The Moody Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Dr. Philip Miller (17th Senior Pastor, appointed 2020)

Founded Unknown

Denomination Non-denominational

Service Times Sunday services (check website for times)

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.moodychurch.org

Pastor Credentials Not published

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Doctrinal statement: 'exists eternally in a loving tri-unity (trinity) of three equally divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.' Orthodox Trinitarian.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

'The Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will' — explicit inerrancy.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not addressed on fetched page; existing record flags men's ministry true — verify.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

'Shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins' — explicit penal substitution.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Distinct roles for deacons and deaconesses; male elder/pastor office implied but not quoted with headship framing — complementarian.

Complementarian structure via deacons/deaconesses and male-only elder office (implied); specific pastor roster not on fetched page.

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Document references 'the Elders' as governing body — plurality of male elders.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Preaching methodology not detailed on beliefs page; Moody tradition is expository but not confirmed from fetched content.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Moody historic evangelistic foundation; Great Commission orientation presumed but specific mission statement not quoted.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No DEI/CRT language; traditional sexual ethics implied through Genesis creation framing.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Independent non-denominational; D. L. Moody historic legacy. Formal elder board with 10 named male elders (Jonathan Hauser Chairman, Joseph Carré Vice-Chairman, Kevin Baloue, Maximo Bermudez, Tony Durns, Stephen Farish, Steve Giere, Berv Peterson, Tom Sawyer, Phil Zahn) + Senior Pastor Philip Miller + Executive Pastor Bertsche + Pastor Emeritus Lutzer. Explicit inerrancy doctrinal statement and 17-pastor succession history establish verifiable governance. No formal confessional body membership. YELLOW under refined rubric (strong elder plurality + governance + heritage, no named network).

Caution

Assessment

The Moody Church is one of the most historically significant evangelical churches in America, rooted in the legacy of D.L. Moody. Dr. Erwin Lutzer served as the 16th pastor for 36 years (1980-2016), establishing it as a bastion of conservative evangelical theology. Dr. Philip Miller became the 17th Senior Pastor in 2020. The church is at the intersection of North Ave, Clark St, and LaSalle St in Chicago. Deep commitment to biblical authority, missions, and expository preaching. A historic evangelical landmark.

#historic#evangelical#expository#moody-legacy#chicago#conservative#top-tier

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Strong, explicit doctrinal statement on inerrancy, Trinity, and substitutionary atonement. Independence keeps denominational dim at red.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source moodychurch.org/what-we-believe/

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.