When Terry Tuinder gave his life to Christ at age 21, he had no idea the adventure that lay ahead. Having not been raised in the church, he didn’t know what to expect. Which is why his call into pastoral ministry only six months after receiving Christ was a complete surprise.

“I actually thought I was going crazy, because the thought of going into the ministry was so strong in my mind,” says the now 52-year-old pastor of New Life (Grand Forks Foursquare Church) in Grand Forks, N.D. “I thought I was making it up.”

But one day, when the young Terry was cleaning the church, three Bible references suddenly came to his mind. Again, he thought he was making them up. So he looked them up—and all three were related to the ministry. The message was crystal clear.

“That was 30 years ago,” he says, “and I have never looked back since.”

In 1985, Terry and his wife, Suzette, who is also a credentialed minister, planted New Life in Grand Forks, a city with a population of approximately 56,000. Their main motivation for the ministry, Terry says, is to help people know the truth of God’s Word and walk in it. It’s something they’ve been doing now for more than 25 years, having celebrated the congregation’s 25th anniversary in 2010.

“The overarching call of our congregation is to be a place of worship, healing and teaching,” Terry explains. “It is as we worship Him who saved us and walk in the light of His truth that we are healed. My greatest joy in ministry takes place when people rise up to their full potential in Christ. I want people to understand who they are in Christ, what He has called them to do, and see them grow and mature into all that Christ has for them.”

Through the years, Terry says, the church has ministered to hundreds of people who have entered the sanctuary doors broken and hurting, and have left in wholeness and strength. The congregation, however, doesn’t just wait for people to walk into the church facility on Sunday. They are active in reaching out to the surrounding community on a consistent basis.

Community outreaches include ministry in a nursing home, led by a 75-year-old church member who organized a team to spend time with residents; free water and snack giveaways at University of North Dakota Gay Pride events, to talk with people and help them see that the church does note hate them; and Cleansing Stream Ministries, which New Life has offered to the region since 1998.