Free Reformed Churchof Langley

Who we are

A God-focused, Christ-centered, Bible-based, confessionally Reformed church

The church building from the parking lot on an autumn day, a red shrub in the foreground and a faint rainbow above

Mission

Our mission

We are a gathering of believers in Jesus Christ who seek to worship God in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23, 24), live to God’s glory and spread the good news of the gospel in our community and abroad.

As a church, we are devoted to focusing on Jesus Christ through biblical preaching, the use of the sacraments, and faithful church discipline. Through our worship, lives, and witness, we are called to show the word of life through Jesus Christ!

History

From the Murrayville Group to today

And for many years now, under the blessing of God, it has been our endeavour to be a witness in the community of Langley to the wondrous love of Jesus Christ, Who was delivered for our sins, and in Whose life we live and rejoice.

  1. 1979

    Fourteen families met together with the desire to start a Free Reformed Church in the Langley area. With the advice and guidance of emeritus pastor, Rev. Jacob Tamminga, they began to meet for services with this end in view. Rev. Neil Pronk, then of Grand Rapids, led us in our first worship service.

  2. 1980

    We petitioned the 1980 Synod of the Free Reformed Churches of North America to accept us as a new congregation of their federation. To our gratitude and great joy, the institution of ‘The Murrayville Group’ was mandated by synod. On July 9, 1980, Rev. C. Bos met with us in the Murrayville Presbyterian Church and after installing a consistory, he preached on the beautiful words of Romans 8:32, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” That’s when “The Murrayville Group” became the Free Reformed Church of Langley with a membership of 66 (27 confessing members and 39 baptized members).

  3. 1981

    A little over one year after our institution we were blessed by receiving our first pastor. Rev. Pieter VanderMeyden was installed in September 1981. For nine years he laboured in the gospel among us, leaving us for Grand Rapids in October 1990.

  4. 1993

    Three years later, in October 1993, Rev. Wim Wullschleger was installed as our pastor. He and his family came to us from The Netherlands, quite an uprooting for them. He accepted a call back to The Netherlands in August 2007 having been our pastor for just short of fourteen years.

  5. 2008

    Our third pastor, Rev. H. Thomas Aicken, served as our pastor from July 2008 to June 2014 when he officially became emeritus. However, although nominally retired, he continued to serve and guide us for another seven years.

  6. 2021

    Our fourth and current pastor, Rev. Ben Van Liere was ordained and installed as our pastor in April 2021. FRC Langley is his first congregation. He, his wife Ingrid, and their six children are a vibrant part of our fellowship and will remain so for many years we pray.

Our name

Free. Reformed. Church.

Free

Maybe you are wondering why we are called a Free Reformed Church. This reflects our historical roots in the Netherlands, where we freed ourselves from the civil tyranny and the religious liberalism of the state church that was occurring in the 19th century. We are still affiliated with our sister denomination in the Netherlands, the CGK.

While many of our members trace their roots to Dutch descent, we celebrate God’s grace in saving brothers and sisters from all groups of people, and gladly welcome people from all backgrounds into our fellowship (Gal 3:28).

Reformed

Being a Reformed church means that we aim to be re-formed according to the Word of God. Our life and worship must be shaped by Scripture. This is reflected in how we strive to keep God’s Word central in every aspect of our worship service.

We believe our Reformed confessions are faithful summaries of the Bible. They summarize scripture in teaching us that we are justified by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, to the Glory of God Alone.

Church

The Church is the Bride of Jesus Christ. As such, she is precious in His eyes. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised that He would triumphantly build His church, and for the past 2000 years He has been fulfilling that promise.

One way we celebrate Christ’s work of building His church through history and across the globe is by confessing the universal creeds of the historic church.

We are affiliated with the Free Reformed Churches of North America, a family of churches across North America that are both doctrinally and governmentally Reformed.

Beliefs

What we believe

An open Bible on the pulpit

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the inspired, inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

The early church

As Free Reformed Churches we fully subscribe to the three creeds of the early church:

The Three Forms of Unity

We also fully subscribe to three of the historic reformed creeds:

We believe that these latter three, called the Three Forms of Unity, in all respects agree with the Word of God.

Below is a summary of core beliefs which are more fully developed in the above-mentioned Reformed Confessions. For a more detailed explanation of our beliefs, please visit our denominational website at frcna.org/our-beliefs.

  1. The Scriptures

    All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts, culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.

  2. God

    We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  3. Jesus Christ

    Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of God the Father, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.

  4. The Holy Spirit

    The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

  5. Salvation

    Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifying them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ by a true faith become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

  6. The Church

    The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.

  7. Baptism

    Since baptism is a sign and seal of God’s covenant of grace, both believing adults and their children ought to be baptized.

  8. Christ’s return

    Jesus Christ will come again to the earth – personally, visibly, and bodily – to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).

  9. The Great Commission

    The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

Join us this Sunday

You are welcome to worship with us.

Everyone is welcome to come and hear what God says to us through His word. Feel free to contact us beforehand if you have any questions.

Get directions What to expect
20757 80th Avenue
Langley, BC V2Y 2A6
  • 10:00 amMorning worship
  • 11:30 amSunday School
  • 4:00 pmAfternoon worship