Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) Newport Beach, California Church Profile and Regional Demographics Worship Service Address: 1011 Camelback Street, Newport Beach, CA 92660 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 9708, Newport Beach, CA 92658 www.redeemerpres.com
Redeemer Presbyterian Church Table of Contents Overview... 1 Mission Statement... 2 Discipleship... 2 Vision... 4 What We Believe... 4 Worship and Music... 5 Where We Live... 6 Church/Regional Ethnicity... 7 Regional Demographics... 8 Life Stages... 8
Redeemer Presbyterian Church Redeemer Presbyterian Church is a community of believers who continue to desire to delve into deeper understanding of the truths of Scripture and rich theology. There is a desire to grow deeper in our faith and understanding of God, and to live out our faith by impacting our neighborhoods and culture through individual lives and through the church as a whole. Redeemer Overview: Location: Newport Beach, California Number of Members: 206 Average Weekly Attendance: 175 Commuter Church: Redeemer attendees live in all parts of the Orange County region Date of First Church Service: Summer 2001 Date of Particularization: May 21, 2006 as a member of South Coast Presbytery Worship Service Location: Annually rent Temple Bat Yahm s chapel, fellowship hall and kitchen for Sunday morning and a few special services Staff: Associate pastor, part time treasurer and church administrator Office Location: All staff currently works from home until an office can be acquired sometime in the future Elders/Deacons: 1 teaching elder, 2 ruling elders, 1 deacon. Additionally, 3 elders and 2 deacons are in training. Worship/Music Staff: Volunteer staff with some contract musicians Children s and Youth Ministry: Led and implemented by volunteers Sunday Morning Logistics: Led and implemented by volunteers (including set-up and take-down of Sunday school classrooms, signage, communion, sound system, and coffee.) Community Groups: Six community groups meet on various days with 50% of members (44% of attendees and members) meeting weekly. Founding Pastor: Jim Belcher, author of Deep Church, is the founding pastor. In August 2010 Jim and his family moved to Oxford, England to gather research for his next book. Financial Information: 2009 2010 Projection Tithes $443,978 $405,000 Missional Involvement $ 4,500 $ 6,300 Diaconal Disbursements $ 50 $ 450 Total Expenses $446,297 $360,000 Excess (Deficit) $ (1,767) $ 45,000 1
Mission Statement: Who are we? Redeemer is a community of God's people, saved by faith in Christ alone, renewed by worship in Word and Sacrament, nurtured by grace, and entrusted with the mission to proclaim Christ's Lordship to all and in every area of life. What do we do? Seek the shalom (peace) of Orange County through a gospel movement that brings personal conversion, transforming community, social healing, and cultural renewal How do we do that? Worship, Nurture, Mission, and Culture Discipleship: To be a disciple is to be swept up in the mission of God in the world. Our ministries of nurture drive, support, and inform our lifestyle characterized by mission and the pursuit of the peace of the city through creating culture. Worship Nurture Mission Culture 1. Worship: The anchor and center of discipleship at Redeemer is our weekly Sunday worship and the nourishment we receive there through Word and sacrament. Community Groups 2. Nurture: The ministries of nurture listed below are the means we use to encourage spiritual growth at Redeemer. Family Life Gatherings A. Community Groups A community group is a small gathering of people committed to meeting weekly to study some aspect of God s word, to deepen their relationship with each other, to support and care for each other, and grow in their ability to read, understand, and apply the scripture. Worship Education Mentoring B. Mentoring Teams of men and teams of women are being trained and supported by the elders to facilitate mentoring relationships among the people of Redeemer. These mentors seek out the discipleship needs of Redeemer members. The nature of those mentoring relationships will vary depending on the participants. It could be one-on-one or a small group; a bible study, prayer group, or a group focused on specific issues of accountability; the groups could be bounded by a specific time frame (i.e. a 6 week study) or be on going, etc. The exact nature of the groups will be determined by the needs of the participants under the direction and guidance of the elders. We also have retreats for men and retreats for women. 2
