New Life Fellowship New Life Fellowship Church Building
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) answered by the Pastor of New Life Fellowship

What is man's biggest problem?

Man's basic problem is sin and the incredible selfishness that has come as a result.


What are the essentials of the faith?

To believe that Jesus is fully God, fully Divine, that He (the creator of all life) came in the flesh to save sinners, that He died and rose again to life on the third day and that He was raised to the right hand of God where He makes His enemies His footstool and will soon return just as He left. He will return to judge the earth. Those who have accepted Him will be raised to eternal life and to the place prepared for them and those who have rejected Him to eternal death and the place prepared for them, hell. Other key doctrines of the faith are: the Trinity, the God-head, three in one; the absolute infallibility of scripture; the church, the bride/body of Christ.


What must a man do to inherit eternal life?

There is only one way. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." No man may come to the Father except through Him.


Can a person who is living in a persistent lifestyle of sin inherit eternal life?

One of the missions our church has supported and been involved in is a ministry to Kensington, Philadelphia. There we work with the homeless and drug attics. I have seen people trying desperately to get free of their addictions. They are working to get on the path of recovery, but slip and fall and mess up. It's a messy ministry. Some will make it, some will not. Some may die trying to get free and fully believe in Jesus and confess their sin daily. I am not the judge of whether they will be in heaven or not. Only God knows. But if a person does not choose to fight the fight and gives themselves over to sin, that is a very dangerous decision and they are in serious peril. But, I am not the judge. I try not to judge whether a man is going to heaven or not. I just give them the Word and work with them and encourage them to make daily godly choices. I sin too. I have issues. Who am I to judge? There are people who obviously reject the message of grace and salvation. By rejecting Jesus they will face judgment.


How hard is it to become a Christian?

I believe the gospel message is simple. I don't think our Father wanted it complicated and burdensome; however, walking the Christian life is difficult. In this world, you will have trouble.


Do you believe the Bible contains no errors or contradictions?

I believe the Bible is infallible in its original autographs.


Do you believe in a literal 6-day creation?

Yes, but I am humbly not sure if each day was 24 hours long.


Do you believe in a literal hell and eternal punishment?

Absolutely.


When you distribute the Lord's Supper, do you emphasize the need to examine yourself?

Yes, every time. We have communion once a month.


How do you deliver the salvation message?

Three parts: (1) all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, (2) but God made the provision through the death of His own son, (3) now through faith in Him, our confession of sin and belief in His atoning sacrifice we can have redemption and salvation.


How often do you talk about sin, righteousness and judgment?

I do talk about sin a lot, but I do also encourage the church in this generation by focusing more on righteousness. Judgment is something I will mention and keep us all aware of, but it is not a major focus of my preaching. Check some of my messages here on our web site.


Do you dumb down your sermons?

No, but I don't feel my preaching style is so lofty that my audience (Christian or non-Christian) can't understand it. I sometimes use visuals or diagrams to explain something new I'm presenting.


How "seeker-sensitive" is your church?

We are not a seeker-sensitive church. I do, however, believe "whosoever will" may come.


Who do you do church for, seekers or members?

Mostly members.


What is your mixture of topical vs. expository preaching?

I am a second generation pastor. My dad was an expository preacher. I bend to the expository side but I have my own flare. I use a lot of scripture and walk through a text verse by verse, but not always word by word. I do not preach through books of the Bible. So, I would call me a textual speaker. I do preach. I am not just a teacher. I also believe that the ministry gifts are to be fanned to flame, so I am raising up the next generation of pastor/teachers to assist with pulpit ministry.


Do your sermons emphasize theology or are they relevant?

Both. My sermons are available on-line at this web site.


How would you describe your youth programs?

Our youth meet on Wednesday night, and do other activities throughout the year. We have invested in a youth leader and have her on staff. The leader's husband also assists in the ministry. Our church is small and so is our youth group. She is a very gifted communicator and I often have her speak in our services.


