Former bank headquarters could become massive interdenominational church

HOLLAND TWP. — One of the largest vacant buildings in Holland could soon be filled by an interdenominational church with an established base in Holland and Zeeland.

Plans to convert the former Huntington Bank headquarters in Holland Township — 10717 Adams St. — were given their first nod by Holland Township Planning Commission in a meeting Tuesday, May 10. The recommendation by the commission to alter an existing PUD from corporate banking to church services will next go before the board of trustees.

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Several members of Family Church were in attendance to support the project, including Pastor Adam Grill.

"We started our church in Zeeland, where another church had recently been closed by the Reformed Church in America," Grill told The Sentinel. "We bought the building from them. Then, during the middle of the pandemic, we were growing and growing and growing.

"Another local church, Ebenezer Reformed in Holland — which is a historic landmark — approached us. They were starting to shrink and they weren't confident they'd survive much longer. Over the course of about a year, we were gifted that church, which was an amazing thing. We started services there last September."

Already, both locations offer two services. Ebenezer is looking to add a third.

"We knew we needed to find another church that needed our help, or else we needed to find a building," Grill said. "We came across this building and decided to pursue it. When I first moved here, I prayed over this building for many years, that God would make it a church — because, to me, it already looks like one."

If all goes well, Family Church will launch services in the 130,000-square-foot building in 2023.

"It's a beautiful building and landscaping, so we'll keep the exterior how it is," Grill said. "The main floor, where you walk in, half will become open for fellowship space. The other half will become sanctuary worship space, where we can hold our services. There will also be some offices on the first level."

But there are two more floors in the building — one above and one below.

"The upper level will become dedicated education space," Grill said. "For kids of all ages and adults, to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus. The lower level is actually the biggest floor of the building, and we're in lots of conversations about how that can be utilized.

"We've talked about daycare and preschool, because that's an enormous need. I can't tell you how many businesses have asked us for that. We're just praying for direction on how best to serve our community."

The building, built in 1992 and including more than 40 acres of land, was listed for $10 million in early 2021. Though many churches across the nation continue to struggle with low membership, an issue worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Family Church continues to grow.

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"We love to be generous as a church," Grill said. "Basically anything you can get at Starbucks, you can get at our church for free. We also partner with Good Time Donuts for unlimited donuts at every service, and on Thursday nights, we provide pizza from Vitale's. We love to foster community and that's what our world is missing right now — people gathering and talking and hanging out."

But the church's growing numbers are thanks to more than free food, Grill said.

"We chose to approach things differently than most churches during COVID," he said. "Everybody made choices, and it's had consequences and benefits for everybody. We chose to allow people to make the choice of what was best for them; we followed all of the guidelines, but we didn't add to them. We continue to offer online church and we stayed in contact with our community and our people."

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Former bank headquarters could become massive interdenominational church