The Rock Church

Who We Are / FAQ's

FAQ’s

When people come into a new church, they typically have lots of questions. Although we can’t attempt to answer them all, hopefully we can answer some of them and at least give a glimpse of who we are. If you have more questions or would like some of these topics clarified, please contact us.

What if I’m not like everyone else?

For one reason or another, sometimes people feel like they don’t fit in at church. Although humans can tend to judge each other by certain standards, it’s important to see that God does not. In God’s eyes, there are only two kinds of people — people who need His grace and forgiveness, and people who have already received His grace and forgiveness. In either case, we are needy people and we have no room to judge each other. We all have our own weaknesses. At The Rock, we’re simply trying to work on our own relationship with God, and we try to help others do the same. Once you get to know people better, you may find that you are not as different as you think. Our church is simply a slice of life. We’re not perfect people, we’re just people.
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What if I want to lay low for a while, but still come to church?

That’s totally fine with us. You are more than welcome to simply enjoy the service and not feel burdened to join in on a bunch of other activities. We certainly don’t want to pressure you into being more involved than you’d like. We understand that there are many good reasons to limit your involvement. You may have schedule conflicts, you may be “gun shy” from a previous church experience, or you may just need a little space for a while. We want you to feel welcome, not pressured.
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How do I get more involved?

If you’d like to be more involved, that’s great! A perfect place to start is by visiting a small group, which provides an excellent opportunity to get to know more people. For us to really be able to help one another grow and pursue God together, we’ve got to get to know each other better, and small groups provide that environment. There are also numerous opportunities to serve — coffee bar, child care, storefront, connections, etc. There’s always something going on, and there’s always something to do.
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What are small groups?

We believe small groups are the heartbeat of our church. They are groups of 8-10 people that meet during the week for Bible discussion, communion, prayer, accountability, discipleship, etc. You might even say it’s where the church can be the church. Small groups provide an atmosphere for people to really get to know and love each other, and to live out the “one another” verses of the Bible. Small groups vary by location, so take a look at what each location offers on the small group page.
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What happens at small group meetings?

Small group meetings cover a wide variety of topics. A typical meeting might involve discussing a biblical issue, singing a few songs, maybe praying for a few minutes, and lots of time for fellowship! Small groups may also dedicate evenings to worship, communion, fun nights, book studies, video series, or whatever the leader perceives would be best for the group. Small group meetings are basically focused on trying to understand and apply simple biblical truths.
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How can I get to know more people besides the people in my small group?

We’d really like to encourage you to embrace your small group as your church family. We believe that a few deep relationships are far more valuable than lots of superficial ones. Of course that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything with other people in the church! It just means that you may want the primary focus of your relationship-building efforts to be in your small group. Because this is our general philosophy, you will find that we don’t put a lot of energy into having lots of extra events or programs. We’ll have a picnic or a concert now and then, but we often see more value in leaving people’s time freed up to do things through their small group. Although this may seem unusual, we think you’ll find that this method actually helps people develop the most meaningful relationships the fastest.
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When did The Rock start?

The Rock Church started in October 1999. It was birthed from its “parent” church in Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado. At that time, there were five families who moved from Colorado to help start the church.
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What denomination is The Rock?

The Rock Church is part of a larger association of churches known as the M28 Alliance (M28). M28 stands for the “Great Commission” Bible verses found in Matthew 28, which form the foundation of our Alliance. M28 is a U.S. based alliance of autonomous churches and ministries called to reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ and to help each other disciple the nations. By God’s grace M28 will work together with a common bond of Christian mission and unity and will engage leaders in this mission by:

Calling Courageously – defining and upholding unapologetically Biblical standards for following Christ in our culture.
Equipping Strategically – providing resources, training and conferences.
Supporting Lovingly – creating supportive leadership community and personal coaching and encouragement.

For more information on the M28 Alliance, please visit their website.
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Does The Rock support missions?

We do. You can find more information on our Missions page.
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Where did The Rock pastors receive their biblical training?

Our pastors have been trained for years through formal and informal leadership training classes. M28 churches also practices apprentice-style leadership training, which provides much hands-on preparation for pastoral ministry. For instance, Pastor Bill has been in this type of training since 1991 and now helps train others. He actually has a degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State University, but has been a full-time pastor since 1992 and has planted four churches in Colorado and Utah.
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How can you be a pastor without a seminary degree?

