The Reverend Jody Betten
Minister of Spiritual Formation
The Reverend Jody Betten comes to East Church with passion and skills in the areas of worship, leadership, administration, empowering people and community relations. Jody returns ‘home' to Grand Rapids where she grew up, attended Calvin College and served in ministry at Orchard Hill Reformed Church through seminary.
Jody earned her Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan and was ordained in the Reformed Church in America in 1996. In Chicago, she served as pastor to churches in both suburban and urban settings. She also served World Vision, a relief and development organization, in their Chicago office as Director of Church Relations. She was privileged to travel with supporting churches to India and Africa.
She has five children including her ‘adopted' daughter-in-law and son-in-law. Her oldest, Aaron, and his wife, Jodi, live in Chicago with their newborn, Lennox. Her daughter, Nika, lives with her husband, Michael, in Kansas and youngest Kayla, attends college here in GR.
Jody loves a great conversation, reading, theater, sewing, and trying to keep her ‘thumb green'. Her greatest challenge is to ‘stay in the moment'.