ABOUT US

What We Believe

Our Mission

The Synod of the Heartland is a fellowship of congregations called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world. Our shared task is to equip classes and congregations for ministry. 6 Classes made up of many churches in many different ways doing one thing, following Christ in mission in a lost and broken world so loved by Go. Our Call in the RCA is to build on the foundations of Discipleship, Leadership, Multi-Cultural Diversity, and Mission,  to renew existing congregations and start new ministries.

We envision following God’s desire to “Expand the Kingdom of God.”

Equipping missionally-focused classes

Equipping healthy missionally-focused churches with healthy pastors

Raising up leaders

Starting new ministries

Becoming more Multi-racially responsive

Working together is better

Revitalization

The Synod of the Heartland staff, in collaboration with denominational staff and classes, will come alongside our churches to help carry out the following goals:

Congregational Fruitfulness

  • Exhibit missional fruitfulness through stories of transformed lives.
  • Show clear evidence of impact on their community
  • Employ statistical criteria to confirm that they are making more and better disciples
  • Celebrate a cultural and racial mix of congregational members that closely resembles the community
  • Make a commitment to start new ministries
  • Each year increase the number of adult confessions of faith and adult baptisms
  • Equipping churches to be fruitful in their discipleship of youth and adults as they impact the world.

Congregational Faithfulness

  • Each congregation will have a clear, compelling statement of mission, vision, and values
  • Active vital prayer ministry
  • Congregational members equipped to engage in incarnational ministry through which they serve people and are trained to engage in spiritual conversation
  • Will engage in ministry partnership aimed at community impact
  • Empower congregations to call out and equip youth for ministry

Congregational Renewal

  • Congregational Renewal

    • All churches are encouraged to be involved in a congregational renewal process, i.e. NCD, CRM, Revisioning

    Redevelopment and Fresh Start

    Health Pastors

    • All pastors will have the opportunity to be involved in a coached revitalizing network.
    • All pastors will have the opportunity to select a coach

    Renewal

    • All congregational leaders, including the pastor, have developed and are guided by a personal calling statement
    • All congregational leaders, including the pastor, are drawing on leadership training that will help them lead their congregation in a faithful and fruitful journey i.e. Emerging Journey, Leaders on the Horizon, Purposeful Living

    Multiplication

    • To start 100 new ministries with many of them being multi-cultural
    • Most new ministries are started with an intentional plan and accountability to reproduce
    • Most of the new ministries will be started by parent churches
    • We will continue to use church planning missionaries to resource these new ministries.