Brandon Arp (right, with his wife Autumn) arrived in Zeeland earlier this summer to take over as pastor of what is now Purpose Church, formerly Zeeland Church of God. The church is located at 6441 Byron Rd., the site of what was originally Vriesland Reformed Church.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Brandon Arp arrived in the Zeeland area about a month or so ago to take over as pastor of what to now has been known as Zeeland Church of God at 6441 Byron Rd.
You could say Arp arrived with a Purpose in mind.
In fact, the church name has been changed to reflect Arp’s vision: Purpose Church.
“It was Zeeland Church of God when we arrived, and I came with the vision of Purpose Church. The church (congregation) voted and we switched it pretty close to when I arrived,” Arp said.
“We’re kind of looking at this as a rebrand/replant, so to speak.”
A native of Charlevoix who had previously pastored a Church of God congregation in southwest Ohio, Arp says the new name reflects what he believes many people are looking for.
“The vision of Purpose is just from the lack of identity in our world. People are searching for it,” he said. “They’re searching for a place to belong, for a cause to be part of and something to relate to, and that’s all wrapped up in Christ. Who we are in Christ brings purpose, it brings identity, it brings all of that. I wanted (the message) to be so simple that someone who has no idea what the church is can just look at a sign and say, ‘that’s what I want, that’s what I’m missing.’”
Arp wants Purpose Church to reflect what the church was in its early years, as depicted in the second chapter of the book of Acts.
“I preached in my first message (that) the power of Pentecost came, but also the Holy Spirit brought a pattern for the church,” he said. “When you look at Acts 2:42, it talks about how they did life together, they were Word-focused, they met all the time (to worship).”
One of the basic tenets of Purpose Church’s ministry is its emphasis on families – and Arp says that means including the entire family in the typical Sunday morning worship experience. The church does not have a separate children’s ministry – rather, kids worship alongside their parents.
“We believe it’s valuable, as a family, to grow together (in faith). We try to tailor our services in way where it can engage every age,” he said.
One way of engaging kids in worship, Arp says, is using motions while singing.
“We taught at kids camp, and we’ve done it for the last three years. That’s where it showed me that type of ministry, because they had kindergarteners all the way up to grandparents and every age in between, and it was a massive group. We did this style of service and brought that to here,” he said.
Another way of incorporating kids into the worship experience is giving kids a sermon note sheet where kids can draw a picture of what they heard, as well as something they learned through the message. There are also play tables where kids can play prior to the service, Arp said.
Purpose Church is affiliated with the Cleveland, Tenn.-based Church of God. While the worship style of the denomination tends to be closer to Pentecostal, the church seeks to strike a balance between structure and expression of the Holy Spirit.
“We’re definitely more charismatic, especially theology-wise. We believe the Holy Spirit is still active today … But there’s an order to how it biblically should be done,” Arp said.
Arp says he hopes to grow Purpose Church through reaching out to those who do not have a faith community to call home.
“We’re not looking to take people out of other churches. We’re looking to reach the unchurched,” he said. “That’s our goal – to facilitate a casual type of service that is a bit more comfortable to somebody … not diluting the message in any way, but packaging it in a casual, fun atmosphere where we’re really personable. We want to love you and see you grow in Christ.”
Purpose Church worships in the white building that was home to Vriesland Reformed Church for more than a century. The building was constructed in 1857 and is a Michigan State Historic Site. The Vriesland congregation worshipped there until 1973, when it moved into its present worship space about a half-mile to the west at 6839 Byron Rd., according to the Vriesland Church website.
Worship services at Purpose Church begin every Sunday at 10:07 a.m.
Zeeland Record
Brandon Arp arrived in the Zeeland area about a month or so ago to take over as pastor of what to now has been known as Zeeland Church of God at 6441 Byron Rd.
You could say Arp arrived with a Purpose in mind.
In fact, the church name has been changed to reflect Arp’s vision: Purpose Church.
“It was Zeeland Church of God when we arrived, and I came with the vision of Purpose Church. The church (congregation) voted and we switched it pretty close to when I arrived,” Arp said.
“We’re kind of looking at this as a rebrand/replant, so to speak.”
A native of Charlevoix who had previously pastored a Church of God congregation in southwest Ohio, Arp says the new name reflects what he believes many people are looking for.
“The vision of Purpose is just from the lack of identity in our world. People are searching for it,” he said. “They’re searching for a place to belong, for a cause to be part of and something to relate to, and that’s all wrapped up in Christ. Who we are in Christ brings purpose, it brings identity, it brings all of that. I wanted (the message) to be so simple that someone who has no idea what the church is can just look at a sign and say, ‘that’s what I want, that’s what I’m missing.’”
Arp wants Purpose Church to reflect what the church was in its early years, as depicted in the second chapter of the book of Acts.
“I preached in my first message (that) the power of Pentecost came, but also the Holy Spirit brought a pattern for the church,” he said. “When you look at Acts 2:42, it talks about how they did life together, they were Word-focused, they met all the time (to worship).”
One of the basic tenets of Purpose Church’s ministry is its emphasis on families – and Arp says that means including the entire family in the typical Sunday morning worship experience. The church does not have a separate children’s ministry – rather, kids worship alongside their parents.
“We believe it’s valuable, as a family, to grow together (in faith). We try to tailor our services in way where it can engage every age,” he said.
One way of engaging kids in worship, Arp says, is using motions while singing.
“We taught at kids camp, and we’ve done it for the last three years. That’s where it showed me that type of ministry, because they had kindergarteners all the way up to grandparents and every age in between, and it was a massive group. We did this style of service and brought that to here,” he said.
Another way of incorporating kids into the worship experience is giving kids a sermon note sheet where kids can draw a picture of what they heard, as well as something they learned through the message. There are also play tables where kids can play prior to the service, Arp said.
Purpose Church is affiliated with the Cleveland, Tenn.-based Church of God. While the worship style of the denomination tends to be closer to Pentecostal, the church seeks to strike a balance between structure and expression of the Holy Spirit.
“We’re definitely more charismatic, especially theology-wise. We believe the Holy Spirit is still active today … But there’s an order to how it biblically should be done,” Arp said.
Arp says he hopes to grow Purpose Church through reaching out to those who do not have a faith community to call home.
“We’re not looking to take people out of other churches. We’re looking to reach the unchurched,” he said. “That’s our goal – to facilitate a casual type of service that is a bit more comfortable to somebody … not diluting the message in any way, but packaging it in a casual, fun atmosphere where we’re really personable. We want to love you and see you grow in Christ.”
Purpose Church worships in the white building that was home to Vriesland Reformed Church for more than a century. The building was constructed in 1857 and is a Michigan State Historic Site. The Vriesland congregation worshipped there until 1973, when it moved into its present worship space about a half-mile to the west at 6839 Byron Rd., according to the Vriesland Church website.
Worship services at Purpose Church begin every Sunday at 10:07 a.m.
