
What is God doing in
Cedar Springs?
A church profile
Our Mission
Rise Up Church gets its name from Isaiah 30:18: “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.” God is rising up to show his compassion in our community and world and the people of Rise Up Church are rising up to join Him!
A church begins
In May, 2019, a group of seven men and women attended a church-planting conference called “Launch”.
There, Isaiah 30:18 and the name Rise Up Church arose. That name and passage seemed to us a gift from God for this Cedar Springs ministry.
Every-Sunday worship launched on January 12, 2020 in Cedar Springs Middle School with a crowd of 128 attendees and was followed by 60-70 attendees on succeeding Sundays. This was interrupted nine Sundays later by the Covid pandemic. By God’s grace, the church navigated the Covid season with remarkable strength and unity and was able to return to every-Sunday worship at the school in November of 2021. Gradual growth has continued so that a new record worship attendance of 129 was set on Easter Sunday 2023.
The ministry
Rise Up Church has a number of active ministries. The staff includes a full-time Pastor and a part-time Administrative Coordinator. Several Team Leaders are guiding ministry areas including: Worship, Children (Rise Up Kids), Hospitality, Compassion (benevolence), Small Groups, and Youth Ministry. The church engages regularly in community projects and supports Hand 2 Hand, a food ministry to students who need it.
We believe in baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So far we have celebrated thirteen adult baptisms and eight infant baptisms.
God is developing Rise Up Church as a community of compassion in Jesus’ name that beautifully reflects all the kinds of people that live in and around Cedar Springs, Michigan.
Worship with us
Our services are casual and inviting- we welcome you to come as you are!
We meet in person every Sunday (table seating or chair seating, comfortably spaced apart)
at Cedar Springs Middle School.
Hey there, and thanks for taking a look at Rise Up Church. My name is Ben McKnight, and in addition to getting to spend time with the wonderful people at Rise Up, I'm also the husband to Kayla and a dad to two energetic and growing boys (Leo & Sam). I was born and raised in West Michigan, graduating from Cornerstone University and getting married in 2010. Kayla and I moved to Florida for a couple of years while she completed her undergraduate studies at Southeastern University, after which we decided to move back to Michigan in 2012 when I began my M.Div at Calvin Theological Seminary. After graduation and ordination, I took a call to serve as the Lead Pastor in Grant, MI until the Spring of 2021. During that time, Kayla completed her MSW from Western Michigan University and has been serving Newaygo county as a home-based clinician for youth and adolescents since 2020. We currently call Sand Lake, MI our home and love being part of the greater Cedar Springs community.
Pastor Ben McKnight
Some more information about Rise Up:
Rise Up Church is Christian. We believe in God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Bible is God's Word. We believe Jesus calls us all to experience life in him and, then, sends us out in his name into our homes, neighborhood and world. We proudly share these beliefs with all of Jesus' followers.
What is unique about Rise Up Church is that we are gathering a community of love in Jesus' name in Cedar Springs, MI - in and with and among all the people who live here. We want to know: Who are you? What do you want to say? What struggles do you and our neighbors have? What needs fixing? In other words: What is Jesus getting ready to do in you and this town at this time?
Helpful links:
The Apostle's Creed. A short, historically early summary of what Christians believe: https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/apostles-creed
The Heidelberg Catechism. A longer, warm-hearted summary of Christianity from the period of the Protestant Reformation:
https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/heidelberg-catechism
Rise Up Church is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. You can learn more here: https://www.crcna.org/