About Sojourn
Gospel. Family. Mission.
Sojourn is a church in Traverse City, Michigan, centered on the gospel — the good news that God has acted in Jesus to rescue, forgive, and renew. This one gospel leads us into two rhythms: family (a people who genuinely share life) and mission (a people who exist for the good of others, not for ourselves).
We're rooted in historic Christianity. We love the faith Christians have confessed for two thousand years and we try to live it out in plain, present-tense language, for the actual people of our actual city.
Our Story
Our story begins over a century ago. In 1922, Pastor Charles Bowman founded People's Gospel Church at the corner of State and Barlow downtown. The church became Immanuel Baptist, broadcast Sunday worship on local radio for more than seventy years, and in 1977 moved to its current home on a hill south of town.
In 2014, we took a new name: Sojourn. This name change reflected the new life and vision that had already begun changing our church. In 2026, our story turned another page: First Baptist Church of Traverse City merged into our family, and Sojourn became one church in two locations — on the Hill and Downtown.
Through every season, the joyful years and the hard ones, God has been faithful and patient. The story is just getting started and we would love for you to be part of it.
Why “Sojourn”?
A sojourner is a traveler. It is someone on a journey, not home yet. The word reminds us who we are: people in process, journeying with Jesus, the one who is making all things new. It reminds us where we're going. And in a region where so many are drawn to the journey — the trails, the water, the open country — it feels perfectly fitting.