It all started in 1954 on Kirby Street in Detroit, MI…
OUR HISTORY
The first service at Kirby Church was held on November 6, 1954. The church sat on the corner of Brooklyn and Kirby (from which we get our name) in Detroit. The first pastor of Kirby was Rev. James B. Varney. Seventeen people were present for that service. He was pastor for nearly forty years. Over the next 30 years, the church relocated to downriver Michigan community where it has remained. Another huge milestone in our history is when Pastor Varney retired which led to the hiring of Pastor Mike Trimble as our second and current pastor.
This is now the most exciting time of our church's history. We are in the beginning stages of planning for future expansion on our present site, expanding strategic partnership with other mission points around the world, and enhancing our youth programs to help instill the Biblical values of love, honor, respect and living by the principles of Christ. This is a very exciting season for us. Change. Transition. New challenges and dreams. The good news is that, even though times change, the gracious love of God never changes! We will be taking more steps of faith on this incredible journey of faith. Come and join us.
OUR BELIEFS
Doctrine is an essential part of our DNA. We are commanded to “teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine” (2:1). Multiple times in the book of 1 Timothy, Paul urges, “watch your life and doctrine closely” (4:16) A brief overview of our beliefs are attached.
ABOUT GOD
We believe that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Righteous Ruler of the universe. He has revealed Himself in nature, and in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: yet as one God.
ABOUT ETERNITY
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.
ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s Word to all men. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian's beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.
ABOUT BAPTISM & THE LORDS SUPPER
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members memorialize the death of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, and anticipate His second coming.
ABOUT MAN
God created man in a state of innocence. Man, being tempted by Satan, yielded and willfully disobeyed God, becoming a sinner and incurring God’s judgment upon sin. All of Adam’s descendants inherit his fallen nature and thus have a natural inclination to sin. When one comes to an age of accountability, he is guilty of sinning before God and in need of salvation.
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
He is God’s unique Son; the only one of a kind. The Scripture teaches that He is God revealed in flesh. In His Divine nature He is truly God and in His human nature truly man. He is the One once crucified for man’s sin, the now risen and glorified Savior and Lord who mediates between God and man and who gives us access to the Father through His intercession. None can come to the Father unless they come through Him.
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
ABOUT THE CHURCH
A New Testament church of Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant agreement in the faith and fellowship of the gospel and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. This church is an autonomous body. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all the redeemed of all the ages.
Kirby Church is a part of the Free Will Baptist denomination. FWBs have over 2,600 churches in 44 states and are involved in mission outreach in 10 countries. Free Will Baptists have the headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.