Date of Profile: 10/15/2018
Section A. Background Information
1. Name of church: Trinity Reformed Church
2. Web address: www.trinref.org
3. Mailing address:
Trinity Reformed Church
614 Cherry St.
Alison, IA 50602
City / State / Zip Code
Telephone: (319) 267-2982
E-Mail address: trinref@gmail.com
4. Classis: Pleasant Prairie Classis
5. Classis Supervisor: William Peake
402 2nd St. SW Street
Buffalo Center, Iowa -504241150
Telephone: (641) 590-1901
E-Mail address: rev@wctatel.net
7. Membership:
Active Confessing Members 149
Inactive Confessing Members 15
Age of all active members (baptized and confessing)
16 % 0-20 years old
11 % 20-34 years old
10 % 35-49 years old
23 % 50-64 years old
40 % 65 years and older
8. Racial/Ethnic composition of congregation:
0% African American
.5 % Asian
99.5 % Caucasian
0% Hispanic
0% Other: (please specify)
9. Worship schedule:
Average Attendance (includes adults and children) 120
Time of worship 9 a.m.
Five years ago Average attendance 140
10. Describe a typical worship service (order of worship, music, etc.)
We use a mixture of contemporary and traditional music. We continue to use lay liturgists regularly. The order of
worship has remained the same as past years. We have hymns of praise, prayers, children's message, special music,
scripture, message, offering, and more hymns. Our service is one hour long. We have five volunteer alternating
praise teams including three praise singers, a keyboardists, a sound technician, and a projectionist.
11. Financial Information:
Total RCA related contributions
5 years ago $15926
today $8093
Total other contributions
5 years ago $13674
today $19365
Percentage of total budget contributed by living donors: 100-90 %
12. Congregational Giving:
Number of those whose annual contribution is:
Less than $500 - 30
$501- $1,500 - 17
$1,501- $2,500 - 13
$2,501-$3,500 - 4
Greater than $3,500 - 16
13. Financial assistance: Do you receive financial assistance beyond the congregation? (rents, etc.)
No
14. Church/Sunday School:
Average attendance Five years ago 35
Average attendance Today 35
15. Describe briefly all educational programs (including children, young adult, adult).
Sunday School: Pre-K-12th Grade meet after church for 45 minutes. Pre-K and Kindergarden follow a Children
& Worship program. The HS Class will be studying the Heidelburg catechism starting in 2019. There are three other
classes that are divided according to age who focus on Bible lessons. There are 25 students enrolled.
Adult Sunday School: Discuss various studies throughout the year with 10-15 attending regularly.
GEMS Program: Pre-K-8th grade girls that meet twice a month. We have five leaders and around 25 girls that attend.
CADETS Program: K-8th grade boys that also meet twice a month. We have three leaders and average of 8 boys
attending.
Middle School Youth Group: 5-8th grades, meets twice a month with an average of ten children attending. Parents and
one leader rotate teaching.
Sr. Youth Group:9-12th grades, meets every Wednesday night at The Corner.
16. Church groups/organizations: Briefly describe ministry purpose of each group.
Name of group Frequency of Meeting (i.e. weekly, bi-monthly, etc)
Men's Bible Study 10 times year attendance 10
Women's Bible Study 4-5 months/year attendance 10
17. Comment on one event or experience over the last year that has significantly contributed to the spiritual life of the
congregation.
Congregational Mission Trip to Missouri with 17 people participating. Helped renovate two homes that were affected by
floods.
18. Buildings: Please describe church-owned or rented buildings and purpose. Church Profile Form 7
Allison Little Lambs: Trinity opened a daycare center in September 2015, as a mission to fill a need within our
community and reach the community through Christian care of children within Allison and other surrounding
communities. The daycare is located down the street from Trinity.
The Corner: Middle Schoolers retreat there 3 days after school for 2-3 hours with 10-40 attending on different days.
