The seed of Fellowship Life Bible Church

September 07, 2011

Ty Gooch, a former associate pastor for two large churches in Chicago and in Elgin, is partnering with FiveStone Churches to plant Fellowship Life Bible Church in the Gilberts area in far northwest suburban Chicago.

Gooch envisions a life-giving church marked with three distinctives:
    • transformed in Christ (Colossians 2:6-7);
    • engaged in serving (Matthew 20:28);
    • compelled to evangelize (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

I want to humbly and lovingly bring God’s word to bear upon the lives of God’s people, Gooch said. My heart is stirred to serve with people in our community who are looking for a healthy, biblically grounded, Christ-centered and genuinely vibrant local church.

Gooch has been in full-time ministry for 11 years. Most recently, he was an associate pastor at Park Community Church in Chicago and, prior to that, was an associate pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, Ill.

Of the many organizations and options available for Ty to connect with to launch a church, Ty wanted to work with FiveStone Churches because, he said, The ministry is led by men who have genuine relationships with the Lord and are genuinely humble.

I’ve known Gordon Zwirkoski for years and I’ve watched his ability to equip elders and pastors to build strong, healthy, God-fearing biblical churches. Gordon has a track record of effectiveness in establishing local churches.

As a former Big Ten football player at Northwestern University and after playing on two championship teams, Ty frequently speaks at events of the Greater Chicagoland Area Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

He originally is from the western Chicago suburb of Naperville and has a Master of Divinity degree from Moody Theological Seminary. He is finishing a doctorate degree at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.

Ty and his wife, Renee, have been married 11 years and have two daughters: Susannah, 7 years old, and Annalyse, 5.

To read more about Ty and his relationship with FiveStone Churches, click on this link to a blog article.