About Rhenish

Welcome to Rhenish Family

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Our Faith

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CONFESSION OF FAITH
◦ Section 1.  This congregation confesses the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - as the one true God. It proclaims the Father as Creator and Preserver, His Son Jesus Christ as Redeemer and Lord, and the Holy Spirit as Regenerator and Sanctifier.  
◦ Section 2.  This congregation confesses that the Gospel is the revelation of God’s saving will and grace in Jesus Christ, which He imparts through Word and Sacrament. Through these means of grace the Holy Spirit creates believers and unites them with their Lord and with one another in the fellowship of the Holy Christian Church.  
◦ Section 3.  This congregation confesses the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, through which God still speaks, and as the only source of the Church’s doctrine and the authoritative standard for the faith and life of the Church.  
◦ Section 4.  This congregation subscribes the documents of the Book of Concord of 1580 as witnesses to the way in which the Holy Scriptures have been correctly understood and explained and confessed for the sake of the Gospel, namely:  
■ a. The Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds as the chief confessions of the Christian faith;  
■ b. The Unaltered Augsburg Confession as its basic formulation of Christian doctrine;  
a. Luther’s Small Catechism as a clear summary of Christian doctrine;

a. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Luther’s Large Catechism, the Smalcald Articles with the Treatise, and the Formula of Concord as further witnesses to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.

NATURE AND MISSION
This congregation is a worshipping, learning, witnessing and serving community of baptized persons among whom the Word is proclaimed and the Sacraments are administered according to the Gospel, and whose corporate existence is recognized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. It shall provide support to enable the fulfillment of the mission and ministry of this church.
• a. Worship. This congregation, remembering God’s mighty acts in the past, celebrating His abiding presence, and moving toward His promised fulfillment, will listen to the Word of God in Scripture and preaching, receive the Sacraments, and respond with confession, prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and with tithes and offerings. In order to assist members to acknowledge God’s rule over their lives, their own unity as Christ’s body on earth, and to express their relationship with God in public and in private, the congregation shall gather for worship regularly and, in accordance with the traditions of the Lutheran Church, recruit, equip and support members for leadership in worship, use appropriate worship materials, and make certain that worship has a place in other functions of the congregation.  
• b. Learning. The congregation shall develop an educational program designed to assist persons to grow in grace and faith and in the knowledge of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions for service and witness in the world. To this end it shall provide learning opportunities with appropriate curriculum, shall recruit, equip, approve and support teachers, and shall ensure that adequate study undergirds all functions of this church.  
• c. Witnessing. This congregation, relying on the Holy Spirit, shall proclaim the Gospel by word and deed and thereby invite all people to repent and believe. The congregation shall recruit, motivate, equip and support its members to witness to their faith at every opportunity in daily life so that the Lord is glorified, the fellowship is strengthened, the lapsed are restored and new members are added to the congregation. It shall provide for the communication of the Gospel through fellowship in the wider Christian community. It shall assure that all congregational functions witness to the faith of the church.  
• d. Service. This congregation shall live by faith active in love. It shall motivate, equip and support its members to minister in daily life; to participate as members of a caring community; to serve as Christians in all the institutions and structures of the society of which they are a part; and individually and corporately to promote justice and reconciliation, meet human needs and alleviate suffering. In these efforts the congregation shall cooperate with the synod and the divisions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, The Chinese Rhenish Church Hong Kong Synod, other Christian churches and other groups in society. It shall make certain that all its functions strengthen the motivation and ability for service.  
• e. Support. This congregation in faithfulness to God shall provide leadership, organizational structures, facilities and funds to enable fulfillment of its functions. The congregation shall strive to maintain effective stewardship practices, evaluate regularly the total life and ministry of the congregation, and recruit, equip and support members of the congregation to provide for these activities.

Our Background

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RHENISH CHURCH OF CANADA (LUTHERAN)
(member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada)

It all began with the vision to carry on the great commission. The mission call was originated in the Rhine region of Germany, taken root in mainland China, exodus to Hong Kong, and carried by the immigrates to Toronto. In 1984, the people gathered to worship as the Rhenish Church of Canada. In 1990, formal relationship was established with the Chinese Rhenish Church, Hong Kong Synod as overseas sister congregation. In 2003, Rhenish joined the local larger Lutheran family and became a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

BECOMING A COMMUNITY

Some unknown to each other, some aliens from Christ, between the periods of July 1984 and January 1992, parishioners met at the Salvation Army at Downtown Toronto, worshipping on Sunday afternoon.

Soon, it was found that the facility was not able to accommodate the expanding needs. At the same time, Chinese community was growing significantly in the Scarborough area.
In February 1992, we relocated to Dr Norman Bethune C.I. and have our Sunday worship in the morning. This new meeting place was well situated in Scarborough and provided ample of outreach opportunities.
As the Chinese community development extended eastward, and purchase for property mandated saving, in September 1993, the congregation relocated to St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Elementary School, in Scarborough.

Started off with a small group of 20 people, membership grew steadily to about 300 worshipping in 2 languages. 6 satellite ministries were set up inside the high school located in Scarborough, North York and Markham. Rhenish has grown into a worshipping community, emphasizing in theological education and partnership with the wider Christian community.

CALLING OUT OF SCARBOROUGH

It began with the need of more space for programs, a permanent facility, and strengthening belonging and ownership of parishioners. Different building proposals were being studied, such as purchasing church office, education facilities and warehouse. In 1995, the creation of a gospel partnership and share property with a Scarborough sister congregation has taken flight. However, without a clear vision, after long labor and struggle, the partnership did not materialized.At the dawn of this millennium, Chinese population was moving out of Scarborough towards north, especially the young families. A study was conducted on GTA and Markham. Research on demographics, availability of property and corresponding ministry model were part of the year long study. With the sense of mission towards young families among the Chinese and multi-cultural communities, Rhenish purchased two acres of land in the middle of farmlands situated in the Cornell community on Dec 31, 2004.

