Profile Faith Reformed Church 1105 East Front Street Traverse City, Michigan 49686 faithreformedchurchtc.org Table of Contents 1. A Brief History of Faith Reformed Church 2. Faith Reformed Church's Mission, Vision and Core Values 3. Faith Reformed Church's Statement of Faith 4. Faith Reformed Church's Governance 5. Faith Reformed Church's Commitment to Nurture, Discipleship and Evangelism 6. Faith Reformed Church's Ecumenical Relationships 1
1. A Brief History of Faith Reformed Church Faith Reformed Church (FRC) can trace her beginnings back to June 5, 1949 when three families felt a call to launch a Reformed church in the Traverse City area. From these humble beginnings which utilized rental facilities and as the church grew in size, she was blessed to construct her first structure in February 1952 on land which today is referred to as the Front Street Campus. The initial structure was later expanded in 1966 to accommodate the increased numbers of people that God brought to FRC. FRC has been fortunate to be led by a number of Spirit-filled and gifted pastors, notably the Rev. Warren Burgess who served from 1971 to the end of 1992. Pastor Burgess was a gentle shepherd who had a deep passion for people and evangelism. Under his leadership and heart for equipping people to share the Gospel, the church continued to experience steady growth, which again led to an expansion of the church in 1989. The 1989 expansion increased the size of the worship sanctuary to its' present size of 550 and the facility is currently known as the Ministry Center on the Front Street Campus Rev. Nick Twomey, who was mentored by Pastor Burgess out of seminary and who shared his passion for evangelism, served as Lead Pastor from 1993 to early 1998. Rev.Peter Semeyn served as Lead Pastor from mid 2002 to mid 2011 and helped FRC extend its' reach further into the Grand Traverse area via community partnerships and a deeper sense of serving the "least of those." Doing good deeds engenders good will, which leads to opportunities to share the Good News. During the period 1994 to 2007, as a result of growth in size and a vision to utilize a multi-site model, FRC acquired four additional buildings on what today is referred to as the Front Street Campus centrally located at the base of Old Mission Peninsula. Jacob's Well (ministry to young adults), Family Life Center (ministry space, kitchen/dining room and offices), Youth Center (multipurpose space including worship) and the House Near the Bay (home used as a respite for people serving in full-time ministry). The multi-site model began in earnest with the launching of Faith Connection West (FCW) in 2005, when a group of FRC pioneers embraced the challenge to reach new people and began to worship in Silver Lake Elementary School on the west side of the city. FCW continued to worship at the school doing "church in a box" until 2007 at which time FRC took over operations of a sister Reformed Church - The Community of Joy, which disbanded and merged with FRC. This resulted in a new FRC multi-site location referred to as FRC at the Crossing in the former Community of Joy located in the Grand Traverse Crossing Mall/Shopping Complex on the west side of the city. As worship capacity in the Ministry Center on the Front Street Campus - known as the Gathering began to reach levels whereby the space felt "full" discouraging people from attending and to be able to offer an intentionally different worship experience; a second worship venue was launched in 2006 in the Youth Center on the Front Street Campus - the Clarion, FCW, the Crossing and the Clarion all offered live worship and a "campus pastor" who facilitated worship but the message was delivered via live video feed from the Ministry Center to the Clarion and on DVD to the crossing to remain one church that meets in many locations. In 2007, after a long period of discerning the next step in FRC fulfilling her multi-site ministry, she acquired a former manufacturing plant on South Airport Road to serve as the hub campus, housing spaces for worship, youth, offices and community partnerships. 2
To raise the resources necessary to fulfill this vision, FRC enlisted the services of Injoy Stewardship Services and launched the Expanded Faith Capital Campaign (EFC) in 2007. It was in 2007 when the church reached its peak in attendance, staffing levels and budget. There was much enthusiasm and momentum within the congregation at that time. Then, beginning in early to mid 2008 due to a variety of circumstances (e.g. significant staff transitions, significant change in worship style/leading, the economy), FRC began to experience a loss in participation on many levels (e.g. retraction of sizeable pledges to EFC, loss in attendance and membership, loss in tithes and offerings). This decline in participation continued and led to the first ever downsizing in staff in mid 2010. In January 2009, as a result of a structural failure in the roof of the Youth Center, the Clarion services were disbanded and those people merged into the other two worship venues. As a result of this loss of a worship community, some members elected to leave the church rather than join one of the other two communities -the Gathering or the Crossing. 2011 led to more changes to "right size" the budget to a more sustainable level, the loss of the Lead Pastor and Crossing Campus Pastor who accepted calls to other churches and another round of staff downsizing to its current level. The steps taken though difficult and painful were necessary and have led to a more sustainable budget and staffing levels more suitable to the church's current size. As a result of this journey, FRC has become committed to praying, new lay leaders and volunteers are stepping up and the mood of the church and morale of the Consistory and the church are good. There are signs of life again emerging out of the sadness and disappointment that are natural during times of upheaval and transition. The church has gone through a self-analysis and is committing herself more toward the "simple church" model, so her resources (i.e. people, time, talent and treasure) can be strategically allocated to help people become disciples of Christ and not just busy people who are part of FRC. Because of these things and the recent hiring of a new Lead Pastor, we are confident that if we 3
