By Pastor Stephen Hess – Numerous studies have shown that church membership and attendance have been declining in the United States for the past several decades. A recent study from the Pew Research Center found that as of 2020, 64% of Americans identify as Christians. Fifty years ago, that number was 90%. If “religious switching” […]
evangelism, outreachBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Reformed Christianity has always been known for having a high view of God’s sovereignty. We believe Scripture teaches that all of human history—from the greatest events of world history to the smallest details of our everyday lives—is governed by God who works all things according to the counsel of his […]
evangelism, sovereignty of GodBy Pastor Stephen Hess – When Jesus called his disciples, the first command he gave to them was, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Clearly Jesus understood sharing the gospel to be a central part of what it means to be a disciple. Yet most of us, if we […]
evangelism, sermon series
By Pastor Stephen Hess – From the earliest days of the church, Christians have faced opposition and persecution for following Jesus. This has been apparent during our sermon series on the book of Acts, where the religious authorities of the day could not tolerate the message of Jesus and instead threatened the disciples and “charged […]
book of acts, evangelism, persecutionBy Pastor Stephen Hess – As we have been working our way through the book of Acts this year, one of the themes that has repeatedly come up is the call for God’s people to engage in evangelism. At the very beginning of the book, Jesus says to his disciples, “You will be my witnesses […]
book of acts, evangelism, hospitality