Denver Church Helped By CRC Programs

First Christian Reformed Church in Denver, Colo. has historically been a congregation committed to reaching and serving its surrounding community.

But more recently, the church has extended itself to minister beyond its immediate surroundings based on the reality that 90 percent of its members don’t actually live in the church’s downtown locale because of Denver’s high cost of living.

“We’re kind of in an odd situation,” Rev. Joel Schreurs said. “We’re a neighborhood church geographically, but structurally, we have more a suburban-commuter mindset because of the way the demographic has changed.”

Founded in 1907, First Denver CRC had been able to perform ministry its own neighborhood for many years. But then members began to move into the suburbs, leaving behind an area that has been developed and not conducive to neighborhood ministry.

Making ministry difficult, besides the high cost of living in the area, is a lack of parking. In fact, at one point the church discussed moving. But they chose to stay.

A case study conducted by members of the CRC’s Congregational Services Coordination group this year found that First CRC of Denver’s unique outreach, focusing on both its suburban members and its surrounding community in the city of Denver, has been aided by several CRC agencies and offices.

These CRC ministries have helped the Denver congregation not only sharpen its current focus of reaching people for Christ outside of its neighborhood, but to also broaden what it is doing as a whole.

Several of the denomination’s organizations – such as World Renew,  Home Missions and World Missions – have helped the congregation “participate in something bigger than ourselves,” Schreurs said.

Schreurs said, ultimately, the church’s mission comes down to a simple question that has been made more challenging by the demographic it serves.

“It’s really hard because the question we’re always asking is ‘Who is our neighbor and how do we carry out what we believe God’s mission is for us?’ he said.

“Is it our primary target and outreach and vision to reach this neighborhood or is our primary goal and responsibility to equip our members to do it where they’re at?”

Schreurs said the denomination has been especially helpful in equipping members – both young and older alike – to reach those they have been called to serve despite dealing with many different issues than another church located in an urban setting may deal with.

In addition, he has benefitted from two CRC Sustaining Pastoral Excellence grants.

Schreurs also said in the case-study report that the CRC ministries have done has broadened the vision of the church’s members.

Out this vision has come First CRC’s partnership with a local church plant that was a product of a Home Missions goal of planting 10 churches in the nearby neighborhood, helping reach people in Denver although First CRC’s primary focus remains on the outlying area.

Being part of that effort, Schreurs said, allows the church to help close a cultural gap that said exists in downtown Denver. It’s a high-end area where 90 percent of residents attended church at one point in their lives but don’t belong now, making it an area that needs to be reached.

The case study report stated that First CRC members are especially intentional about inter-generational ministry and making disciples.

“We’re trying to disciple and equip people to serve and reach out wherever they find themselves,” Schreurs said. “The denomination has been a gift in that way.

“We’ve been able to pull on a lot of resources that have worked into the DNA of who we are in equipping people to follow God’s call.”