What We Believe

We are a church that believes in the Bible, studies the Bible, preaches and teaches the Bible, and seeks to obey the Bible. The Bible is central to all that we are and do. In it God speaks to us today concerning every area of life and thought. In a day when biblical authority is undermined or neglected in many churches, we seek to be faithful to the Word of God. We place our trust and faith in Christ alone: in his person, work, and Word. The Bible and it alone, as the Word of Christ, is our final standard for all that we believe and do. It is inspired of God and therefore the absolute authority as truth; inerrant and infallible in all matters, including history and science. The whole counsel of God in Scripture is our standard in every area of life and thought. We affirm that the Bible is the Written Word of God.

We believe what faithful Christians have always believed. These beliefs are not secret or hidden or private, but clearly stated and openly taught. They proclaim the living faith of historic Christianity. They include the Apostles and Nicene Creeds of the early Church, and the creedal statements known as the Three Forms of Unity (consisting of the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort). These three statements were formulated by leaders of the protestant reformation between 1560 and 1619 and have been adopted by faithful churches ever since as the standard or measure of "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Before our pastor, elders and deacons can be ordained to serve in office, they must believe these creedal statements fully agree with the Word of God and promise to uphold and teach them accordingly. We believe they accurately summarize the truth of God's unchanging Word, the Holy Scriptures.

Leadership

After Christ ascended (Acts 1:9-11), He gave officers to oversee the spiritual welfare of His Church. The Apostle Paul describes this in Ephesians 4:11-13, "And He Himself gave some to be Apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"

Our pastor is a member of the Church, called by Christ to the ministry of reconciliation, and ordained and consecrated by prayer and the laying on of hands to preach the Gospel, to exercise pastoral oversight, to dispense the holy sacraments, in conjunction with the elders to administer Christian discipline, and to give himself wholly to the service of Christ in His Church.

Rev. Christopher J. Campbell

Pastor Christopher Campbell graduated from Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in May 2017 with a Master of Divinity degree. Prior to being called as pastor of Northland Reformed Church, he served for many years as an elder in the congregation.

Christopher is married to Megan and they have four children: Elise, Noah, Lilliann and Ethan.

Christopher grew up in a Christian home, attending non-denominational, evangelistic, churches. During his teenage years, having never been truly converted, he walked away from the church, seeking to find his own version of the truth. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy, Christopher returned to the mid-west to work in the Information Technology field. During this time God, in His infinite mercy, used various trials and difficulties to cause Christopher to return to the truth of God’s Word that he had learned in his youth. With a heart on fire for God’s Word and the gospel freedom in Christ which it brings to sinful man, Christopher begin to pursue the call which God has placed upon him.

Christopher enjoys spending time with his wife and children. When he is not doing that, you will most likely find him reading and enjoying a good cup of coffee.

You may reach Pastor Campbell at pastor@northlandreformed.org

Our elders are members of the Church chosen by a congregation and ordained to the office by prayer and the laying on of hands to assist and support the pastor in the spiritual affairs of the Church.

Our deacons are members of the Church chosen by the congregation and ordained to office by prayer and the laying on of hands to aid in securing the funds necessary for the support of the Church in its various activities, and to foster the principles of stewardship, thereby cultivating the spirit of liberality and cheerful giving.

Ministries

Children are a vital part of the church as they are the next generation who will be tasked with proclaiming the life-giving Word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, we take our responsibility to partner with parents in training them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. To that end, we have Sunday school classes for children age three through high school. Additionally, we offer classes on Christian doctrine, church history and the creeds and confessions of the church weekly throughout the school year.

At Northland Reformed, our passion is to grow closer to God through the study of His word. Therefore we make it a priority to offer regular study groups as opportunities for fellow Christians to gather together and grow in both their knowledge of the Word and fellowship with others in the body of Christ.

Northland Reformed Church’s Community Life Team fosters community within the congregation by planning social activities and opportunities for fellowship.

Northland Reformed Church’s Congregational Care Team seeks to meet the needs of others by organizing efforts to serve in our church and in our community.