The Corner is also used for High School Youth meetings,
Bible Studies, Day Camp for our older day care children. and our Community Closet which serves those in need at no cost.
The church has a sanctuary that can hold 250 people. There is a fellowship hall that is used for funeral lunches, fund
raisers, Youth Group meetings, and daily fitness classes.
We have a newly renovated kitchen off the fellowship hall. There are 5 classrooms used for Sunday School. We have
a nursery available for small children. There is a small library off the fellowship hall. The bathrooms are handicap
accessible. The front doors are also handicap accessible with electric doors at ground level. Next to the church,
there is a two story parsonage with bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is also a double car unattached garage.
19. Do you plan any capital expenditure during the next five years? No
20. Is there a mortgage indebtedness? Yes
Amount: $ 163,700 for the Daycare. $12,500 for The Corner
Of how long standing? 25 years - Daycare; 5 Years - The Corner
Annual rate of repayment $919/month - Daycare; $300/month - The Corner
21. Pastor’s study: In church
22. List all paid staff in addition to the pastor:
Administrative Assistant - Part time
Financial Assistant - Part time
Janitor - Part time
23. Consistory Membership: What method is used in selecting members?
Nominees approved by the consistory will be contacted (beginning with those receiving the highest number of
nominations) in order to seek their consent to serve.
The consistory will present a double slate of consenting nominees at our December congregational meeting. At this
meeting, each nominee will choose a bible with 2 individuals being chosen to serve in each office.
Please list present Consistory members:
Elder - male - City Utility Clerk
Elder - male - Retired Farm Ag Businessman
Elder - male - Farmer
Elder - male - Auctioneer
Elder - female - Jewelry Sales person
Elder - female - School Aide
Deacon - male - Soft Water Business Owner
Deacon - male - Insurance Office
Deacon - male - Farm Employee
Deacon - male - Farm Ag businessman
Deacon - female - Nursing Home Kitchen Employee
Deacon - female - accountant, administrative assistant
24. What leadership roles do women currently fill in your church?
The women hold several roles in our church. They are elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders,
keyboardists, lay liturgists, assist in worship, administration, and custodian.
25. In our congregation:
Had up to twelve years of formal education - most have
Had some education beyond high school - many have
A college degree - many have
A graduate degree - a few have
26. In our congregation:
Scientists & Engineers - few are
Farmers - many are
Business People - many are
Students & Teachers - many are
Industrial Workers - many are
Office Workers - many are
Other: Retired - many are
27. Special training/experience desired:
We would like our pastor to have special counseling training for premarital counseling, marriage counseling, and death
and dying counseling. A good communicator with all ages would be an asset.
28. Languages:
Should your pastor be fluent in any language other than English? No
29. The salary we are prepared to offer our new pastor is:
Will follow RCA salary guidelines
The average annual increase to our pastor over the past three years was $2%
30. Is a parsonage provided? Yes
If so, is it on site with the church? Yes
31. Is a Minister’s housing allowance in lieu of a parsonage a negotiable option? No
TOTAL $
Yes Retirement
Yes Major Medical Insurance
Yes Health/Hospital Insurance
Yes Life Insurance
Yes Dental Insurance
No Unemployment Insurance
Yes Disability Insurance
Annual Vacation (Number of Weeks) - 4
Necessary Comments regarding above:
Utilities, water, land line phone service are all paid for by the church. Salary and benefits are based on classis guidelines.
33. Community served: (please check one)
Rural: Under 2,500
34. Cooperative ministry: In what ways have you cooperated with other churches in your community during the past
year?
We participate in the following community activities - Ministerial Association, Vacation Bible School, Community Lenten
Service, Thanksgiving Eve Service, Graduation Baccalaureate, Jr High and Sr High Youth Groups, Gems & Cadets,
and Community Clothes Closet
35. Community involvement: In what community programs or projects have you
participated during the past year? (As an organization, not as individuals.)
