and greeters in red lanyards are stationed at every entrance to help newcomers find their way. Once inside, attendees sing contemporary worship songs alongside a selection of historical hymns, hear a Bible-based message from Pastor Scott Gilchrist or another member of the pastoral team, and are invited to fill out a welcome card at one of the Welcome Tables in the lobby. Bibles are available in the seat backs of the chairs for anyone who needs one, and phones are politely asked to be silenced.
The worship style is described by the church as "Christ focused." While it leans contemporary, the team deliberately weaves in older hymns so that generations can worship side by side. The worship leader invites people to stand during songs, but anyone who prefers to remain seated is welcome to do so.
Sunday Classes for Every Age
Between the two morning services, at 10:00 am, the church offers Sunday Classes for every age group from nursery through adult. The fall 2026 quarter runs September 13 through November 29, and a winter-spring quarter runs January through June; there are no classes in July, August, or December. The signature class for newcomers is Essential Christianity, taught by Pastor Scott Gilchrist in Room 121. This nine-week study walks through the foundational truths of the Christian faith and is recommended as the first stop for anyone exploring Christianity for the first time.
Adult elective offerings for the fall include a survey of Old Testament Israel from the Exodus to the time of Christ with Pastor Dave Martini in the gymnasium, a verse-by-verse study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians with pastoral intern Matt Morris, a survey of lesser-known Old Testament characters with Doug Gemmill, and a tracing of Christian doctrine through church history with elder Jeff Rathjen. Children and youth meet in their own SWKIDS and SWYOUTH classrooms during the same hour.
SWKIDS: Children from Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Southwest Bible Church takes the next generation seriously. SWKIDS programming runs during both morning services and during the 10:00 am Sunday Classes, and a separate SWKIDS Club meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 pm throughout the school year.
The nursery, for children from birth through age two, is available during every morning service; check-in happens at the front desk. The Pre-K room, for ages three through five, includes an interactive lesson, story time, worship, small groups, crafts, and play. Elementary-aged children, kindergarten through fifth grade, gather in small groups for crafts, snacks, discussion, and games, then come together for a large-group time of worship, a skit, and a lesson that walks through the Bible. Most classes use Gospel Project Kids, a three-year curriculum designed to show how the whole Bible points to Jesus.
SWKIDS also offers child dedication services several times a year, an all-day summer Adventure Camp for the Portland metro area, and a Memory Verse Passport program that rewards children for memorizing a key verse from each week's lesson. The children's ministry team is led by Associate Pastor Jake Vanier, with Ellie Monaco and Elise Yoder handling administration and programming, and Hannah Collinsworth coordinating the nursery.
SWYOUTH: Middle School and High School
SWYOUTH is the umbrella for both middle school and high school ministry, led by Associate Pastor Justin Vanier with Melissa Elliott handling administration and Michael Dahlen serving as the youth worship intern. The stated mission of the ministry is to "know Jesus through discipleship, small groups, and weekly youth group gatherings" and to "make Him known through personal evangelism, school outreaches, and evangelistic gatherings."
Students in grades six through twelve meet every other Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. On alternating weeks, the whole group gathers at the church for fellowship, games, a snack, a sermon, and singing; on the off weeks, they break into smaller home groups hosted in homes throughout the area and led by youth staff and parent leaders. Sunday morning classes for both middle school and high school meet at 10:00 am, organized into three quarters per school year. The high school home group ministry launches in January each year.
Home Groups Across Beaverton and the Portland Metro
For many in the congregation, the deepest community happens not on Sunday morning but during the week in home groups. The church describes these gatherings as opportunities to "pray and learn together, study the Bible together, have fun together, and serve together." Each group is different: some form around a shared stage of life, others mix ages and marital status, and some are co-ed while others are not.
Home groups meet in homes throughout Beaverton, Tigard, and the wider Portland metro area, with a handful meeting at the church itself. Most groups follow the Sunday morning sermon as their study guide, while others walk through a specific book of the Bible or a published study. Visitors are welcome at any group, and the home groups ministry, led by Andrew Wachsmuth with administrative support from Linda Gemmill, helps newcomers find a fit. Anyone nervous about walking into a Bible study for the first time is pointed to the Essential Christianity Sunday Class as a gentle on-ramp.
Men, Women, and Senior Adults
The church organizes adult ministry through three main channels: SW MEN, SW WOMEN, and Senior Saints.
SW MEN gathers around a Monday morning Bible study at 7:30 am in Room 121, a Tuesday morning prayer time at 6:00 am, and a Tuesday morning study during January through April. The ministry is also active on the basketball court, the softball field, and through the church's athletics leagues, which are open to friends of church members as well as regular attenders. Pastor Tom Aylward oversees men's ministry.
SW WOMEN, led by Director Bincy Abraham with administrative support from Debbie Eaton, hosts Bible studies, special events, and a prayer ministry. The fall 2026 evening study, "Rahab: Tracing the Thread of Redemption," meets on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm beginning September 15, and Moms 2 Moms registration is open as well. Teaching from past studies is available on the church's media library.