Northland Reformed Church’s Facility Management Team maintains and improves the church facilities in support of the ministries of the church.

Northland Reformed Church’s Ladies' Auxiliary provides the opportunity for the women of the congregation to serve in various ways throughout the year.

Northland Reformed Church’s Music Team maintains and oversees music and accompaniment in support of our Sunday services and other church events.

Heritage

Click here to view or print this article as a PDF

Northland Reformed Church is a member congregation of the Reformed Church in the United States (founded in 1748). The Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) is a church which stands in a tradition dating back to the Reformation in Germany in the 16th Century. Elector Fredrick III (1515-1576) received permission to teach the Reformed faith in his principality, know as the Palatinate, and, in 1563, comissioned Zacharias Ursinas and Casper Olivianus to author the Heidelberg Catechism, in order to do so.

In 1710, the first German Reformed worship services were held in America, and the church in America grew to roughly 300,000 members across 1,600 local congregations. However, in 1934, the RCUS decided to merge with the Evangelical Synod of North America, a move that shifted the focus away from the gospel and toward interfaith and social justice initiatives. Given this shift, a core group RCUS churches in the Dakotas (Eureka Classis) determined to remain as the RCUS, taking as their motto 2 John 9, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”

From this first group of churches, we now have over 50 churches planted in the United States, of which Northland Reformed is one. But the questions remain—when did Northland Reformed Church begin? How many names has the church had? How many locations? How many pastors? What trials and truimphs have been faced?

The history of Northland Reformed Church may be divided into four periods, each identified by the name of the church at the time—The Zion Reformed Chapel period, the Hope Reformed Church period, the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church period and the Northland Reformed Church period.

In the summer of 1973, Ray and Juanita Schnabel and their three children, Linette, Kathy, and Daniel, moved to Kansas City, Missouri. They began attending the Reformed Presbyterian Church in downtown Kansas City, where Jacob and Joanna Fisher and their son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Mary Ann with their six children, Michael, Amy, Matt, Chris, Melinda and Melanie also were attending. When the Reformed Presbyterian Church moved south of the river, these three familes decided to start a Reformed church in the northland. Since Ray Schnabel grew up in the RCUS, they contacted the denomination about starting a new mission work. The church officially began in 1974 as Zion Reformed Chapel, a mission work of Zion Reformed Church in Menno, South Dakota. The initial membership, comprised of these three familes, met at the Oddfellows Hall in Gladstone, MO for morning services and evening services were held in the families’ homes. Since the church did not yet have a pastor, various ministers from Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa travelled to Kansas City weekly to lead worship.

In the summer of 1975, Reverend Robert Grossmann was installed as the church’s first pastor and the church began meeting at the First National Bank of Gladstone on Antioch Road. Jacob Fisher played the organ and he was known for giving cherry Lifesavers to the children after every service. At the end of each morning service, while he was still playing the postlude, all the kids would make a mad dash to the organ and hold out their hands in anticipation.

At the first annual meeting, held in 1975, the church’s name was changed to Hope Reformed Church. Later that year Ray Schnabel was ordained as the first elder and Jacob Fisher, the first deacon. Jacob would later be ordained as an elder.

As the church continued to grow a decision was made to obtain a permanent building. A gas station, at I-29 and Parvin Road, was purchased and subsequently renovated as the new church building and, in June 1979, the first services were held at this new location.

In August 1982, Reverend Grossmann took a call to the RCUS church in Mitchell, South Dakota and Reverend Norman Hoeflinger was called from Menno, South Dakota as the church’s second pastor. During this time the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort were added, along with the existing Heidelberg Catechism, to the confessional standards of the church. In the summer of 1987, Scott and Barbara Clark joined the church, having moved to Kansas City after Scott finished Seminary at Westminster Seminary in California. In January 1989, Scott was ordained as assistant pastor, and in April of that same year became a full-time pastor, working alongside Reverend Hoeflinger. Later that year Reverend Hoefliger took a call as the pastor in Mitchell, South Dakota, while Reverend Clark remained in Kansas City as the church’s third pastor.

