About Wheaton Bible

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," in the sense that the Holy Spirit so guided the sacred writers that the words they wrote constitute the Word of God. We believe the Bible is the final authority and is fully sufficient for all matters of faith and conduct. (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

The Godhead eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We believe that these three are one God, having the same essence, nature, attributes and perfection, and are worthy of the same reverence, confidence and obedience. (Matt. 28:19-20; John 14:6-17, 2 Cor. 13:14; Col. 1:13-19; Heb. 1:1-3)

Man was originally created in the image of God to worship and serve God in His creation; through his sin he fell from this high calling, died spiritually, lost all spiritual life and became subject to the power of the devil and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. This fallen human nature has been transmitted to all people everywhere, the man Christ Jesus excepted, so that every child of Adam is alienated from God and in need of saving grace. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 8; Rom. 1:18 and 3:23; Eph. 2:1-3)

The eternal Son of God became incarnate to reveal God to mankind and reconcile men and women to God. That in historical fact He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived on earth, was crucified and buried, rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. (John 1:1-14: Acts 2:22-36; Phil. 2:5-11)

Salvation for men and women has been provided by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died as our substitute, shedding His blood for the remission of our sins. (Rom. 5:6-21; Col. 1:12-14, 20-22; 1 Peter 1:18-23)

Salvation is initiated and completed by God and received by faith; that those who trust Christ as Savior receive forgiveness and are born again by the Spirit, passing from spiritual death unto eternal life. We believe that God desires all men and women to be saved. We believe that apart from the effectual work of the Holy Spirit, no one would respond in saving faith to Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit does this saving work in connection with the presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (John 3:1-18; Rom. 5:1-5; Eph. 2:4-10; Titus 3:4-7;2 Peter 3:9)

All who are born again by the Spirit are assured of their salvation and this assurance is based upon the promise of God in His written Word. This saving faith produces love and obedience within us. (Rom. 8:15-17, 31-39; 1 John 3:7-14, 5:1-13)

The true Church is composed of all who are born again; that the Holy Spirit baptizes all believers into one body, endowing the Church with the gifts needed for its work. Therefore, we make every effort to rise above all personal differences, prejudices and racial barriers to maintain the unity of the Spirit in love and peace both within this local body of Christ and the larger body of Christ around us. (Rom. 12:4-19; 1 Cor. 12:1-27; Eph. 4:1-16)

The Holy Spirit is our abiding Comforter and Helper, strengthening faith and devotion and conforming us to the image of Christ. (John 16:7-15; Rom. 8:1-14;1 Cor. 6:19-20)

We are called to holy living in obedience to the Word of God, to put away sinful desires and cultivate and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Gal. 5:16-25; Col. 3:1-17, 2 Tim. 3:14-17, 1 Peter 1:15)

Our blessed Hope, the personal return of Christ for His Church. We also believe that at death the redeemed enter into the presence of Christ, and after the resurrection of the body at His second coming, they shall be forever with Him in His glory. Unbelievers after death await the final judgment when they shall be punished with everlasting separation from the presence of the Lord in hell. (1 Cor. 15:19-58; Phil. 1:20-23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:11-15)

The world is to experience the judgment of God. It will be neither converted nor perfected during the present age, but the Lord Jesus will return to earth to reign in righteousness. At the end of the millennium, He will usher in His eternal Kingdom with the creation of the new Heaven and the new earth. (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Isa. 11:1-9; Rev. 20-22)

In June of 1929 a group of 160 people signed a charter to form a new independent church called the Wheaton College Interdenominational Church. The church met on the campus of Wheaton College. This was just before the stock market crashed and at the front end of the Great Depression.

In 1934 we called our first pastor, Kenneth A. Amsler. Later we renamed the church "Wheaton Bible Church" because our faith and practice stand on the foundation of the Bible, which is the inspired, infallible, and inviolable Word of God.

In 1935 and still during the Depression, we purchased property at the corner of Cross and Union Streets in Wheaton, Illinois. Members sacrificially gave $30,000 toward the new building while not forgetting the missionary and current expense budgets. We dedicated our first building in March 1936. Very soon our Sunday school rooms overflowed. People often came forward after worship services to accept Christ.

In 1940 we called our second pastor, J. C. Macaulay. Four years later we started a Sunday school ministry that became Pleasant Hill Community Church. The Christian education ministry flourished and in 1947 a two-story education facility was added.

