What we believe
As a church, we desire to be molded by God's Word and motivated by God's glory as we make disciples throughout God's world.
Our official doctrinal statement can be found by clicking here.
Nuestra declaración doctrinal oficial puede encontrarse hacienda clic aquí.
Molded by God's Word
Because God’s Word is inspired, authoritative, and inerrant, we desire to be a people rooted and grounded in the Word of God. God’s Word is living and active and we trust that the Holy Spirit, working through God's Word, will accomplish God’s will for our church. Therefore, the Bible will be the foundation of our preaching, our singing, our praying, our discipleship, our mission, and our fellowship.
Motivated by God's Glory
God is full of glory and we desire to be a church who delights in the glory of God. The glory of God will be our motivation for everything we do in life. We see the glory of God most clearly in the gospel of Jesus Christ and we will therefore center our lives on the gospel.
Making Disciples throughout God's World
Because God deserves the worship of all people, we desire to be a church that knows Jesus and makes Him known. We want to see the gospel transform us deeply and spread widely. Because He first loved us we want to grow in our love for one another, serve one another in the name of Jesus, and proclaim the good news often.
New?
Thanks
again for checking us out through our website. Spending a Sunday
morning with us would be a great way for us to get to know each other
better.
Our
church family is filled with people from a variety of backgrounds so we
hope you’ll feel loved here. Because God is most concerned with what’s
going on inside our hearts, so are we. What you wear on Sunday doesn’t
matter much. Whatever you choose to wear, you’ll likely find someone
more dressed up than you and someone more dressed down than you.
Our
worship service starts at 10:15am and typically ends around 11:30. If
you have children 3 and under, you are welcome to drop them off with a
caring adult in our staffed nursery. We also have a nursing lounge for moms where the service can be seen and heard on a screen so you won't miss as much when you need to step out.
Para nuestros amigos que hablan español, bienvenidos!
Aunque nuestro servicio está en inglés, algunas frases en la pantalla están en español.
What to expect
We Sing
We usually begin with a welcome and some music. Our singing is led by a worship team but it is not a performance. It’s just a time for us to fix our eyes and hearts on God together. We use songs that were written last year and songs that were written 400 years ago. If you know them, you can sing with us. The words will be projected on a screen. If you’d rather just listen, you can do that, too.
We Pray
We will likely pray a few times during our worship service. Prayer is an incredible privilege and we look forward to opportunities to pray together. Sometimes a worship leader will pray and sometimes our pastor will pray and sometimes you’ll have an opportunity to pray silently in your seat.
We Give
Part of our worship includes giving our money to be used for the spread of the gospel in Iowa Falls and beyond. If you’re just visiting, don’t feel compelled to give.
We Hear
God’s Word is central to our time together. If you have a Bible, bring it with you. If not, ask one of our leaders and we’ll get one for you. The words are usually projected on the screen as well. We usually stand together as the Bible is read. Sermons are "expository" which simply means that they are rooted deep in the Word so that the point of the Scripture text is the point of the message. Expect to be encouraged, challenged, and transformed by God’s Word. Click here to listen to a sermon.
We Remember
Usually on the first Sunday of each month, we remember the death of Jesus by taking communion together. All who have repented of their sin and trusted in Christ alone for salvation are invited to join us. You don’t have to be a member of Iowa Falls Evangelical Free Church to participate. We also occasionally have the privilege of witnessing the life-transforming power of the gospel as people publicly profess their faith in Jesus through baptism.
the gospel
If you are around our church for long, you’ll probably hear the word
gospel used a lot. It simply means good news. So what is the good
news? It begins with the holy God creating humans in His image and
creating all things for His glory. Yet due to our rebellion and
disobedience, all of creation is cursed and we actually prefer the
temporary pleasures of sin over the eternal pleasures of God! As a
result we stand condemned before our holy God.
But because of
His great love and mercy, God prepares a way for spiritually dead,
broken image-bearers to be made alive. God sends His eternal Son,
Jesus, to live the obedient life we failed to live and to suffer on the
cross the punishment that we deserved to suffer. Three days after His
death, Jesus was resurrected, breaking the power of sin and death. He
promises to return to be the final Judge and to set up His eternal
Kingdom.
Our eternity depends on how we respond to this good news.
Click here to look at the choice we all face.
Our hope is that, by God’s grace you will repent of your sin and put your faith in Christ alone. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Our Leaders
Our Lead Pastor
My
name is Jeremy Nelson and I began serving as the pastor of IFEFC in
January of 2013. I grew up in MN in a loving, Christian family. At the
age of 19, God rescued me from a life of self-glorification and gave me
a new heart as I repented of my sin and trusted in Jesus. Aside from
my salvation, God's greatest gift to me is my wife, Kirstin. I've had
the privilege of being her husband since 2001 and God has blessed our
marriage with 3 incredible children (Annika, Isaiah and Mariah). This
isn't my first time in Iowa as I graduated from Northwestern College in
Orange City with a degree in Sociology and Secondary Education. But
following God’s call to pastoral ministry, we moved back to Minnesota so
I could attend seminary at Bethel University where I received my Master
of Divinity. Prior to coming to Iowa Falls, I served as a youth pastor
for seven and a half years in South Dakota. I am passionate about
God’s glory and am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to love,
lead, and serve the people here as we together fix our eyes on Jesus. I
would love to get together with you for a cup of coffee (if you don't
drink coffee, I'll just have to drink my cup and your cup!).
Click here to find my contact info.
Our Associate Pastor
I’m Stan Johnson, and I was called to Iowa Falls to serve as our church’s associate pastor in the summer of 2018. Since entering the ministry in 1995, I have served in pastoral roles in two congregations in Minnesota as well as a third in Iowa.
My main roles include serving our church family through the ministry of the Word and prayer, encouraging and equipping other leaders, caring for church members--and along with the rest of our congregation--engaging with the community as we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our neighbors throughout the Iowa River Greenbelt.
I enjoy studying and teaching God’s Word, playing with my grandkids, watching all kinds of sports, and camping with our family. My best friend Kris and I have been married since 1984, and God has blessed us with seven great children (5 of whom are married) and an even greater number of grandchildren!
Our Elders
Our elders serve the church by providing spiritual oversight of the whole church family. You can contact Mark Guy, the chairman of the elders for 2018 via email or by phone at (641) 521-5924
Our Deacons & Deaconesses
While
many in our church family serve us in many ways, we have two teams of
servants who give extra time and attention to take care of many details
to “keep things running.” The chairman of the deacons for 2018 is Jerry Hitch and he can be contacted via email or by
phone at (641)373-1770. Sherilyn Hitch is the chairwoman for the
deaconesses this year and she can be contacted via email or by phone at (641)373-4896.