How would you describe your evangelism programs?

That is one of our weakest points, but is an on-going discussion for our Elders, Church Board, and Leadership Team. We sometimes do couple with the Burlington Center Mall Ministry to do outreach. We now have four services a year specifically focused on bringing in non-believers. We do have alter calls and evangelistic focus, and we occasionally have evangelists come in.


What church growth model do you follow?

We are not really following a model for growth. I believe in the making of disciples as Jesus told us to do. So, we use various means to do that: small groups, one-on-one counseling/discipleship, community fellowship and various group meetings for marriages, women, men, youth and children. Our oversight is Elim Fellowship. I am ordained with them and they provide me with constant information through monthly meetings, web info, seminars and conferences.


How much do you give to missions and the hungry?

We support some missionaries and ministries, but mostly take special offerings for needs when there are natural disasters or for the poor. We do our best to support the widows and single moms in our church. We support Burlington Center Mall Ministry (an outreach in a local mall); Choices of the Heart (a pro-life pregnancy center); we work with a group in Trenton giving out Thanksgiving meals and occasionally gather food for a Philadelphia feeding ministry; and we participate in the Franklin Graham Christmas shoebox ministry called Samaritan's Purse (world-wide distribution of items for children). We used to have a major outreach to the Philippines. That season has passed and we are looking for a major mission to support. We don't like to support a lot of missions and missionaries a little. Instead, we like to support a few missions a lot. We have sent out both teams and finances, but as of now we are praying for a new venture.


Does your church exercise church discipline?

Yes. We have a board of Elders who deal with issues as a group. As pastor, if I become aware of something that needs to be addressed, I make the Elders aware of it and we deal with it as a team. Our goal is always for restoration.


Do children's workers, teachers, nursery, and youth volunteers fill out an application to answer questions about their core beliefs?

Absolutely, the Kingdom Kidz application also requires references and background checks. We also require background checks on all those who work with any of our youngsters, plus our staff and Church Board members.


Does your church have oversight?

Yes, we are affiliated with Elim Fellowship located in Lima, NY. There is a regional representative in our area that I meet and confer with.


What is your leadership model?

As senior pastor, I have a group of Elders who I am accountable to. We discuss spiritual matters and direct the church with agreement of heart. The elders give oversight to our various ministries, which are directly coordinated by an individual, co-leaders, or a team. We also have a Church Board made up of the senior pastor, trustees, secretary, treasurer and the elders. When making decisions, we seek for consensus from the entire team and do not move ahead until we have it.


What type of congregation do you have at your church?

Our church is a charismatic congregation. We believe that the gifts are still available to all who believe. Unfortunately, we don't see many of them in operation in our generation as I would like to see, but as sure as our salvation is by faith so is the power that comes by faith to walk the walk. Outside of the gift of love, I believe that faith is the most dynamic component in the church. Our congregation is a small, committed group of people who desire to gather and praise the Lord.


Do you have a cross in your sanctuary?

We do, it is right in the middle of the platform. It is a small home-made cross.


What is the dress code for services?

We are a casually dressed group and we encourage people to dress as they feel comfortable.


What is your worship and music like?

We have been blessed with numerous, talented musicians and typically have 30 to 40 minutes in the beginning of our service devoted to worshipping the Lord. We play contemporary worship music. We encourage the congregation to worship the Lord in freedom of praise, such as lifting hands and clapping. When we can schedule everyone, we have a full worship team: drums, guitar, bass, keys, voice. Currently, we have "Worship & Testimony" services every 3 months. These are a full night of worship and opportunity for congregational testimonies.


Do you have mid-week services?

Not at the present time. However, we do have various groups and meetings which meet on a rotating basis, or 1 x per month. For example, home groups, prayer meeting, marriage classes, bible studies, women's fellowship, men's fellowship, young boys' club, and young girls' club. We try to give the congregation a variety of opportunities to have fellowship and come together for a specific goal.

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