In 1952 the church welcomed its third pastor, Rev. Malcolm Cronk. God used Dr. Cronk's love of the Bible to grow the congregation and start others. Members left to start Countryside Chapel in 1955, Evangel Baptist Church in 1958, and The Village Church of Carol Stream in 1960.

By 1958 we had added a second morning service. We continued to purchase homes around the church and in 1960 we dedicated a new sanctuary building on the corner of Main and Franklin Streets in Wheaton.

Dr. Richard H. Seume became our fourth senior pastor late in 1967. An excellent Bible expositor, Dr. Seume served faithfully until a serious kidney ailment ended his ministry with us in late 1970.

In 1971 the church called Rev. Christopher Lyons to serve as its fifth pastor. We soon added an 8:15 Sunday morning service and started our Vanguard Program for senior adults.

In 1982 we completed a three-story Christian education building. Dr. Lyons left in 1986 and in 1987 Dr. David P. Krentel became our sixth pastor. While he was here we started a Hispanic Sunday school class that evolved into Iglesia del Pueblo.

With the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, he also contributed significantly to the construction of a new building for a sister church in Deva, Romania.

In 1994, we called Pastor Rob Bugh to become our seventh senior pastor. One of the first things Pastor Rob did was to clarify the church's mission, vision, and values. Soon a contemporary service was added. By 1997 we were offering four worship services, including a Hispanic service.

God used Pastor Rob's ministry to grow our church and His Kingdom. There was an increased emphasis on reaching the world for Christ. Our Hispanic ministry grew to a fully functional congregation of more than 400. The Children's Sunday School continued to break attendance records. Student Ministries packed out Main Street Chapel, and we had about 20 Adult Communities.

After a thorough study of future ministry options, we took a visionary step of faith by voting to purchase 47 acres of land for future expansion and the purchase agreement was finalized in October 1999.

God continued to grow our church and Christ’s Kingdom. In 2005, we launched Step Out/En Marcha, our capital campaign, to pay for our new campus at North Avenue and Morton Road in West Chicago, IL. God moved our people to give more than $19 million in cash and commitments.

We broke ground and began construction in 2006, but more than buildings were being built. God used this time to grow our ministries and our faith and to unify us as a church body. In 2007, we adopted a new mission statement: love God, grow together, and reach the world. It almost immediately provided our ministries clarity and focus. On July 20, 2008, we met for our first services in our new building.

Following the move to the new campus on North Avenue in West Chicago, both the Wheaton Bible Church and Iglesia del Pueblo congregations grew in numbers—reflecting a greater focus on making disciples of Jesus Christ and helping others to do the same.

We also added or increased our ministry “on ramps” for connecting with more and more people—both those who were new to the Christian faith or and for those new to our expanding ministries—in an increasingly diverse community (racially, ethnically, and socio-economically).

This included the initiation of Alpha—a 10-week class for adults to explore the meaning of faith from a Christian perspective. Then, following the common belief that the church “is a hospital, not a country club,” we also encouraged a culture of humble transparency—expanding our recovery groups, family support ministries, and introducing the new Re|Engage marriage ministry.

With the move to West Chicago, God also opened many doors to serve and reach out to those in need within our immediate region. Understanding that the Gospel we embrace is not a social gospel, but it is a Gospel with social implications, the church launched the Puente del Pueblo ministry in West Chicago. It soon became the largest social service provider in West Chicago, offering case management services for families, adult literacy programming, summer programs, and after school programming for children and youth.

In 2015, Iglesia del Pueblo, while continuing its ministry in Spanish, added a second worship service in English. The church and its two congregations also saw a dramatic increase in involvement in both global and local outreach, including the support of 90+ missionaries or mission partners globally, GO Teams, Hunger Team, CareFest, Refugee Resettlement, Adoption and Foster Care, and Administer Justice.

In the fall of 2016, Wheaton Bible Church took the first step in responding to what we believe is God’s call for us to reach out to a broader region—to the nearly one million people in surrounding communities who are not attending any church where they can hear about new life in Jesus, and who would be more likely to visit a church nearer their homes.

On September 11, 2016, a second campus was launched in Streamwood, Illinois—under a new campus pastor, Wil Franco. Starting with a core team of 150 adult volunteers from Wheaton Bible Church and Iglesia del Pueblo, Tri-Village Church met at the former international headquarters of the Awana youth organization. They were focused on serving the people who live in and around the communities of Streamwood, Bartlett, and Hanover Park. Tri-Village Church held their final service on Sunday, September 11, 2022.