At a special meeting in March 1991, the church’s name was changed from Hope Reformed Church to Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church. The next year the church lost a dear saint, as Jacob Fisher, one of the initial members of the church, died in November 1992. The next year Reverend Clark was accepted to study at Oxford University, which required him to move to England, and Reverend Jan Dykshoorn was called as the church’s fourth pastor in October 1993. The following year was difficult time for the church. Reverend Dykshoorn resigned his position in December 1994, and consideration was given to closing the doors of the church. However, being reminded that faithfulness to the LORD will bring blessing from the LORD, the church remained hopeful.

Reverend Wes Brice, the church’s fifth pastor, was called in August 1995 and moved to Kansas City from California. Following his arrival, the decision was made to purchase land in the Northland area, first at Woodland and Cookingham Road, then finally at 2901 NW Cookingham Drive. At this time the church’s name was changed to Northland Reformed Church. From 1995 to 1998 the church experienced continued growth. The last service in the renovated gas station, at I-29 and Parvin Road, was held in May 1998. After this services were moved to a temporary location in North Oak, at the White Oak Shopping area, until the new church building on Cookingham Drive was completed.

The groundbreaking for the new building occured in 2000, with a building permit granted in July of that year. The members of the church, led by Ernie Termorshuizen and Tom Whittar, did all the work on the new building. The first service was held in the new building on Christmas Eve, 2001, with much joy and thankgiving for God’s blessing.

In 2002, Reverend Brice was called to pastor the church in Rogers, AR and in 2003 Reverend George Syms was called to become the sixth pastor of Northland Reformed Church. Reverend Syms served faithfully for six years, after which time he took a call to an RCUS church in South Dakota.

The seventh pastor of Northland Reformed Church, Reverend Randy Klynsma, was called from an Orthodox Presbyterian Church congregation in South Dakota, to serve at Northland Reformed Church, in 2009. Reverend Klynsma served the church from 2009 to 2016. In January 2016, after many years of faithful service, Reverend Klynsma accepted a call to pastor an RCUS mission work in Omaha, NE.

The elders spent 2016 evaluating potential candidates for the next pastor of Northland Reformed Church. This was a year of transition, during which the elders were able to find preachers to fill the pulpit, morning and evening, each Lord’s Day, with the exception of one Lord’s Day evening, when a pre-recorded sermon had to be used.

In August 2016 the pastoral search committee approached Christopher Campbell, who was currently serving as an elder, and asked if he would be willing to serve as the next pastor. Mr. Campbell was finishing his studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and had served at Northland Reformed Church as an intern, under Reverend Klynsma. A special meeting was held in September 2016 and a call was issued to Mr. Campbell, which he accepted. Mr. Campbell began full-time work in January 2017 while finishing up his theological training, which he completed in May 2017. In October 2017, Reverend Christopher Campbell was ordained and installed as the eight pastor of Northland Reformed Church.

Northland Reformed Church continued to grow during this time, with new families joining the church and new visitors attending services. At the 2017 annual meeting, the decision was made to add a fellowship hall onto the existing church building. Construction began in 2017, and over the course of the year the new building was completed, with the first gathering for a fellowship meal happening in January 2018.

In 2023, Northland Reformed Church will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Although the church has been known by various names, met in various places, served by various pastors, witnessed various members come and go, and weathered various trials, one thing remains the same, the message we proclaim. Jesus is who we preach, Jesus is the one in whom we live, and Jesus is the end goal of everything we do. Remember, the church has only one foundation, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, the reason for our existence is to proclaim His gospel to the glory of the Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. While it is true that many individuals have been used throughout the history of this church, we must remember that it was God who used them. And while we do not know what the future holds, we do know the one who holds the future in His hand. God has been faithful to Northland Reformed Church for many years, and it is my prayer that he will continue to do so, and to use each of us, the members of His Church, as instruments in His hand. May God give each of us a heart for the salvation of the lost, the growth of the saints, and the glory of our God as we labor for him in Kansas City.