Many people think that in order for one to serve in full-time ministry, seminary training of four or more years is required. But this isn’t a biblical requirement, so at The Rock (and in most M28 churches) we have a different idea. Although schooling can be very helpful — and certainly a thorough knowledge of the Bible is critical — we believe that the most important qualification for a pastor is character. This IS a biblical requirement, and is clearly laid out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Character is best seen under pressure and in the context of the local church. That’s why most M28 pastors are raised up from within the very church they now serve.
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When I give money to The Rock, where does the money go?

Although we’d really like you to think in terms of giving to God rather than to the church, we know that you want to give to an organization that is faithful with how it spends its money. About 70-75 percent of our contributions get spent in three relatively fixed areas of expense — personnel, missions, and facilities. Other expenses include children’s ministry, men’s ministry, women’s ministry, youth ministry, outreach, benevolence, recordings, storefront, hospitality, etc. Click here for a full 2023 Financial Report.
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How much should I give?

Whatever you decide to give, it’s important that you give from your heart. A gift given begrudgingly is not a desirable gift in God’s eyes. In the Old Testament, people gave ten percent of their income to support the ministry of God. This was called the “tithe.” In addition to the tithe, people gave offerings for special projects and to help the needy. Our belief is that God would desire us to follow similar principles of giving today. When people give to the church in accordance to the amount with which God has blessed them, the needs of our church are easily met. This is God’s design for providing the financial resources for the church’s current and future needs.
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Why doesn’t the music at The Rock sound like “church” music?

At The Rock, we want people to have a meaningful and enjoyable worship experience. We believe our best chance at achieving this is if we sing songs that are more like what we hear on the radio. For more about our music program, visit The Rock Music website.
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Can the music be turned up/down?

That’s a great question! Although we continually strive to find the perfect balance in the volume each week, we’ve found that there just isn’t one. We have worked tirelessly on addressing any concerns we’ve heard about. However, there is not one, easy solution. In addition to evaluating our technical end of things, we realize that there are personal preferences in this area and they vary widely. There are a few things that might help you. If the music is too loud for you, you might consider sitting in one of the front two rows (they are actually the quietest in the room). Also, you can always find ear plugs at the Connections Booth. Additionally, we will continue to actively monitor sound levels during each service. We have a very detailed and informative open letter from the pastors that we encourage you to please read (click here for a PDF). Thank you!
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Why are people so relaxed in their attire?

Our dress is certainly not meant to be disrespectful. We simply want to have an atmosphere that makes people feel comfortable. We also want people to view us as “normal” people instead of “church” people. We don’t want to be any different on Sunday morning than when we’re at work or at home.
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Can women be small group leaders or pastors?

Men and women are definitely created equal in God’s sight and both are capable of being great leaders. However, the Bible clearly says that there are different roles in the church for men and women. Specifically, women are not supposed to teach or have authority over men. Because of this biblical restriction, we do not have female pastors but we do have women small group leaders. Obviously, in today’s society this is not a very popular stance. Please understand that our goal is not to restrict the advancement of women, but merely to follow God in His plan for the church. In fact, you’ll find that women in our church are quite influential and extremely well-respected. For two special messages that address this topic, please click here.
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What will my kids learn in Sunday school?

Our Sunday school teachers understand that teaching kids during the service is very important to the children’s spiritual growth. Sunday school is far more than a way to creatively pass the time — it’s critical to our mission of changing lives. Over time, we hope to impress truths about God to our kids that will help them know Him, follow Him, and develop a meaningful relationship with Him. Although we understand that there is only so much we can accomplish in such a short time, we hope to be a valuable addition to how parents are instructing their kids at home!
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How can I help my kids get the most out of Sunday school?

The more you reinforce what they learn, the more your kids will get out of Sunday school and the more fun it will be for them. After church each Sunday, ask your kids what they learned that week and discuss the topic with them. You may want to read the corresponding Bible story with them at home or even watch a video about it during the week (many selections are available in our video library).
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How is discipline handled in Sunday school?