remain faithful to God's call upon us and the gospel, many will in this city become disciples and love Him well. 2. Faith Reformed Churches Mission, Vision and Core Values The vision of Faith Reformed Church is to love people where they are, using all means to introduce pre-christians to God's transforming love. Together, we will intentionally and patiently guide one another as we continue in the process of becoming faithful followers of Jesus Christ. The Mission of Faith Reformed Church is "to know Christ and to make Him known." The core values of Faith Reformed Church are: We value the Bible as the inspired Word of God and anointed teaching derived from it as the catalyst for transforming individual lives and thus the church, so that we become more like our Lord, Jesus Christ. We value ministry that builds relationships with lost people because we believe that lost people matter to God and, therefore, ought to matter to us - the church. We will build relationships through our involvement in and support of evangelistic and mission efforts locally, nationally and internationally. We value ministry that is doctrinally pure and culturally relevant because we believe the gospel message (the gift) is timeless and unchanging but the presentation (the wrapping paper) must be tailored to ensure that the audience hears and receives the message. We will remain faithful to the historic tenets of the Reformed faith but will not permit institutionalization or tradition to prevent us from communicating the gospel in culturally relevant ways. We value discipleship-continuous growth of every Christian in Biblical knowledge, wisdom, stewardship and service-because we believe that growth is necessary for all believers to become focused, flexible servants of Jesus Christ. We value a church that engages every believer in ministry on the basis of their spiritual gifts because we believe every member of the body of Christ has been given a spiritual gift by God, which He intends to be used for the common good of His church. This means that the church will be led by leaders, taught by teachers, shepherded by shepherds and administered by administrators. We value ministry that is characterized by love, forgiveness and accountability because we believe that all people will know we are Christ's disciples if we have Christ-like love for one another. We value small group ministry because we believe that in the large church, small groups are the best place for people to feel a part of the 4
body of Christ, to be cared for and to experience the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. We value "excellence in all things and all things to the glory of God" because we believe that excellence honors God and inspires people. We value human life from the moment of conception to the last earthly breath and the family as the basic building block for all societies because we believe that this is the way God created it to be. We value a church whose members can clearly and articulately express a biblical world view because we believe the vitality of the church can be measured by the level of positive impact it is having on the culture. 3. Faith Reformed Church's Statement of Faith What We Believe The Basics We believe that God created the world and everything in it, including human beings. God created a perfect world. In the beginning, there was no sin-no hatred, no disunity and no death. But God also allowed humans to make their own choices. The first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, allowing sin to enter God's perfect world. From then on, every human has been born with sinful desires that lead to separation from God. But the story doesn't end there. God loves the world and the people in itso much, in fact, that He made a plan to take away the guilt of our sin. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world as a god-man, fully human and fully divine. Jesus gave His life to pay the price for sins, though He remained sinless. Jesus accepted the punishment for our sins, thus setting us free from our due punishment. Three days after Jesus was killed, God brought Jesus to life again, defeating the power of death and evil. Jesus still lives today, eternally in heaven with God the Father. One day He will come back to earth to put an end to evil-sin, death and pain- and renew all things. He will gather up all who have believed in Him from every time and place to live with Him forever. Our faith is centered in God's love for us demonstrated in Jesus Christ, His Son. When we accept Jesus' sacrifice for us and commit our lives to following Him, God sees us as perfect, the way we were first created to be. We cannot manufacture such faith on our own; it is the result of God's Spirit working within us. 5
The Reformed View of Christian Faith In the Reformed view, the final authority is the Bible-known as the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God. The Reformed perspective is centered in the overwhelming love of God toward us. We believe that God is three in one-god the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith, not by what we think or do to earn God's favor. Our good works don't earn our salvation, but are a way to thank God for this free gift of salvation. The Reformed Church in America celebrates two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. They remind us of God's promises to us and help us to claim those promises as our own. The Reformed Church in America is confessional, which means that together we have statements of belief, called creeds and confessions. These statements guide our understanding of faith and shape its practice. The Reformed Church in America is "Reformed and always reforming," earnestly seeking to know the mind of Christ as it strives to be faithful in a changing, complex and often troubled world. The RCA's position papers on contemporary issues provide guidance to the members of the church and are part of the church's witness in society. Creeds and Confessions The Reformed Church in America is a confessional church. This means that, as a denomination, we affirm specific statements of belief called creeds and confessions. Along with most Christian churches, the Reformed Church accepts three creeds that were written in the first few centuries after Jesus' death: The Apostles Creed The Nicene Creed The Athanasian Creed In addition, four "standards of faith" tell what the Reformed Church believes: The Heidelberg Catechism The Belgic Confession The Canons of Dort The Confession of Belhar In 1978, the Reformed Church approved "Our Song of Hope" as a contemporary statement of faith. Foundational Beliefs The Holy Scriptures (comprised of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) are divinely inspired, entirely trustworthy and constitute the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 6
