Visiting a new church can be a little scary and overwhelming. We invite you to explore the options below to make your visit something to look forward to.
We are here because of the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are sinners who have been rescued from sin by Jesus Christ. Though we have different backgrounds, ethnicities, opinions, and personalities, we find commonality in the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We gather each week to worship the one true God revealed in the Bible. We're grateful for the privilege He has given us to worship, live, and serve in our local community.
We rely on God's grace to give us true unity to function together as one body in Jesus Christ, submitted to the Word of God and committed to living that Word out in our daily lives.
Who We Are
At Faith Church, we strive for an intentional culture of grace, vibrant worship, and discipleship.
A Culture of Grace
Faith Church seeks to be a community characterized by grace. We pray for and actively strive for grace to permeate every aspect of our church culture. Because we recognize our deep gospel neediness, we are quick to extend grace to those in our church family, to other local churches, and to the people of our community.
A Culture of Vibrant Corporate Worship
Faith Church seeks to be a community characterized by vibrant, full-hearted, participatory, unified, Christ-centered corporate worship. Because we believe that the worship of the gathered church should be corporate, not individual, we see every aspect of worship as an act the entire congregation joins in, rather than observes. We strive to sing, pray, and preach the Word in a way that encourages the participation of the entire congregation in our worship.
A Culture of Discipleship
Faith Church seeks to be a community characterized by disciple-making followers of Jesus. Because we believe that the mission of the church is making disciples of Jesus Christ, we develop intentional relationships for the purpose of encouraging each other to pursue Christ, and we actively pray for and seek out relationships for the purpose of calling others to follow Christ.
Our core values
We at Faith Church earnestly desire and prayerfully strive to be a . . .
What to Expect
Walking into a church for the first time can be intimidating, so we want to help you know what to expect when you visit Faith.
We promise not to embarrass you or point you out. If you wish you can fill out a connection card and we’ll follow up with you later. You can come knowing you are in the midst of a group of broken people, who all need God’s grace.
What to Wear
We have a diversity of people attend our services and are thankful for a congregation with a variety of dress.
You'll find anything from very casual jeans and t-shirts to polos and slacks to suits. We encourage you to come as you are.
Sunday School
On Sunday morning at 9 am we come together for Sunday School for all ages, where we learn topically about God’s Word and its application to all areas of life. Following Sunday School, we have about a 15-minute break with light refreshments and good conversation before our morning worship service begins at 10 am.
Music
We sing a blend of lyrically-rich songs, both recent and historic. Those of us who are comfortable with music from one era have discovered that we come to enjoy other songs we had not previously encountered.
We emphasize congregational singing, valuing the gathered church enthusiastically singing praise to God with one voice. Some Sundays we sing with a full band and others we sing with primarily piano accompaniment.
Children
We are thankful to have a congregation with many children. We encourage all parents to train their children to worship as part of the church. We provide nursery care for children 0-2 years old for the entire worship service. Children 3 through third grade are dismissed for children’s church before the sermon begins. Some children remain in the service the entire time, and we welcome their presence.
Service Format
Our service is intentional, in that it follows a deliberate order of worship, but it’s not formal in style. We sing several songs, offer congregational and pastoral prayers to God, hear Scripture read, and give our offerings and tithes. We close each morning worship service with a benediction, with the typical service finishing around 11:15 am. An hour later, you might still find folks talking over the sermon and events of the past week.
Sermon
Preaching at Faith is generally expositional, meaning that it seeks to systematically work through passages of Scripture, declaring the point of a Biblical passage, with practical application rooted in the redemptive story of Scripture. Sermons usually last around 30 minutes and are packed with material for reflection. Our sermon series regularly alternate between the Old and New Testaments. All preaching is driven by the Gospel, the Bible’s main message of God saving sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday Night Gathering
We gather every Wednesday evening at 6:45 pm to glorify God through the gathering of the entire church in a relaxed, yet intentional atmosphere, with the purpose of devotion to fellowship. Wednesday night service is intended to have a more informal feeling compared to the Sunday morning service, and to promote other essential components of church life, including teaching the Word, praying together, singing, and occasional church business meetings.
Meet The Staff
Daniel Patz
Senior Pastor
Daniel grew up in Wisconsin. He moved to Minneapolis to prepare for ministry at Central Seminary and Bethlehem Baptist Church. After pastoring for 12 years at Bethlehem Baptist and Grace Church, he served as President of Northland International University. In 2015 he moved to Michigan to become the Senior Pastor at Faith. Daniel is married to Molly with five children. His passion is to lead the church and his family to glorify God.
Mike Dunford
Youth & Discipleship Pastor
Mike grew up in Wisconsin and, after graduating from Bible College in 2002, has devoted his life to serving Jesus by ministering to families. As associate pastor, his greatest desire is to connect students and families with God’s Word in a relevant and practical way and inspire them to make a difference in a world that doesn’t know Christ. Mike is married to Lorianne with 4 energetic kiddos, who as a family enjoy outdoor activities of all types and spending time with friends.
Jay Coldwell
Worship Pastor
Jay grew up in Ohio and graduated from college in Wisconsin in '06. He serves as the Worship & Education Pastor at Faith. He leads our Sunday morning worship services, preaches and teaches the Bible throughout the week in different settings, and oversees our Adult Bible Fellowships. Jay and his wife Jess, along with their three kids, love serving at Faith, hanging out with their Small Group, reading, and listening to lots of music.
Julie Parker
Office Manager
Julie had been volunteering at the church for many years prior to joining Faith in 2003. She continues to enjoy serving in the Women’s Ministry and occasionally leading Ladies Bible Studies. Julie is married to her husband Jerry and has two daughters, Alexandra and Ashley. She enjoys reading, traveling, shopping, and great friendships. You can find Julie sitting at the front desk ready to greet you with a smile and help you in any way she can.
What We Believe
We seek to be Word-driven and Christ-centered.
The Word of God governs our life, and we believe the Bible points to Jesus Christ. The Bible is God's written Word — His communication to us of who He is, what He does, and what He expects of us. The Bible alone holds the authoritative answers to the questions of life and eternity.
The written Word is a reflection of the Living Word, Jesus Christ. It is our reliable, sufficient rule for faith and practice.
We seek to be timeless in our message.
Because we believe the gospel is central and that our church life should be governed by the Word of God, we practice expository, Christ-centered preaching. We strive to make our message accessible to everyone, while still preaching the full counsel of God.
Our message is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We seek to share this message compassionately with the hurting to make a difference in our community, while also engaging in committed missions efforts throughout the world.
We hold to historical Baptist distinctives and find much in common with The Baptist Faith and Message.
We seek to be relevant in our vision.
We believe that the Bible is relevant and contains everything we need to face the problems of life today. We are ordinary people who submit to the work of God in our hearts to change us to become more like His Son, Jesus. We desire to change, not because we thereby gain favor with God, but because we desire to grow in our love for Him.