Churches in Elmhurst

Active churches in Elmhurst

149 W Brush Hill Rd, Elmhurst
elmhurstcrc.org
20 sermons · 4 days ago
503 W North Ave, Elmhurst
bethelelmhurst.org
4 sermons

Types of churches in Elmhurst

Contemporary Elmhurst Churches

Many congregations in Elmhurst emphasize modern worship with bands, practical teaching, and a casual feel. These churches often meet near downtown around York and St. Charles Roads or the Spring Road district, convenient for commuters using the Metra UP‑West line. They typically offer robust kids’ programs that fit the city’s many young families.

Traditional & Liturgical Churches

Elmhurst has long-established congregations with formal liturgy, organ or choral music, and classic architecture dating to the early and mid‑20th century. Many sit near Wilder Park and the historic core along York Road, drawing multi‑generational households who value reverence and continuity. Seasonal observances and choirs often anchor community life.

Elmhurst Churches for Students

With Elmhurst University at the city’s center, some congregations tailor ministries to undergrads and grad students through evening services, small groups, and local service projects. Locations within walking or biking distance of campus and Wilder Park are popular, and rides from dorms to Sunday services are commonly organized. Programming typically follows the semester calendar and exam weeks.

Multicultural & Spanish-Language Churches

Reflecting west-suburban diversity, several congregations offer bilingual or Spanish-language services and cross-cultural ministries. These churches often serve families near the North Avenue and Lake Street corridors and along the Salt Creek greenway, providing ESL classes, food assistance, and cultural celebrations. Worship blends contemporary music with traditions from Latin American and other immigrant communities.

Sermon clips from Elmhurst churches

62s
#GodUsesBrokenness
“So what I wanna avoid here is like making God look like or the image of God that God is somehow eager to like needle us and cause us pain in order to create spiritual fruit. That is not what I'm suggesting or how it works. What I am suggesting is that in this broken world and because of our broken nature, there is already more than enough difficulty and brokenness and pain and struggle around us for God to use as the fertilizer, as the miracle grow in our life to produce this spiritual fruit. Do you feel the difference? It's not asking God to bring you some fresh wave of pain to produce spiritual fruit. It's asking that God will use the very stuff of your life to do this amazing alchemy work of making you look more like Jesus. More loving, joyful, patient, kind, self controlled.”
33s
“The word walk is a lifestyle, not an isolated action. Okay? Not give, toys for Christmas or adopt a family. Is that what we do? Not give a turkey on Thanksgiving for a family who needs food. Not come to the car wash and give $20. Those are all good. Those are all isolated. Those can all be isolated instances.”
59s
#FruitOverFlash
“And it's quite possible to have a bunch of amazing spiritual gifts and not have so much spiritual fruit. Have you ever known a pastor who maybe was a fluent communicator? Could get up in front of people or maybe a musician who had some talent and then you get to know them behind the scenes and maybe they're short-tempered and insecure and brittle and angry. Uh-oh. It's not the size of the tree that God is concerned about. The amount of spiritual gifts, how flashy. about the quality of the fruit. And some of us maybe had every advantage growing up. Great parents, good schools, you learn good manners. It might kinda seem like there's a lot of easy fruit, but that's not the fruit. That's just good upbringing.”
49s
#GraceThroughHardship
“The real fruit comes from the drip drip drip of the Holy Spirit producing something beautiful and new that you could never have produced on your own. And the opposite is also true. Some of us grew up in a horrible home situation. Maybe without parents, maybe abuse, tragedy, loss, and our tree was not naturally amazing or thriving. It's especially beautiful from God's point of view when folks who have had a ton of suffering or pain or hardship in their life still produce maybe modest sized but beautiful spiritual fruit. That's what God really cares about.”
38s
#KnownByFruit
“``So according to Jesus, how do you know if it's working? How do you know if you're connected to Jesus? If you're really following him, if you are attached to the true vine, there will be inevitably, naturally, good fruit coming for your life. Jesus does not say you will be known by your voting record. You will be known by the school that you graduated from. No. You will not be known by your church attendance record. You will not be known by how nice you are. You will be known by your fruit.”
40s
#surrenderToTheSpirit
“How about you this morning, church? Are you passionately desirous to be filled with the spirit or you kind of afraid because you might lose control? Are we as a church passionately desirous to be filled with the spirit to overflow into the world or are we a little scared because it might mean that we can't be so organized? If you want a fresh wind of Jesus transforming spirit, then you have to surrender. You have to ask him. You have to get in the water.”
41s
#letTheSpiritHaveYou
“So he's basically saying that even though we all have the spirit, we can all receive more of the spirit. Jesus wants to give us a filling of the spirit. Now, does this mean that, like, I can go with a spigot and I can get more of the spirit than maybe pastor Greg, so I can be a bigger spirit guy than pastor Greg? No. No. The the Greek word means that instead of you being more filled with the spirit than somebody else, it means the spirit has more of you. So how do you get filled with the spirit? You give yourself over to the spirit. You surrender to the spirit. You drink from the spirit. Let the spirit fill you.”
40s
#stepOutInFaith
“you want overflow? Wanna be filled with the spirit? Get out there. Try to do something that only you can do through the power of the spirit. Try to do something that's beyond your ability, beyond your strength. Are you qualified? No, you're not. Am I qualified? No, I'm not. But the holy spirit can flow overflow through your life and can change the world. It's incredible to think about.”
43s
#untappedInnerPower
“Now you can't help but wonder how many years the Yates family lived on that land having no clue that the resources they needed were right below the surface. And they just didn't access them. Right? If you know Jesus, you're a lot like the Yates Field. Deep inside, you are filled with massive resources. The book of Ephesians says that you have the same power living in you that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Just ponder that for a second. The same power in you and me that raised Jesus from the dead. That's the holy spirit living in us. Woah.”
78s
#FreshWindMovement
“I want a fresh wind, a fresh breathing, a fresh presence, more power. How about you? What category what category are you? Are you the thirsty? Are you the suspicious? Are you the uninformed? I'd like to see the spirit and presence of the Lord fall so powerfully in this church that we get to experience world changing church. A church that breathes new life. The spirit of God is so present here that when we breathe into the world through service and other ways, new life actually is born through our ministry. So the question is, you know, where are you at? What do you want? What are you hoping for? And this is your church. How about your relationship with the spirit? What are you hoping for? What are you after? What do you hope for? What do you want? I can tell you that the spirit will never force himself on you. He'll always wait for you to surrender.”

Why Elmhurst churches are unique

Shaped by Elmhurst University’s energetic campus life, churches in Elmhurst often blend scholarship, service, and the arts. Many Elmhurst churches cultivate spaces where students and recent grads find community and leadership opportunities through college student ministries, support for young adults and professionals, and programming that bridges creativity and faith such as faith and the arts programs.
Elmhurst’s family-centered neighborhoods and strong local schools inspire congregations to prioritize the next generation. You’ll find Elmhurst churches designing Sunday and weekday rhythms around family schedules, with vibrant strong kids programs for young families, age-specific formation like robust youth discipleship, and community-building options such as weekday moms groups and childcare.
As a commuter hub with a walkable downtown and quick access to Chicago, the city’s pace and diversity shape flexible, service-oriented ministry. Many churches in Elmhurst offer options that fit busy workweeks, including early and late commuter services, alongside a growing emphasis on inclusion through bilingual worship and translation and neighborhood partnerships that emphasize service-minded community outreach.

Recent sermons from Elmhurst churches

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