ENTERING CORNELL .

To grow, share and learn together with this newly developed growing community, the congregation relocated to Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic school in the following year. As the school facing shortage of caretakers, Rhenish relocated again to Brother Andre Catholic school.

Throughout the years, God’s calling came thru in many ways, among the congregation, synodical and national church, Hong Kong sister church, and challenges. Many have pray faithfully and persistently. Many have provided support in finance and manpower. Many responded to the call. Praise be to the Almighty and Compassionate Lord.

Challenges have nurtured us to grow in faith, trusting God’s providing. “I planted the seed in your heart, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow” 1 Cor 3:6.

Rhenish emerged from Scarborough with a clear and strong sense of the mission that God has entrusted to her.

The fruit of an apple tree is apple. May Rhenish bear fruits of the Spirit and the Holy Gospel.

Even more, the offspring of an apple tree is another apple tree. Rhenish vision forward to her fruits and mission offspring. May the almighty God who has given us the will to do these things, graciously give us the strength and compassion to perform them.

MISSION – BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS ...
As Rhenish journeys on as a community ... where we find belonging ... love ... building upon the scripture and confession ... focusing in worship, learning, witness, service, she shall be ...

A PLACE OF WHOLENESS – RCCL
A place Relevant to life A people of Character ... integrity, honesty, compassion, responsibility, fairness, respect, courage, initiation, perseverance, and hope A Community to count on ... sharing joy and struggle ... growing and building together A Living witness of an abundance life in God's love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ

October, 2008 His Servant
Pastor David Tin

Mission Statement

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THE VISION

We are not building comfort for a few, but for God’s kingdom.

May we be a blessing for our neighbourhood .... ... a community with whom people find relevance to their life and faith experience ... ... souls are healed and spirits are renewed ... ... let this be a place where characters are build up.

同有一個心志,站立得穩,為所信的福音齊心努力.腓 1:27 Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. Phil l:27

THE PLACE – A PLACE OF WHOLENESS

• Relevant - a place relevant to life
• Character - a people of integrity, honesty,compassion, responsibility, fairness, respect, courage, initiation, perseverance, and hope
• Community - a community to count on ... sharing joy and struggle, grow, and build together
• Life in Full - an abundant life in God's love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ

THE PEOPLE

• We are a community ... where we find belonging ... loving ... building upon the scripture and our confession ... co-owned ... worshipping, learning, witnessing, serving holy church.
• 我們是一個...我們歸屬...互愛...建基於聖經和本會信綱...共有... 的敬拜、學習、見証、服事之聖教會

Natural Church Development

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Thinking growth....

Naturally Partnering with God to stimulate healthy growth

Framework for healthy growth: 8 quality characteristics

"This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A farmer scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know why. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." (Mark 4:26-29)

Scripture points out that the principles God sustains and grows living things in the world are also used by God to grow His Kingdom.

The local church is a living organism which God wants to grow. It shares similarities with other organisms God has created and sustains. Its potential for growth lies in its HEALTH, not its size.

NCD has demonstrated decisively through comprehensive international research that healthy growing churches are more successful in RELEASING THE POTENTIAL for healthy growth because they apply these natural principles and treat the church more as a living organism to be grown rather than an organization to be built.

In Mark 4, Jesus gives a picture of the partnership God expects to have with His people in growing the Kingdom. Jesus points to Kingdom growth as A COOPERATIVE EFFORT:
• the sower creates an environment which maximizes the potential for new life and growth by consistently removing the obstacles to healthy growth,
• but God alone brings that life and growth (which appears to happen "all by itself" to the farmer) The role of God's people, and their leaders in particular, is similar to that of the farmer. They cannot give life and produce growth. Only God can do that. All they can do is maximized the potential for growth.

This is done by a continual process of identifying the barriers which impede growth within the life of the church and removing them. In this way the potential for ‘all by itself’ growth is constantly maximized. The eight quality characteristics that are critical components of the life of healthy, growing churches are: Empowering Leadership, Gift-based Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Effective (Functional) Structures, Inspiring Worship Service, Holistic Small Groups, Need-oriented Evangelism, Loving Relationships

自然教會發展
認識上帝親自用來建立教會的原則,是教會增長要素。“自然教會發展“理念是經過調查數以百計大大小小的模範教會,從中找出哪些是共有的有效原則。這八個重要原則為:
1. 令信徒得力的領導 2. 以恩賜為本的事奉 3. 充滿熱忱的靈性 4. 功能健全的結構 5. 激勵人心的崇拜 6. 全面兼顧的細胞小組 7. 以需要為本的佈道事工 8. 會眾相親相愛的關係
每種優良特質形容詞部份,就是優良特質的秘密所在。
教會所以增長的秘訣,不是因為人憑一己力量勉力推動教會前進,而是因為上帝親自賦予教會的潛力得到釋放、發揮,結果增長便自動出現。我們根本無法在教會的量上「製造」增長,因此,我們應集中力量發展教會的質素,確保教會不會錯過上帝的祝福。教會所以停滯不前,主要受那些發展得最弱的特質影響。
開始自然發展歷程之前,教會必須先確定本身的優劣概況及八種優良特質中表現最缺乏建立的一環。要獲得這概況,教會邀請兄姊填寫問卷,以助教會改善弱項。