OUR MISSION

BGCC exists to become LESS so that Jesus can become more in us and in our neighborhoods.


Becoming LESS is inspired by John the Baptist, the man that Jesus said was greatest person who ever lived (Luke 7:28). John said that he wanted to become LESS so that Jesus could become more (John 3:30). Becoming LESS means that we...


Love God and bring Him praise

Encourage our faith community

Serve those in need

Share the good news of Jesus


The thing is, no one naturally lives a life that is LESS. From the moment we’re born we think about ourselves and how we can be more. The irony is that as we live our lives with LESS of us and more of Jesus, we find what we truly want in life. 


Plain and simple, becoming LESS is about loving God and loving others. This is what Jesus said was most important all along: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39) 

WHAT WE BELIEVE

God is real. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and totally in charge of the direction history is moving. He is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created everything and everyone, and every person matters deeply to him. 

 

Jesus Christ is God’s only Son who took on human form to come into the world to save us. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He died on a cross for our sins, was buried, rose again from the dead, and is coming back. Everyone has sinned, so everyone needs Jesus. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible gives us a pattern for receiving this gift: believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son, repent of your sins, confess Christ as Lord and Savior, and be immersed in baptism.

 

The Holy Spirit lives in every believer, acting as guide, counselor and teacher, and enables us to live Christ-like lives empowered for works of service. The Bible is God’s Holy word, inspired by God through the Holy Spirit to its writers. It is the final authority for all matters of faith and practice. The Church was Jesus’ idea and is made up of everyone who follows Him all over the world. 

WHAT KIND OF CHURCH IS THIS?

We’re a Christian Church. We get lots of questions about this. We just call ourselves Christians. We try and imitate the New Testament church as much as possible. Our only creed is that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That’s it. 

 

We prioritize unity with all Christ followers. We don’t think we’re the only Christians. 

 

We are a thinking church and seek to apply Biblical truth intelligently. We believe the Christian faith demands the best our minds can give.

 

We are self-governed and self-supported. 

 

We want to grow because Jesus told us to tell everyone about Him. We’re not finished yet.

Our Church Staff

  • MAtthew Riley

    senior minister



    Matthew is Rachel’s husband and Piper, Sloane, and Simon’s daddy. He’s passionate about spending time with people and sharing the stories of Jesus with them. He loves being with his family especially when they can all pile into the car and go on a family trip. Matthew is a graduate of Cincinnati Christian University and is pursuing a master's degree in Biblical Ministry from Ozark Christian College. He enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, and just being outdoors. He drinks too much coffee, loves his hometown of Harrodsburg, refuses to stop driving his old 4Runner, and will gladly sit and talk with you about anything mentioned above.



  • JESSE BAIZE

    Worship & Creative Minister

    JESSE@BOWLINGGREENCHRISTIAN.ORG 

    Jesse joined the BGCC family in May 2020. He and his wife, Caitlin, absolutely love Bowling Green coffee. Jesse received a degree from Lindsey Wilson College, completed a residency at Perimeter Church in Atlanta and received a master's degree from Colorado Christian University. He considers himself the resident nerd at BGCC.

  • Megan case

    children's minister

    MEGAN@BOWLINGGREENCHRISTIAN.ORG 

    Megan has been a member of BGCC since 2017. She has a degree in elementary education from WKU and a background in teaching. She and her husband, Landon, have a baby named Howie. Megan loves Abraham Lincoln, who was born in her hometown of Hodgenville, KY.

  • melody urban

    administrative assistant

    OFFICE@BOWLINGGREENCHRISTIAN.ORG 

    Melody, and her husband, Bryce, have been members of BGCC since 2008. She takes pride in her organizational skills and keeping the rest of the staff in line. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two adult children, Miranda and Noah. 

  • Nathan Ayers

    Youth/ Associate Minister

    Nathan@bowlinggreenchristian.org

    Nathan has been going to BGCC for years but joined staff September 2022. Nathan was previously the director for Christian Student Fellowship for 10 years. He and his wife, Sarah, love being with people and having people over all the time for food, games or just to talk. Nathan is a big UK and WKU fan and will literally play any sport that you ask him to play. 


OUr Elders

  • Todd Hammerstone


  • Spencer Tuttle


  • Steve Briggs


  • Chris Day


  • Lucas humble