There is one God, creator of all things, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. We affirm His virgin birth, sinless humanity, miraculous power, bodily resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father and personal and glorious future return. Jesus Christ died in our place, as our substitute. Salvation of sinful humanity is possible only through the merits of His perfect life, His sacrificial death for our sins and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. We are saved, not by our good works, but by grace through faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit indwells every true believer enabling him/her to live a holy life and to love others. The Holy Spirit gives Christians spiritual gifts and empowers them to work with Him to build His Church and advance His Kingdom on earth. The Church is one. It is the body of Christ and consists of all true believers-every person within whom the Holy Spirit dwells. Ultimately Jesus Christ will return to judge both the living and the dead. Those who are saved will be resurrected to enjoy eternal life with God, and those who are lost will be resurrected to experience eternal separation from God. 4. Faith Reformed Church's Governance How We Are organized The Reformed Church has a Presbyterian form of government. This means that each local church is governed by a board of elders and deacons drawn from within the church. Elders care for all matters relating to the welfare and good order of the church. Deacons help with ministries of mercy, service and outreach. Together, the elders, deacons and minister(s) of a church form the consistory. A consistory governs each church, and in turn is governed by a classis. A classis is comprised of minister and elder representatives from congregations. Most classes (the plural of classis, pronounced "class-ease) are grouped by geographical proximity. The classis supervises the congregations and ministers within its bounds. It exercises judicial power over the decisions of individual consistories; receives new churches into the denomination; ordains, installs and dismisses ministers; and oversees students of theology. In other words, no congregation is on its own. Each is committed in its ministry and its life to a common expression of faith and to mutual support. The next assembly in the RCA is the regional synod, which is responsible for all the classes in a particular geographical area. There are eight regional synods in the United States and Canada and each has three to eight classes within its jurisdiction. The regional synod also creates programs to further the work of the gospel and the denomination in its area. 7
The highest assembly and judicatory in the RCA is the General Synod. Its membership is made up of minister and elder representatives from each classis, as well as from each regional synod. In its annual meeting each summer, the General Synod sets the direction and tone for denominational ministry. It has authority in all matters relating to denominational program and policy. It also has general responsibility over all lower assemblies (regional synods, classes and consistories.) 5. Faith Reformed Church's Commitment to Nurture, Discipleship and Evangelism Faith Reformed Church is currently going through a transition period in this area from the past activities to a new conceptional program with everything we do tied to our mission "To know Christ and to make Him known." It is not that what we have done was unsuccessful or worth doing but how we can be more successful and be more accountable. Children's Ministry (below sixth grade): This has been primarily on Sunday with Children's Church meeting during the service time. They have a worship time with singing etc. and then go to smaller groups by age for a lesson time. In addition, we have VBS, Family Nights, and a variety of special events. We have also recently developed a Sunday School program that incorporates all children including junior and senior high youth more focused on biblical knowledge and knowing Christ. Youth Ministry (sixth grade through twelfth grade): Our youth ministry has been very successful over the years and will continue in the future as it has with a Wednesday night meeting for youth in grades six through eight and ninth through twelve. The curriculum has had a strong biblical format and will continue by coordinating the youth ministry with the entire church's mission. We have had a Profession of Faith Class annually and will put greater emphasis in the future on our mission "To know Christ and to make Him known." Our youth program has participated in quarterly joint sessions with all youth groups in the area, summer mission trips for both junior high and senior high, Fellowship of Christian Athletes sports camps, Community Teen Bible Study and other local activities. College Age Ministries: Overflow is a new ministry that meets two times a month and provides a safe place for those ages 18-35. Adult Ministry: The adult ministry will also be asked to align their programs to our mission. 8
Growth groups include: Women to Women Men's Fraternity 55 and Over Social Nights 55 and Over Bible study Men's Bible Study Prayer Ministry Small Group Ministry Prison Ministry Young at Heart (70 and older) 6. Faith Reformed Church's Ecumenical Relationships Faith Reformed Church participates in a wide variety of movements, missions, ministries and organizations through its' being a part of the Reformed Church in America denomination. Beyond that, it has a remarkable reputation in Traverse City for its' participation in and support for a great variety of area programs and organizations, both non-faith and faith based. Our members serve as board members and/or volunteers and we provide monetary support through our budget, our member's individual donations or by being a part of the program itself. The following are programs are examples that we officially support: Father Fred Foundation Love Inc. Safe Harbor Community Meals Freedom Builders Single Mom Ministry Habitat for Humanity Project Unity for Life\\ Grand Traverse Literacy Council Kid's Hope Michigan Youth Opportunity Disability Network Emmaus Walk Beyond the above, we are pleased to host a variety of organizations in our building: Community Bible Study Community Teen Bible Study Narcotics' Anonymous Alcoholics' Anonymous Help Link Love Inc 9