In order for Sunday school to be fun for everyone, the kids need to be able to maintain a certain level of good behavior. If a child is disruptive, the teacher will politely direct them to adjust their actions. If a child continues to be disruptive or disobedient after the second warning, their parents will recieve a notification. This provides each parent the opportunity to deal directly with the issue and provides an incentive for kids to be better behaved the next week. You are also encouraged to touch base with your child’s Sunday school teacher each week. This can make it easier for them to tell you how things are going and to address any concerns they might have.
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Can my kids stay in the service with me?

We think your kids will probably enjoy Sunday school more than the service, but if you’d like to have them sit through the service you are more than welcome to do so.
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What about Baby Dedications?

Baby Dedications are a special time for both parents, their babies and for The Rock Church Family! We view Baby Dedications as a dedication of the parents — and the church — to raise these children in a way that honors the Lord. Really, it’s a dedication of parents, not just the babies. We don’t baptize infants. We believe baptism is for those who have repented of their sins and turned to Jesus Christ for their salvation – and two year olds can’t do that! Instead, we dedicate children to the Lord during this time and encourage both the parents and the church body to help that child grow to know Jesus. If you would like to dedicate your child to the Lord, here is an informational PDF that will help you get started!
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How can I use my gifts?

God has gifted many people in a wide variety of ways. We certainly appreciate people’s desires to see their gifts used and we hope we can provide a good fit for you. If you can’t find a perfect fit right away, you may want to simply fill in where help is needed most and then wait and see if something that better suits your gifting opens up in time. God loves even menial service, and so do we!
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How can I work through problems with people in the church?

One of the most common reasons people leave churches is because they have a hard time getting along with one another. This is nothing new. Relationships have always been difficult. Even one of Jesus’ prayers to the Father was that we would be united with each other. In fact, Paul outright begged the believers at Philippi to get along. It is extremely valuable for us to realize upfront that some degree of conflict is inevitable, so we need to have a plan to work through it when it happens if we hope to maintain any degree of unity in our church. So what is our plan? It’s pretty simple. Jesus said that if someone offends you, go and talk to him or her about it. Don’t talk to anyone else, just go and see if you can work it out. If you can’t work it out, the Bible says you should bring a mediator with you and see if you can work it out together. Obviously that’s not any fun to do, but we must value our unity more than we value avoiding conflict. By following these simple guidelines, we can sidestep lots of strife in our church.
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How is outreach accomplished?

Sharing the good news of the free gift of eternal life is one of the greatest privileges Christians have! We run ads in the newspaper, pass out flyers, and whatever else we can to reach out and try to bring more people to The Rock. But as far as effectiveness is concerned, nothing compares to personal invitations. Our best form of outreach is you! People are much more inclined to attend a church with someone they know. When people share their faith with their neighbors, friends, and family, our church grows in the most natural way. We also offer evangelism classes to help equip people to share their faith, as well as conduct periodic local or international mission trips. These are excellent opportunities to learn how to share your faith and to really trust God through challenging circumstances.
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Will you perform weddings?

The pastors of the church will gladly perform weddings of people in the church as well as people who don’t attend our church. Couples desiring to be married should be of the same faith and need to have a grasp of the seriousness of the marriage covenant. Couples desiring to get married should set up a time to meet with the pastor to confirm his availability, work out the details, and to discuss whether or not premarital counseling is desired. Weddings are performed as a service to our community. Taking the Rock Solid Marriage Class is a prerequisit to be married by one of the pastors.
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Can I get counseling through the church?

As a first step to counseling, we encourage you to talk to your small group leader. If you talk to them and still feel a need for more input, one of the pastors will be happy to meet with you. This is an important step, because although the pastors can always make time to meet with you personally, they may not be able to find the time to really be involved in your life at a deeper level. That is why it is important to involve the small group leader if at all possible. Of course if you aren’t involved in a small group or if you’re not comfortable talking to your small group leader, you are more than welcome to set something up with a pastor. As a legal disclaimer, it should be noted that all counseling will be based on the Word of God and not on the current wisdom of the world or “expertise” in any particular field. We believe that God’s Word is fully adequate for any problem we face.
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What are plans for future expansion?

A central part of our mission is to start churches, so we are definitely planning on expanding — we just don’t know where yet! Of course, man can have plans, but we are always waiting on God to see what His specific direction is for us. Until then, our ideas are constantly developing and we’re always looking for God to lead one way or another.
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