What Kind of Church Are We?
Occasionally I get an email or a phone call from someone outside of our area who is about to move to our area, or knows someone who is moving to Allison, and they are looking for a church; so could I tell them what kind of church we are? Usually the
question is phrased along the lines of theology: “What does your church believe?” Or, “Can you pass along your doctrinal statement?”
When I get questions like this I’m never quite sure how to answer: Do they want to know what denomination we belong to? Do they even care what the Alliance of Reformed Churches is? Do they want to know our views on baptism or the end times? Are they hoping I will tell them something about our understanding of unconditional election or total depravity? Or, are they really looking for answers about style? Do they want to know what kind of music we sing or how we dress on Sunday mornings?
Usually, when I get an inquiry like this I get the feeling that the person is fishing for our church’s position on a specific issue: but which one? Do they want to know where we stand on the evolution vs. creation debate? Are they looking for our position on gay marriage? Do they want to find out how we feel about working on Sundays?
For my part, I want our church to be known more by what we are for than what we are against. I prefer not to get into positions on specific hot button issues; not because we don’t have a position on those issues, but because those issues are rarely the most important thing to know about us. Instead, I want to emphasize the things that we preach and practice. Here, then, are a few things I include when I describe the kind of church we are:
We Love Jesus. We believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh—both fully God and fully man. We believe that Jesus was born to the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was crucified by Pontius Pilate, and physically rose from the dead. We believe that by His death and resurrection Jesus paid the penalty of our sins and offers us new life and the promise of Heaven. We believe that salvation is found in no other name (Acts 4:12).
And so, we are a church that loves Jesus and talks about Jesus and bases all of our hope in the good news of Jesus. We want people to know the story of Jesus and put their faith in Him.
We Believe in a Big God. We believe that God is bigger than creation and thus totally in control of everything that happens in this world. We believe that everything that happens comes from God’s fatherly hand. We believe that God is never taken by surprise. We believe that God’s glory is the greatest treasure in all the universe and there is nothing better than to praise His glory and make it known.
And so, we are a church that seeks to glorify God above all else. We want people to know that God has things under control and that serving Him is never in vain.
We value the Bible. We believe that God has spoken in the Holy Scriptures, through the words of human authors. We believe that the Bible is the complete revelation of God’s plan of salvation, and takes priority over tradition or human intuition. We believe that Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
And so, we are a church that seeks to be Word-centered in all that we do. We want to believe the Bible in all that it teaches, obey it in all that it requires, and trust it in all that it promises.
We enjoy being a part of the Church. We believe that the local church is a part of Christ’s body here on earth, and we have the privilege of representing Him to the world. We believe that Christ came to give life, and give it to the full (John 10:10). We believe that a life lived for Jesus is the best life possible.
And so, we are a church that seeks to express the joy of being followers of Christ. We want people to experience the purpose for which God made them in the context of our life together.
These are some of the things I would include to describe our church. How would you answer the question: What kind of church are you?
June Birthdays
2 Brad Cooper, Richard Dralle
5 Joyce Marks, Ethan Ulfers, Noah Jones
6 Tate Stirling
7 Barb DeBoer
8 Chad Jones Jr.
12 Al Harms
13 Anna Cordes
23 Steve Coake
24 Kruz Coake
30 Ron Saathoff
June Anniversaries
3 Brent & Dawn Janssen
7 Colton & Ellah Klingenborg
10 Kim & JoAnn Miller
14 Chad and Jamie Osterbuhr
Greeting & Refreshments for Fellowship Time
June 7 – Pastor Russell & Beth, Robert & Kristen Wix
June 14 - Steve & Jennifer Heeren, Barb DeBoer
June 21 – Greta Cordes, Judy Koenen
June 28 - Rex & Tracy Ackerman, David & Kelly Thorne
June Sound/Projector Operator Schedule
June 7 - Tim Junker
June 14– Ryan Fleshner
June 21 - Matt Eberline
June 28 - Ryan Fleshner
Video Operator Schedule
June 7 - James Seehusen
June 14 - Michael Shafer
June 21 - Lucas Junker
June 28 - Jodi Bangasser
June Praise Team Schedule
June 7 - Praise Team 1 (Denise)
June 14 - Praise Team 2 (Denise/Kelly)
June 21 - Airyn Duffy & Friends (Denise)
June 28 - Praise Team 4 (Denise)
Dominican Republic Mission Trip Fundraiser
On August 8th, 2026, Daniel & Lee Shafer, and Brooklyn Wix
will be traveling to the Dominican Republic.
They will be serving with the Mission 25:35 Mission Team. Some of the things they will be helping with are:
Working with at risk children
Working in a Youth Rehab Center
Home visits to the under served population
Working with special needs children
Housing and building projects
Bible School Ministries
Serving meals and ministering to workers at the dump
To help raise funds, they will be holding a Father’s Day Steak Dinner
and live auction on Saturday, June 20, at Trinity from 6-9 PM.
The cost for the dinner is $25.00 per person. It includes:
10 oz. ribeye steak
Baked potato
Salad
Pie for dessert
The auction will start after dinner. For more information and tickets, please contact Daniel Shafer