Holy Trinity, Grand Rapids, MI: One of Its Kind

Abstract

Keith J. Bilitz’s church history paper explores the founding, growth, and challenges of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Wyoming, Michigan—the only WELS congregation in the Grand Rapids area as of 1983. Established in 1963 by families seeking doctrinal fidelity, Holy Trinity began with a school-first model to engage a community dominated by Christian Reformed churches. Bilitz traces the congregation’s steady growth, outreach efforts, and internal struggles, including financial strain and division over the role of the school. He highlights the congregation’s optimism for future expansion, including plans to plant new churches in surrounding suburbs. Through interviews and statistical analysis, the essay reflects on the unique position of Holy Trinity as a conservative Lutheran witness in a largely Reformed city. Bilitz concludes with hope that Holy Trinity will no longer be “one of its kind,” but the beginning of a broader WELS presence in Grand Rapids. Abstract generated by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)