Why we exist:

Howell Bible Church exists as a fellowship of believers to praise God’s glorious grace until Christ is known in all the earth.

Our mission is to build up the church of Jesus Christ by equipping believers and evangelizing the world.

Where we meet:

2258 E. Highland Rd.
Howell, MI, 48843

When we meet:

Worship Service on Sundays @ 9:30am

Mid-Week Service on Tuesdays @ 6:30pm

All are welcome.

What we value:

Everything we do is influenced by:

• The Whole Bible. We are intentional about being faithful to the entire Bible. We will not neglect any part or unduly elevate any part over the rest.
• The Whole Family of God. We do not have a key demographic. We worship together with entire households and with believers of all types. We bear with believers who think differently and who are in different stages of life as we seek greater unity in Christ.
• God-Centered Worship. Our highest priority is to worship God through Christ our Lord. We will not be distracted by other matters, even when those other things are good and important, too.
• Including the Gospel in Everything. The Gospel is both for believers and for unbelievers. It is the truth of first and foremost importance and deserves our continual attention.

What we do:

We do not provide childcare, doughnuts, or typical programs. We do seek to cultivate an environment which encourages all believers to understand God’s Word and actively obey Christ in all things. We provide opportunities for believers to mature in their faith through worship, biblical teaching and discipleship, benevolent community service, fellowship, prayer, evangelism, serving in their giftings, administration of the Christian sacraments, and stewardship.

Where we are headed:

Howell Bible Church desires to be a church that…

…honors and glorifies God in all aspects.

We acknowledge that Howell Bible Church is not “ours.” The head of the church is not our pastor, evangelist, or our elders. Only Jesus Christ has a church. We belong to Him. Since we are not our own—we have been bought with a price—we will seek to honor His commandments rather than our own preferences.

…prioritizes the edification of believers.

HBC will seek to edify, exhort, and equip believers rather than settling for entertaining them. We will encourage those who trust in Christ to truly deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow Him. We will do this because Christ commands it and because an equipped and active body of believers will always be more effective than an assembly of passive spectators.

…values teaching the entirety of Scripture.

Howell Bible Church believes and teaches that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17). As a result, we will strive to teach the whole counsel of God—both Old and New Testaments. While Christians must not revert back to the Old Covenant, which is the shadow of the substance found in Christ, we must also understand that the New is best understood in light of the Old.

…obeys the call to proclaim the gospel to every creature, until the whole world hears.

We believe that the Great Commission was not a suggestion. It is our mandate from our risen Lord and Savior. Since every new creature in Christ has been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17–21), we will seek to equip and encourage every follower of Christ to be faithful and fruitful stewards of the gospel. While we acknowledge that not everyone will have the exact same approach, platform, and/or methods, we also acknowledge that the gospel remains unchanging and is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. Therefore, we will seek to proclaim the pure and undiluted gospel, rather than preaching ourselves, our methods, or our own subjective perspectives.

…takes grace seriously.

We acknowledge that the grace of God is powerful and glorious. It is so much more than a permissive novelty that allows us to go to heaven after we die. Much more, we acknowledge that the grace of God is transformative—changing us from darkness to light, from spiritual death to spiritual life, and from sinners into saints. We seek to be a church that walks in the genuine, transformative grace of God, knowing that it is at work in all genuine believers, working to conform us more and more into the image and likeness of Christ. We strive to be a community of believers that walks the narrow path, encouraging one another to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

…worships and grows together as a family of believers.

HBC seeks to honor the entire family of God. While we acknowledge that there are times when segregating the community of believers may be temporarily appropriate (for example, a Men’s gathering or a Children’s event), we will prioritize the whole church being together as much as possible. HBC seeks to be a place where all believers—male and female, young and old, married and single, rich and poor—have a seat at the table and where all are valued and loved for who they are and where they are at in their walk with Christ.

…values unity in the things that matter.

HBC will seek to be unified in the gospel of Jesus Christ rather than being unified in our personal interests, preferences, hobbies, or the particulars of our lives. We acknowledge that if we attempt to be unified in anything else, we are building upon the sand. Instead, we will seek to build upon the Rock by focusing on things that endure and do not change, rather than things that are temporary and transient.

…celebrates diversity among fellow believers.

HBC recognizes the biblical truth that the Holy Spirit gifts believers as He wills. We acknowledge that the diversity of personalities and giftings is beautiful. While we are unified in our purpose, we choose to celebrate that God has gifted and shaped the members of His body differently for a reason. HBC does not seek to value and esteem one (or certain) giftings above other, different gifts. Instead, we seek to recognize that every member is valuable. HBC seeks to allow for each and every member of the body of Christ to serve in their giftings—to both lovingly build up fellow believers and also reach the lost with the gospel.

…seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Rather than seeking to build our own “mini-kingdom,” HBC desires to seek the Kingdom of God. (For much more on this topic, check out this six-part articles series written by our pastor on The Kingdom of God linked here.) We seek to encourage one another to live as aliens and strangers in this present world. We strive to be faithful in our role as ambassadors for Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. We will seek to lovingly remind one another that forgetting these priorities and putting our minds on earthly things instead is to live as enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:17–21).

…devotes ourselves to prayer and the grace of God.

We humbly acknowledge that unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). We seek to trust God in all circumstances knowing that unless we are following His lead and walking in His ways, our labor is ultimately useless. Instead, we seek to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our toil is not in vain, in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).

…chooses love.

We are commanded to love God and to love others. As a community of believers, we will seek to forgive others and ask for forgiveness. We will seek to be peacemakers and, as much as it depends on us, will seek to live at peace with all people. We will strive to speak the truth in love and we acknowledge that the most loving thing we can do is point people to faith in Christ.

…is a source of light in the community.

Howell Bible Church desires to use the resources God has entrusted to us for the purpose of reaching the community with the gospel through benevolence, partnering with other local churches in gospel-centered outreach, and supporting domestic and overseas missions that likewise seek to bring the life-giving gospel message to every nation.

Howell Bible Church (HBC) is a non-denominational, evangelical, Christian congregation.

Building on the foundation that was laid by Jesus Christ Himself, with the Apostles and Prophets (Ephesians 2:20), HBC desires to recognize both a Pastor/Teacher and an Evangelist as elders who equip the congregation for works of service (Ephesians 2:10; 4:12-16). The elders serve as overseers of both of the primary tasks of the church – the edification of the church and the evangelization of the world.

 

We gather for worship every Sunday morning at 9:30am at 2258 E. Highland Rd. in Howell, MI.

You are welcome to come as you are and worship the living God with us.

If you’d like to get an idea of what to expect before you come, you can read a little bit about why we’re different or contact one of our elders (contact info below).

We also invite you to partner with us as we minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to our community in Livingston County and to the ends of the earth.

Howell Bible Church was planted by Fourth Year Ministries.

Contact:

Email – info@howellbible.org
Pastor Joe Kohler (248) 563-5195
Elder Aaron Hathaway (586) 292-6938

Other Resources

Be sure to check out our media ministry The Exalted Christ page. It is good and right for every Christian to make the first things first. As a result, we want to exalt Christ and encourage you to do likewise.

Our Pastor blogs about life and ministry and you are encouraged to read and participate through the comments. The purpose of this blog is to encourage a closer walk with Jesus. It touches on topics related to Bible study, prayer, good books (outside of the Bible), and related themes.

Also check out Fourth Year Ministries’ blog to get equipped and encouraged for evangelism. Every Christian is responsible for being a faithful ambassador for Christ in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).