We believe:
In one God, creator and sustainer of all things, sovereign, omnipotent, infinitely perfect, and eternally co-existing in three persons –Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Gen 1:1, Col 1:16-18, Matt 28:19, Eph 1:11
The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments are the inspired, inerrant and trustworthy Word of God. They are the complete and finished revelation of His will for the salvation of human beings and are the final authority for all matters about which they speak. Dt 4:2, 2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pet 1:20-21, Rev 22:17-19
That human nature derives from two historical persons, created in God’s image as male and female. Sex and gender are inseparable and are biologically determined by God at the moment of conception. These two distinct, immutable, and complementary genders together reflect the unique image of God as He expressed it in each individual. The historical persons, Adam and Eve, were created perfect, but they sinned, plunging themselves and all humanity into sin, guilt, suffering, and death. Gen 1:26-27, Gen 3:1-7, Rom 3:10-23
Biblical marriage is uniting one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as Scripture teaches. God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. Gen 2:18-25, 1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5, Heb 13:4
That Jesus Christ is the virgin-born Son of God who lived in human flesh, at the same time fully man and fully God, experiencing the trials and temptations of humanity, yet was without sin. Jn 1:1-4; Col 1:16; Is 7:14, 9:6-7; Phil 2:7, Heb 1:3
There is a personal devil, Satan, who is still working in the world to destroy souls, and that he and all his angels and all who do not receive Christ as their personal Savior will eternally perish in the lake of fire. 1 Peter 5:8, Rev 20:14-15
That the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ and his bodily resurrection provide the only ground for justification, forgiveness, and salvation for all who believe. Only those who trust in Him alone are true children of God, born of the Holy Spirit, true members of the church, and will spend eternity with Christ. 1 Cor 15:3-4, 1 Pet 3:18, Heb 10:12-13
That through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ defeated Satan and all spiritual forces of evil. All authority has been given to Him, and He is seated at the right hand of God the Father far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named. Heb 1:1-4, Eph 1:20-23, Col 2:9-10, Col 2:15
The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’s Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is baptized into Christ as a part of His body and is currently seated with Him. He has provided us with spiritual armor by which we can live free from the bondage of sin and oppression. Eph 1:22, 2:6, 2:19-22, 6:10-17; Heb 12:23; Jn 17:11, 20-23
That the Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration and renewal for believers in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit makes the presence of Jesus Christ real in believers and comforts, guides, convicts, and enables believers to live in ways that honor and glorify God. Titus 3:5-6, Rom 8:9, Acts 1:8, Gal 5:16
Having just returned from eight years on the mission field in Central America, Dr. Jeff Stam was confronted with several situations in western Michigan that resembled the same type of spiritual warfare that he had encountered on the mission field. Jeff and his wife, Denise, began doing freedom ministry in their home, but as the need continued to grow and through the encouragement of his Bible study group, in November, 1995 Jeff decided to leave his position as Managing Editor for World Literature Ministries to start Set Free Ministries (SFM). Initially the ministry was housed at Friendship Chapel (Jenison) and under the spiritual direction of the church’s elders. The focus was to set individuals free from spiritual and emotional bondage through God’s Word, love, and prayer, using the “Steps to Freedom in Christ” model Jeff had learned from Dr. Neil Anderson. Another primary focus was to train local churches to do this type of freedom ministry on their own. It didn’t take long for the floodgates of ministry opportunity to open wide.
In a short period of time, the advisory team that Jeff had asked to guide him in ministry became and executive board, and SFM became an official non-profit ministry. The small office at Friendship Chapel was outgrown and SFM moved to a suite of offices above Love INC in Hudsonville. In April of 2002 Jeff was called back into pastoral ministry and Dean Vander Mey became Executive Director, selling the packaging business he had begun and run for 23 years. Dean continues to faithfully lead the ministry in the direction that God is calling. In June of 2006, SFM outgrew the Hudsonville office space and transferred to its current location in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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