Central Wesleyan Church, Holland, Mich.
Dave Deur, connections minister

There is a natural shift happening at Central Wesleyan Church in Holland, Mich., that is moving the church family into an outward view of service rather than an inward view. Dave Deur, who oversees Central Wesleyan’s connections ministry, strongly believes that with the church serving the outside community, Christ’s love and his message will speak loudly to those who don’t know Christ personally. Deur states, “Christ can better be formed in us as we serve because Christ came to serve.”

A common idea for non-believers who are involved in serving and have a genuine heart to help others is the belief that they are doing “good things.” Deur says that the church’s service to the community will “connect the Gospel to the ‘good stuff.’” The staff has even come up with a plan to empower small groups to greatly impact the outside community. When a small group forms a substantially visionary idea or plan to serve the community in some way, they are asked to write a proposal and are then given $1,000 to carry out their vision of bringing Christ’s model of service to the community.

Through his 22 years attending Central Wesleyan, Deur and his wife devoted themselves to volunteering for their church family. As a staff member, Deur now teaches the S.H.A.P.E. class as a part of the church’s foundations class system. The class is a six-week course, followed by a member having a consultation with a volunteer or a staff member in order to guide the member into the ministry he or she is shaped for.

With as many volunteers serving at Central Wesleyan and serving the community, showing appreciation for these individuals is vital. Deur says that he and the church staff use different forms of valuing the volunteers. There are dinners, picnics, and there was even a recent pig roast in honor of the team of volunteers who regularly maintain the whole campus landscaping. Every so often there will be an opportunity for the whole church family to honor the volunteers during a church service. At that service, the volunteers are prayed over, given a standing ovation, and the whole church body affirms them by enthusiastically exclaiming, “We hold you in high esteem!”

It is clear that Deur and the members of Central Wesleyan Church place a high value on the impact that serving has on the church family and the significant influence that it has on the broader community. As Central Wesleyan strives to model Christ’s example of service to their surrounding community, it is obvious when looking at ministry in regards to their own church body that they are headed in the right direction.