"Adopt A Highway", Allison Days Parade, Butler County Fair Booth, Mission trip to Missouri, Free supper and service
at Wilder Park, Gospel Night of Singing, local broadcast of services on TV and on the internet.
36. What denominations or religions are present within three miles (in rural areas, consider the county) where your
church is located?
Lutheran, Congregational Church, Bible Church
37. Outreach: What is your strategy to reach un-churched people in your community?
A couple of years ago, we canvassed the town with fliers welcoming the unchurched to our church as well as passing
out fliers to the whole community.
We have our agenda printed in the town newspaper weekly. Our GEMS and Cadet programs are open to the
community and bring in kids that do not attend Trinity.
The Corner is open Tues-Thurs afternoons to any middle school aged kids from the community. Several of the kids are
not from Trinity.
It is our desire through Allison Little Lambs to reach young families through child care and develop relationships that
might lead them to God's kingdom.
38. The income level of the people in our congregation tends to be: About average for our community
39. Describe the community and school system: (Provide website links were appropriate.)
We live in a rural farming community with the church on the east side of town. Allison is within driving distance of about
15-35 miles to major shopping centers and theaters. Allison offers a grocery store, hardware store, post office,
insurance offices, gas stations, and other small town businesses. We are also proud of our park which offers
camping, fishing, bike trails, playgrounds, and more. Allison is the county seat where our famous Butler County Fair
is held in the summer. Our school is combined with Allison, Greene and Bristow communities and called North
Butler. We have the PreK- 6th grade in Allison and the 7th-12th grade in Greene.
40. Record of last three pastors:
Pastor Gary Mulder 2009 to 2018
Pastor Steve Petroelje 1999 to 2008
Pastor Virgil Dykstra 1991 to 1998
41. Please complete your profile with the following contacts:
Gary Krukow Vice President, Consistory
Brian Steenhoek Classis Supervisor
Section B. Reflections
Please answer the following questions, adding your own experiences where appropriate.
1) What is the stated mission, vision or purpose of your congregation?
"To proclaim the Word of God and to seek by His grace to carry out the ministry of the Kingdom of God."
2) What goals have been developed from your mission and vision over the next 5 years? ( Example new programs or
outreach ministries.) Include long range or strategic plan.
Trinity works at carrying out our ministry by reaching out to the community through The Corner and opening Allison
Little Lambs Child Care. We hope to not only reach the youth that attend but also their families. We continue to our
ministry by sustaining youth and adult programs already in place. We also use technology to outreach to the
community through broadcasting our services through our local cable channel.
3) Describe the strengths of your church, the best of what you are as a community, and what you can offer a new
pastor.
Trinity is made up of a healthy core of lay leaders and members that continue to sustain our programs with the
anticipation of a leader to take us to the next level.
4) Explain the strategies or ideas that most excite your church in becoming or remaining missional.
Trinity focuses and puts its efforts into several youth programs. We are excited about our growth in those areas. It is
our desire as a church body to find a leader that brings the Word to the whole congregation that stirs a desire
for learning and sharing.
5) Name three of your church’s most passionate hopes and why they are significant.
Our hopes for Trinity are that we bring in a Biblical preaching pastor, grow our church’s membership and
discipleship. Our desire is to be a light to our community.
6) How do you hope someone who visits your church would describe what s/he considers to be most important?
We hope that anyone that visits Trinity, recognizes a friendly and welcoming body of believers living out their faith.
7) Name at least one challenge facing your new pastor.
The challenges facing our new pastor will be growing our membership, community outreach, and growth in
discipleship.
8) Describe your vision and hopes for your church and your pastor over the next 5 years.
Together, with our pastor, we hope to continue being a faith focused church growing in its relationship with the Lord
while creating disciples within our church and community.
9) Explain what ever else you would like your potential pastor to know about your church.
We are a church that believes in honoring God and desires leadership to build and expand on our current foundation.