C. Education Regular educational offering that trains the Redeemer community, adults and children, in the content, history and practice of their faith. This will include the study of the bible, theology, and life skills (marriage, parenting, finances, peacemaking, etc.) D. Sermon Time: Children are included in worship as much as possible, but during the sermon we offer age appropriate teaching that instructs our children in the content, history and practice of their faith. E. Redeemer Basics: In 2011 we plan to develop three to five classes that all Redeemer members and regular attendees will be encouraged to attend within their first three years at Redeemer. These classes will cover such things as: a. Bible content overview and Bible study skills b. How to grow spiritually: Gospel Centered Growth c. Theology overview, including the distinctives of Presbyterianism d. Pursuing shalom: the Kingdom vision of vocation and calling F. Family Life Gatherings Social gatherings of the church are designed to build community and mature our identity as members of the people of God. 3. Mission: As more of our deep spiritual, emotional, psychological, and social needs are met by the gospel as lived out in community, God s grace begins to overflow from our hearts into actions of service, mercy, and communicating the gospel to those who do not yet know; proclaiming the gospel in word and deed. We know our discipleship with Jesus is maturing when we are motivated by the grace and acceptance of God to reach out to others. Practically we see the Mission aspect of the discipleship process on display when we pursue God s mission through acts of mercy and hospitality, service to our church community, caring for those who are suffering, serving the poor and oppressed, sharing the good news of Jesus with those who do not yet follow him, and helping plant other churches that would do the same. 4. Culture: Christians are called not to hide behind the walls of their distinct community but to take their new hearts, minds and perspectives into the surrounding communities as salt and light. As Abraham Kuyper contends, the believing community, gathered around Word and sacrament, must radiate beams of faith s light into the realm of common grace into education, art, science, politics, business, economics and the marketplace. The concrete expression of this life of Christian discipleship, organically growing out of changed lives in the church, is manifested through the rich voluntary associational life of a nation s citizens. This means that Christians are called to 3
create public education institutions, build businesses, organize neighborhood groups, create charities, be artists and musicians and writers, and start political action groups. We are to make culture. As Jeremiah exhorted the newly exiled Jews in Babylon, Seek the peace (shalom) of the city (Jeremiah 29:5-7) Redeemer supports this effort through education and facilitating Christians banding together to support and encourage each other as they create culture. The role of the Elders in the discipleship process: The elders of a local congregation together are responsible for all aspects of the worship and spiritual nurture of the members of that church family, especially in supporting those members efforts in faithfully discharging the work of the ministry given to them by Christ, i.e. mission and culture. At Redeemer each elder has a parish, or geographic focus, and while together the elders are responsible for every member of the church, pastoral care is delegated among all the elders by parishes. This means that each elder will have a certain group of Redeemer members that they will regularly pray for, check up on, and support in their discipleship. Redeemer Vision: Our Vision is to be a church that brings personal conversion, transforming community, social healing, and cultural renewal to Orange County and the world. Congregation that is large enough to be financially stable but not too large to threaten deep relationships. Radical community and commitment to mission by a majority of the congregation. Member-owned commitment to lead a movement to plant several churches in Orange County by 2025. Financial stability and ability to give significant resources to missions and church planting. A long-term plan for a facility. What We Believe: We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice. We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that all are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from God s displeasure, except by His mercy. We believe that salvation is by God alone as He sovereignly chooses those He will save. We believe His choice is based on His grace, not on any human individual merit, or foreseen faith. 4
