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“This is a matter with eternal repercussions. Sadly, multitudes of church people are completely unaware of what the Lord requires of them. For many, being a Christian merely means joining and going to church. This is not the intention for the body of Christ, nor will it provide salvation.”
Richard Oostra was born in Holland and came to Canada as a single young man following World War II. A three-year Bible School course he took after arriving in Canada was a very formative event in his life. However, his involvement in church life was ritualistic rather than a real relationship with the Lord. Richard’s true spiritual journey into a life of serving God began in 1963 during crusade meetings conducted in Red Deer, Alberta, by the evangelist twins, Ralph and Lou Sutera. Immediately following his own full commitment, Richard was used by the Lord in helping many of his own country people come to Christ. One of the outcomes of that revival was Richard’s volunteer involvement, along with Rev. Walter Boldt, in coordinating lay teams for ministry (at their own expense) returning to Holland, Richard’s land of birth. Over an 18-month period thousands of people there were impacted spiritually in conversion and revival. In 1995 Richard left the business world to become the U.S. West Coast representative of a well-known international missionary ministry. He served with real distinction in that capacity for 10 years, visiting hundreds of churches. As he observed what both his study of Scriptures and his personal experiences led him to perceive as shortcomings within many congregations, Richard was inspired to begin writing and sharing his concerns with a desire to see revival and positive change come to the church at large.
The book Church on the Rocks is primarily a compilation of such writings over a period of years. These concepts come from the heart of a man who has devoted his life to serving the Lord, and who has had a vast amount of experience in many aspects of Christian ministry. Richard and his wife of 48 years, Betty, are the parents of four grown and married children, and the happy grandparents of ten. All of the extended family are following Christ, with some of the grandchildren having already served the Lord abroad. He is currently retired and living in Surrey, British Columbia.
Here is what others are saying about Church on the Rock(s):
“Richard Oostra’s involvement in Christian ministry leadership over a period of more than fifty years, throughout North America as well as on the Continent, had enabled him to have a unique perspective on the state of the church as it has evolved into its current condition. His analysis of the distressed conditions and serious shortcomings generally evident in the church today is most insightful and urgently needs to be carefully considered. More importantly, his call for repentance and corrective action is one that we fail to heed to our peril and to serious loss for the cause of Christ.
As a layman in the pew, the author is expressing his frustration between belief and total commitment in aspect of both church life and one’s personal life to a Christ who has done so much for us.
Whether agreeing or not with the author’s premises, one cannot escape the fact that Church on the Rocks is a clarion call to the church to take a hard look at what it is truly all about anyway. It will provoke our thinking in many different aspects of church life today. Whatever your thoughts, let the heartbeat of the author stir you to action in some areas of your life.”
Rev. Lou Sutera, evangelist, Canadian Revival Fellowship
“Richard Oostra has been a personal friend of mine for eighteen years. He is a person who loves the Lord and His church. While here his influence was strong in the areas of evangelism and grounding new Christians in the Word of God. His criticisms may startle you, but his interest is to see the church built on a sound scriptural foundation. He is a man that has a great heart for the church.”
James W. Sinclair, pastor (1969-1987) Bethany Baptist Church, Red Deer, AB
Purchase Church on the Rock(s) below
These articles are based on the book Church on the Rock(s):
THE CHURCH
Building on Christ’s Foundation
THE N.T. CHURCH
What Happened to the Real Church?
KINGDOM MESSAGE
REFORMATION
Where did the Reformation Fail?
Being of Influence within the Church
What the Reformers did not Know
Are We in Need of Another Reformation?
REVIVAL READINESS
Renewal, Revival and Revitalization
REVIVAL AND RENEWAL
Church Revival, Where do we Begin?
CHURCH DETERIORATION
Is the Church in Need of Cleansing?
INTRODUCTORY ARTICLES
Seeking God’s Abiding Presence
CHURCH POTENTIAL
MISCELLANEOUS
CHURCH AWAKENING
God’s Requirement for Church Growth
God’s Call for Church Repentance
Meeting by Biblical Principles
CHURCH RESTORATION
Seeking God’s Abiding Presence
Is the Church in Need of Change?
Instructions for Church Restoration
SPECIAL ARTICLES
You have the right to copy these articles. If you have any questions, please contact Richard Oostra
We would love to hear from you with any questions you may have about the book. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you!
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