Senior Saints is the ministry for adults 60 and up. The group meets for a monthly luncheon on the third Friday at 11:00 am in the Upper Auditorium from October through May, enjoying a meal along with guest speakers and special programs. A senior women's Bible study meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 1:00 pm from September through April.
Global Outreach: Go Short, Go Long, Go Sunday, Go With
Global outreach is built into the identity of the church. The SWGO ministry organizes its work around four verbs: Go Short (short-term trips), Go Long (longer-term service), Go Sunday (a service-oriented Sunday), and Go With (partnering with outreach workers overseas). A Global Outreach Committee made up of seven couples (Carl and Rose, Mike and Jan, Gil and Charyla, Conrad and Leslie, Alan and Jill, Joel and Arlene, and Kelly and Karen) oversees the ministry alongside the Global Outreach Pastor, Carl, and SWGO Care Coordinator Alicia.
The church sends and supports outreach workers around the world and partners with a wide slate of organizations. Locally, these include Portland Rescue Mission, Safe Families PDX, Public Safety Chaplaincy, Sports Outreach Northwest, First Image (a network of pregnancy resource centers), and Mission ConneXion, a citywide missions mobilization ministry. The Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, Gideons International, Western Seminary, and Dunes Bible Camp are also supported. Internationally, the Romans Project, led by Pastor Scott Gilchrist, provides electronic devices loaded with more than 800 Bible teaching messages to pastors who commit to reading and hand-copying the book of Romans twenty times.
Members can support these partners financially through the church's online giving platform, and a Global Outreach Prayer gathering meets on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 pm.
Southwest Christian School and Adventure Camp
Southwest Christian School, founded in 1973, operates on the church campus as a private Christian school for students from Pre-K through twelfth grade. The school partners with parents to provide an education grounded in biblical principles and taught by Christian teachers, with the stated goal of helping each student reach his or her maximum potential academically, socially, and spiritually. Mark Sherman serves as principal and Marc Denker as vice principal.
Adventure Camp is an all-day summer day camp run by the church for the broader Portland community. Weekly themed programs include field trips, outdoor play, and creative activities, making it a popular option for families looking for full-day summer programming near Beaverton.
Counseling and Care
The church offers biblical counseling for members of the church community through a team of trained and qualified counselors. The counseling ministry addresses marriage and parenting challenges, anger, fear, worry, depression, addictions, misplaced priorities, and lack of forgiveness, applying Scripture to each situation. Pastor Tom Aylward oversees counseling along with men's ministry, and Carole Wachsmuth serves on the counseling and discipleship team.
The Care Ministry exists to support people during hospitalization, rehab, hospice, bedrest, and other isolating seasons, and to walk alongside families who have lost a loved one. The team helps with funeral and memorial planning, visits those who cannot attend services, and provides practical assistance for members facing difficult circumstances. Care requests can be submitted through an online form, and the ministry is led by Larry Elliott, Andrew Wachsmuth, and Linda Gemmill.
What the Church Believes
Southwest Bible Church holds to a detailed statement of faith rooted in historic, evangelical Christian doctrine. The church accepts the Scriptures as its only authority in matters of faith and practice, and teaches that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, whose death on the cross made possible a relationship with God for all who believe; He rose again, ascended into heaven, and now intercedes for believers at the Father's right hand. The Holy Spirit is present and active today, revealing Jesus through the Word and giving comfort and strength to those who trust in Him.
The Bible is described as absolutely perfect, entirely the Word of God given by the Holy Spirit, and completely trustworthy and sufficient for teaching and training believers. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, with the security of the believer guaranteed by God's commitment to His children. The church observes two ordinances: baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, and recognizes baptism and child dedication as meaningful acts of obedience without making either a requirement for membership.
A distinctive practice at the church is the Abide method, introduced by Pastor Scott Gilchrist. Each day, members are invited to hand-copy a short passage of Scripture, spending about fifteen minutes copying and meditating on the text as a way of deepening their walk with Christ. Monthly Abide calendars walk readers through books of the Bible one passage at a time.
Music, Media, and Online Life
Worship music at Southwest Bible Church is led by Worship Director Jonny McCormick. Songs recorded by the church's worship team are available on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music under the artist name Southwest Worship, and the church's teaching messages are available on the media library. Sunday services are livestreamed, and a Zoom link is provided for the weekday morning prayer gathering as well.
Giving and Getting Connected
Members and visitors can give online through the church's giving platform, by text to 84321, by check or cash in a secure lobby dropbox, or through their own bank's online bill pay system. Designated giving is available for the general fund, global outreach workers, ministry partners, and the church school. Every second Sunday, the congregation spends a minute or two during the morning service reflecting on what the Bible teaches about giving.
Anyone wanting to get involved is invited to fill out a welcome form online, stop by a Welcome Table on Sunday morning, or attend Opening Night, an informal drop-in reception held on the first Wednesday of each month from January through June and from October through November in The Lodge on the second floor of the East Wing. Childcare is provided. The church's athletics program, including basketball, softball, and the SW5K, offers another front door, with leagues and events open to friends of church members as well.