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation. We believe that God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to His Covenant promises. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God s people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him. We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself. We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (From PCA website at http://www.pcanet.org/general/beliefs.htm) In summary, we hold the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of the Triune God. We ascribe to it as the only rule of faith and practice for our lives. As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, we adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism as our secondary doctrinal standards. Worship and Music: Music and order of worship have always been a distinctive of Redeemer with the combining of the ancient and modern. Celebrating and experiencing the historic rich hymns and traditions of the Church have played a significant role in our services on a weekly basis. As we enter each service, we sense a deep reverence, acknowledging that we are entering into the presence of God. Our services have combined both historic music and excellent current music with rich theology communicated through the lyrics. Redeemer s music culture for the past 10 years has been a combination of traditional and contemporary. Traditional: Classic hymns (several which are familiar to a broad population). Contemporary: New melodies with new texts; and new melodies to older hymn texts. Much of the song literature utilized within the current service is comprised of contemporary melodies put to classic hymn texts. Sunday worship services are located in Temple Bat Yahm s chapel 5
The current instrumentation is two guitars, a wind and/or string player (cello or string bass), and piano. On occasion, percussion (not a full trap set) is utilized. The vocal leaders are the two guitarists. Interwoven throughout the order of worship (known as covenant-renewal worship) is a reverential and liturgical approach to Scripture, music, responsive readings, prayers (including historical prayers of people of faith such as Thomas Cranmer) and weekly communion. Where We Live: In general, Redeemer s families live in central Orange County, mostly on the coastal half of the county. Where do Redeemer Attendees Live? Number of City Family Units Costa Mesa 24 Irvine 15 Newport Beach 11 Laguna/Aliso 9 Orange/Tustin 8 Lake Forest/ Mission Viejo 7 Huntington Beach 4 Anaheim 3 San Juan Capistrano/ Dana Point 3 Other 13 Like many churches in Orange County, Redeemer draws attendees from far and wide. Redeemer regular attendees drive from as far as Dana Point, Diamond Bar and Placentia. Twenty-five percent (25%) of Redeemer attendees live in Costa Mesa, while only eleven percent (11%) live in Newport Beach, where Redeemer is located. 6
If you draw a ring around Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Irvine three contiguous cities in central Orange County you capture fifty-two percent (52%) of Redeemer s family units. Orange County California Redeemer Worship Service Location 25% of Redeemer attendees live in Costa Mesa 52% of Redeemer attendees live in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach or Irvine Church/Regional Ethnicity: Ethnicity Percentages Ethnicity Redeemer Newport Beach Costa Mesa Irvine White 78% 89.0% 56.8% 57.0% Asian & Pacific Islander 15% 4.1% 7.4% 29.8% Hispanic 1% 4.7% 31.8% 7.4% Other 1% 2.2% 4.0% 5.8% 7
Regional Demographics: Although there are several evangelical mega churches in Orange County, there are still a significant number of unreached people. Religious Affiliations in Orange County, CA Percentage Affiliation Affiliated No Religious Affiliation 55.2% Catholic 27.4% Evangelical Protestant 8.0% Mainline Protestant 3.7% Orthodox 0.4% Other 5.3% For additional regional demographic information, you can review the following links: Newport Beach: General: http://www.fullerton.edu/cdr/cities/newport%20beach.pdf Relocation: http://profiles.nationalrelocation.com/california/newport%20beach/ City: http://www.newportbeachca.gov/ Costa Mesa: General: http://www.fullerton.edu/cdr/cities/costa%20mesa.pdf Relocation: http://profiles.nationalrelocation.com/california/costa%20mesa/ City: http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/ Irvine: General: http://www.fullerton.edu/cdr/cities/irvine.pdf Relocation: http://profiles.nationalrelocation.com/california/irvine/ City: http://www.cityofirvine.org/ Redeemer Life Stages: Sixty-five percent (65%) of Redeemer s family units are married. Therefore, over seventy-eight (78%) of the adults in attendance on any given Sunday will be married. A large percentage of mothers of school age children are stay at home moms. Fifty-four percent (54%) of Redeemer s children and youth are less than 5 years old. 8
Redeemer Children Number of Age Range Children Nursery (Less than 3 years) 24 Preschool (3-4 years) 14 Kindergarten - 1st Grade 9 2nd - 3rd Grade 7 4th - 6th Grade 8 7th - 12th Grade 9 Children attend the Sunday worship service with their parents with the goal of training them to worship with the congregation, and then at the option of the parents, they leave for age appropriate learning during the sermon time, returning for communion. Each week, Sunday school classes are offered to adults, youth and children. Community groups are a vital component of Redeemer, meeting weekly to discuss the sermon or a book of the Bible as well as supporting and encouraging each other with prayer. (Rev. 1/8/11) 9