The RefineryOur Mission
The Refinery exists to equip, strengthen, and send a generation of disciples who know the Scriptures, walk in holiness, and bear faithful witness to Jesus Christ in Flint and beyond. We pray that God, by His Word and Spirit, would use this work to renew His church and reach the lost.
Our Vision
To be a place where God's people are purified by His Word, strengthened by His Spirit, and sent out as faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ — that He might be glorified in our homes, churches, and communities.
Our Core Beliefs
The Word of God
The Bible — the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments — is the inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God, and our supreme and final authority for faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16–17, Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 8:20).
- Purity: Called to pursue holiness in heart, mind, and conduct, by the grace of God and through the work of His Spirit (Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 1:15–16).
- Power: Confident in the gospel as the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16) and dependent on the Holy Spirit, who works as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11, Hebrews 2:4). We do not chase signs; we trust the God who saves, sanctifies, and is free to act in extraordinary ways for His glory.
- Prayer & Intercession: Devoted to prayer (Acts 2:42, Colossians 4:2), interceding for the church, the lost, the city, and those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–4), asking the Lord of the harvest to send workers into His harvest (Matthew 9:38).
- Faithful Proclamation of God's Word: Committed to the public reading, careful teaching, and bold proclamation of Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13, 2 Timothy 4:2). We hold that God still speaks to His people through His Spirit and gives gifts of encouragement and exhortation to His church (1 Corinthians 14:3), and we test every such word by the standard of His written Word (1 Thessalonians 5:20–21, 1 John 4:1). No impression, vision, or prophetic word carries the authority of Scripture or may add to, contradict, or replace it.
- Compassion & Restoration: Following Christ's example of mercy toward the broken, the suffering, and those bound in sin — pointing them to the only Savior who forgives sin, heals wounds, and makes all things new (Luke 4:18–19, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 21:5).
Who We Are
The Refinery is a teaching and discipleship ministry that exists, by God's grace, to serve His church and to point people to Jesus Christ. We do not claim any standing apart from Him; we are servants for Jesus' sake, proclaiming Him as Lord — bearing witness to His gospel (Luke 1:2, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 4:5).
We are not a local church. We are a para-church ministry that exists to serve the local church and her members — equipping believers with sound teaching and pointing them back to faithful congregations where the Word is preached, the sacraments are administered, and God's people are shepherded by qualified elders (Acts 20:28, Ephesians 4:11–13, Hebrews 10:24–25).
The Head of the Church
At the heart of The Refinery is one conviction: Jesus Christ Himself is the living Head of His church — not as an honorary title, but as the present, reigning Lord whose body cannot function apart from Him (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 1:22–23). We do not believe the church's deepest need is a better leadership structure, a stronger pastor, or a smarter strategy. We believe its deepest need is to recover the One who has never left the throne and to walk together under His leading — surrendered to His Word, formed by His Spirit, growing the fruit only He can grow.
For a fuller treatment of this conviction, see our teaching series The Head of the Church.
The Refining Process
We acknowledge that God refines His people — purifying His church as gold and silver are refined (Malachi 3:2–3), testing the genuineness of faith through trial (1 Peter 1:6–7), and producing endurance and Christlikeness in those He loves (Romans 5:3–5, Hebrews 12:5–11). For our God is a devouring fire (Hebrews 12:29), and He has not chosen the wise, the mighty, or the noble of this world, but those whom He has called — that no one may boast before Him, and that all glory may belong to Christ alone (1 Corinthians 1:26–31).
We seek to understand the times in light of God's Word (1 Chronicles 12:32, Ephesians 5:15–17), recognizing that we live in the last days — the era inaugurated by Pentecost (Acts 2:16–17) — in which God is gathering His people from every nation through the proclamation of the gospel (Matthew 24:14, Revelation 7:9–10). We labor in this hour with sobriety and hope, knowing that Christ will return.
Our Covenantal Identity
We are bound together not by human affinity, but by the new covenant sealed in Christ's blood (Luke 22:20). With all who trust in Him, we are living stones being built into God's spiritual temple, His holy priests, offering spiritual sacrifices that please God because of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). Our fellowship transcends natural bonds, for in Christ we share His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and are heirs together with Him (Romans 8:17).
Our Sacred Commission
We do not seek to replace the local church, but to serve her — to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:12–13).
He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.John 3:30 (NLT)
Our heart's cry echoes that of John the Baptist. We labor not for our own glory, but for the glory of the coming King, who is sanctifying His bride and will one day present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish — holy and without fault (Ephesians 5:25–27).
By His grace we have been called, by His grace we serve, and for His glory we live.