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Our
History
Jacksonville Christian Fellowship began in September
1984. Pastor Kirk Wetsell had grown up in the
Jacksonville area and felt the call to the ministry
soon after his conversion in 1974. After serving the
Lord in several capacities he and Liz began to feel
the call to start a work in Jacksonville. With the
blessing of their then pastor JCF was launched in
September 1984. It began with just a hand full of
people and pastor Kirk worked full time in a secular
job. The church grew and in a few short years he was
able to devote full time to the task.
JCF has
been in many ways a unique church. We have always
had a strong emphasis on sound doctrinal instruction
coupled together with an equally strong
understanding that “it’s not by might, not by power,
but by My Spirit saith the Lord”. We liken it to the
analogy of a Fireplace and a Fire. If you have a
beautiful fireplace but no fire, it’s pretty much
useless! It may be a lovely sight to see but it
really won’t keep anybody warm. If you have a raging
fire but no fireplace you’ll almost always burn down
the house! The fire in the analogy is likened to
those whose sole emphasis is on the power and moving
of the Holy Spirit. Without a strong doctrinal
understanding and foundation (the fireplace) it
quickly becomes “wildfire” with the result that
people are burned and the body of Christ is damaged.
If you have both – well, then you’ve got something
most valuable! At JCF we strive to maintain this
balance of Word and Spirit.
JCF has
also been unique in that God has blessed us with all
types of people in our congregation. You will find
people from every type of background, race and
economic condition at JCF. Black and white, young
and old, rich and poor – just everyday people! A
well remembered sermon that Pastor Kirk preached
early on was “Mixed Nuts” about the fact that in
Christ there is no class, race or gender
distinction. We are all equal in our approach to God
and we all stand as sinners saved only by His
wonderful Grace! Furthermore it is the same Holy
Spirit that indwells us all and we are all one in
Him.
Our Leadership
Outline of
Government
JCF has
what we believe to be a Scripturally based church
government of a plurality of elders along with a
team of dedicated deacons. Our elders have the
primary responsibility of teaching the Word of God
and overseeing all aspects of church life and the
spiritual direction of the body. Our deacons
likewise are spiritual men dedicated to overseeing
the temporal and structural needs of the church.
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Kirk
Wetsell, Senior Pastor |
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Kirk
is the founder and senior pastor of JCF. He
has been married to his wife Liz for 35
years and they have 3 sons and 3
grandchildren.
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Jan Sullivan, Worship Pastor |
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Jan has been both pastor and worship
leader at JCF for over 25 years. He is married to
his wife Patti. They have 2 children (a
daughter and son) and 1 grandchild. |
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Keith has been with JCF for almost 15
years and has had many years of pastoral experience
before that. He is married to Beth, and they have 3 children (a son and 2
daughters) and grandkids.
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Don came to JCF with a strong
background in pastoral ministry having served
churches in the Baptist Missionary Association. He is
married to Kathy and has 3 children (a son and 2
daughters) and 3 grandchildren. |
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John
West,
Children's Pastor |
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John comes to JCF with a background in
Christian Education. John oversees all children’s
ministry at JCF from the Nursery up. He is married
to Mary Beth and they have 2 children, Anna and
Johnny. |
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JCF
Deacons |
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Our Core Values
- Present
every person Complete in Christ
- Reach
our world for Christ through personal evangelism
and involvement in the global missions cause.
What We
Believe -- Statement of Faith
For a more complete statement of our beliefs,
click
here.
At Jacksonville Christian Fellowship, we believe
that bad doctrine and a flippant attitude towards
theology are at the heart of most of what troubles
today’s church and that only the Truth can free us
to be the people God desires us to be. What follows
is an abbreviated Statement of things we believe to
be essential. A fuller treatment can be found here…
The Bible…
We believe that the Bible is the infallible,
authoritative, and inerrant Word of God and that it
tells everything we need to be saved and to live a
life pleasing to God.
The Trinity…
We believe there is only one true and living God,
who eternally exists in a Trinity of persons: God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We believe in both the full deity and full
humanity of Jesus Christ, that He was truly God
manifest in human flesh being born of the Virgin
Mary by the Power of God’s Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is both a person
and that He is fully God, being the third member of
the blessed Trinity. His ministry is to glorify
Jesus Christ, convict men of sin, bring us into
relationship with Christ through the New Birth and
to seal us to Christ until the day of His return. He
is our Guide, Comforter, and Instructor in the
things of God.
Salvation…
We believe that when the first man Adam fell into
sin the entire human race fell with him and resulted
in the total corruption and condemnation of mankind
before God. Because of this, we are unable, apart
from grace, of understanding or desiring spiritual
truth, and we are by nature God’s enemies and the
objects of His wrath.
We believe that God in His Grace provided
salvation for His people through the Death, Burial
and Resurrection of His Son, Jesus. His blood was
shed as an atoning sacrifice to the Father and
resulted in their justification before God.
Literally, we were the ones that deserved to be
crucified and to drink of God’s wrath, but our
blessed Savior instead drank it for us!
We believe that the only means of being cleansed
from sin is through repentance and faith in Christ
and His work. Salvation is wholly by God’s Grace and
is not earned by any good works we do with both
repentance and faith being graciously bestowed gifts
of God.
The Christian Life…
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every true
believer resulting in the experience of the new
birth. This new birth produces a changed heart and
life as God begins the work of transforming us into
the Image of His Son. All who are so called by God’s
Grace are kept by the power of God and will never
fall away from Christ.
We believe that the filling and empowerment of
the Holy Spirit is the privilege of every believer
and is a vital part of gaining victory over sin and
being a vibrant witness for Christ. We believe the
Holy Spirit distributes His gifts to each person as
He wills for the purpose of edifying the entire
church.
We practice the ordinance of Baptism by immersion
for believers as a sign and seal of the
righteousness they possess by faith. We believe in
fellowshipping regularly together on the Lord’s Day
to worship Him, to hear the preaching of the Word of
God, to share in the bread of Holy Communion, and to
give as God has prospered us into the treasury of
God’s house.
The Return of Jesus Christ…
We believe in the personal, physical, and future
return of Jesus Christ to the earth, to judge the
living and the dead, to rule in righteousness and to
inaugurate the New Heavens and New Earth. We believe
in the physical resurrection of the body, the
eternal blessedness of the saved, and the eternal
damnation and misery of the lost.
Affiliation
Jacksonville Christian Fellowship is affiliated with
the Association of Charismatic Reformed Churches. |
