A Brief History of Bethany Baptist Church
Harwood Heights, Illinois
Bethany Baptist Church was formed in August 1979 by the union of two churches, the “The Church of the Open Door,” an independent evangelical church, and a second church that stood under the Converge Midwest banner, “Bethel Baptist.” Upon the merge, the site of “Bethel Baptist,” which was in Harwood Heights Illinois, was chosen to create the church as we know it today, “Bethany Baptist Church.” This marriage of the two churches was facilitated by a Pastor named Fred Lutz, who would become the first Pastor of Bethany.
As Pastor Lutz was only a part-time pastor at that time, a man named Pastor Bernard Tanis was hired as the Associate Pastor in 1982. Later on, following the retirement of Pastor Lutz, Pastor Tanis would go on to become the next Lead Pastor of the church. Under Pastor Tanis’ leadership, Bethany would grow in not only attendance but also in our building's structure. The church engaged in a major project to build a new west wing, which includes Sunday School Rooms, a nursery, the pastor’s office, a kitchen, and the community conference room we refer to as the “Friendship center”. And while numerical growth was fantastic to see, the heart of Bethany Church remained in missions. During Pastor Tanis's time as lead pastor, we would begin Bethany’s long history of both supportive long-term missionaries as well as sending out short-term mission teams. Under this model, our missions team has thrived and still remains a focal point of the church today. After pastoring Bethany for 13 years, Pastor Tanis would go on to take a leadership position with Converge Midwest.
In 1994, a man named Pastor Rob Nelson took on the role of Lead Pastor at Bethany. With a passion for relationships and mentoring, Pastor Nelson led Bethany’s congregation which would continue to be a thriving body. With our congregation realizing that more ministerial opportunities were needed and desired within the church itself, Pastor Rob led the church through two more major building projects. Discerning that both our children’s ministries and adult ministries alike found community in physical activity, the first project consisted of building a new gymnasium. Since its inception, the gym has gone on to be host to our AWANA program, weekly youth group ministries, open gyms, housing for visiting churches, and so many other event possibilities. The second major project was the overhaul of the basement, which aside from simply needing more space, created new Sunday-School rooms, storage and organizational spaces, and an updated and bigger youth room. Alongside that, we were blessed with being able to even make the basement ADA compliant with an elevator for possible access purposes. Building growth aside, it was during the time of Pastor Nelson’s leadership that the worship style gradually changed from a solely traditional format to a more contemporary style of service. After 20 years of service at Bethany, Pastor Nelson entered retirement in 2015.
In 2017, Pastor Rick George became the fourth Lead Pastor in Bethany’s 40-year history. During his tenure, Pastor George was able to guide the church through a change in the church’s polity by helping update our church’s bylaws as well as leading a transition to an Elder-Lead congregation. Further guidance was needed as Pastor George was also able to help the church through the terrible reality that was COVID-19. With his expertise in technology and a vision of what the congregation needed throughout that period, we were able to navigate through a time that consisted of Zoom worship, masks, and a sometimes overwhelming mentality of fear that perpetuated so many people. With prayer, dedication, and sound leadership, Bethany Baptist persisted through a hard time, and amongst the hardships, blessing shone through. Bethany saw no staff cuts, salaries were able to be managed and met, and all commitments to missionaries were maintained and satisfied. Following the pandemic and the fulfillment of his vision at Bethany, Pastor George felt the Lord calling him out of the church and resigned in early 2022.
Currently, Bethany Baptist Church is in search of a new Lead Pastor with a vision to make Bethany a fulfillment of Christ’s mission in Harwood Heights and Chicago.
Harwood Heights, Illinois
Bethany Baptist Church was formed in August 1979 by the union of two churches, the “The Church of the Open Door,” an independent evangelical church, and a second church that stood under the Converge Midwest banner, “Bethel Baptist.” Upon the merge, the site of “Bethel Baptist,” which was in Harwood Heights Illinois, was chosen to create the church as we know it today, “Bethany Baptist Church.” This marriage of the two churches was facilitated by a Pastor named Fred Lutz, who would become the first Pastor of Bethany.
As Pastor Lutz was only a part-time pastor at that time, a man named Pastor Bernard Tanis was hired as the Associate Pastor in 1982. Later on, following the retirement of Pastor Lutz, Pastor Tanis would go on to become the next Lead Pastor of the church. Under Pastor Tanis’ leadership, Bethany would grow in not only attendance but also in our building's structure. The church engaged in a major project to build a new west wing, which includes Sunday School Rooms, a nursery, the pastor’s office, a kitchen, and the community conference room we refer to as the “Friendship center”. And while numerical growth was fantastic to see, the heart of Bethany Church remained in missions. During Pastor Tanis's time as lead pastor, we would begin Bethany’s long history of both supportive long-term missionaries as well as sending out short-term mission teams. Under this model, our missions team has thrived and still remains a focal point of the church today. After pastoring Bethany for 13 years, Pastor Tanis would go on to take a leadership position with Converge Midwest.
In 1994, a man named Pastor Rob Nelson took on the role of Lead Pastor at Bethany. With a passion for relationships and mentoring, Pastor Nelson led Bethany’s congregation which would continue to be a thriving body. With our congregation realizing that more ministerial opportunities were needed and desired within the church itself, Pastor Rob led the church through two more major building projects. Discerning that both our children’s ministries and adult ministries alike found community in physical activity, the first project consisted of building a new gymnasium. Since its inception, the gym has gone on to be host to our AWANA program, weekly youth group ministries, open gyms, housing for visiting churches, and so many other event possibilities. The second major project was the overhaul of the basement, which aside from simply needing more space, created new Sunday-School rooms, storage and organizational spaces, and an updated and bigger youth room. Alongside that, we were blessed with being able to even make the basement ADA compliant with an elevator for possible access purposes. Building growth aside, it was during the time of Pastor Nelson’s leadership that the worship style gradually changed from a solely traditional format to a more contemporary style of service. After 20 years of service at Bethany, Pastor Nelson entered retirement in 2015.
In 2017, Pastor Rick George became the fourth Lead Pastor in Bethany’s 40-year history. During his tenure, Pastor George was able to guide the church through a change in the church’s polity by helping update our church’s bylaws as well as leading a transition to an Elder-Lead congregation. Further guidance was needed as Pastor George was also able to help the church through the terrible reality that was COVID-19. With his expertise in technology and a vision of what the congregation needed throughout that period, we were able to navigate through a time that consisted of Zoom worship, masks, and a sometimes overwhelming mentality of fear that perpetuated so many people. With prayer, dedication, and sound leadership, Bethany Baptist persisted through a hard time, and amongst the hardships, blessing shone through. Bethany saw no staff cuts, salaries were able to be managed and met, and all commitments to missionaries were maintained and satisfied. Following the pandemic and the fulfillment of his vision at Bethany, Pastor George felt the Lord calling him out of the church and resigned in early 2022.
Currently, Bethany Baptist Church is in search of a new Lead Pastor with a vision to make Bethany a fulfillment of Christ’s mission in Harwood Heights and Chicago.
