Jared Rolston
A father of five, Jared leads a forestry crew felling and clearing trees around the Bay of Plenty. In his spare time he writes on faith and culture at his blog, That Jolly Lumberjack.
About Redwood Reformation Church
We are a small, Reformed Presbyterian church, with a focus on Christian piety and deep reading of scripture. We love God’s wisdom and we love God’s people—and we love putting the two together.
Our beliefs
- We believe that the Bible is the only infallible rule of faith, and sufficient to teach us God’s ways in all things.
- We believe the ecumenical creeds, including the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon.
- We believe that the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) is a pretty accurate summary of biblical doctrine and practice. We also uphold the Three Forms of Unity.
- We believe in the universality of Christ’s church, and thus in cooperative unity with brothers who differ from us in ways that do not pollute the gospel.
Leadership
We have no “professional” clergy or paid pastor. Our shepherds are bivocational men who work real jobs, and contribute the rest of their time and gifting to teaching and discipling in the church.
Bnonn Tennant
A father of four, Bnonn freelances as a web writer & designer. He is the author of The Spine of Scripture, co-author of It’s Good To Be A Man, and host of the True Magic podcast with his wife.
About our name
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Redwood
Because Rotorua is known for its redwoods, which are in turn fitting symbols of the kingdom of God. They can grow for thousands of years, resisting both fire and storm, to eventually become greater than all the other trees. -
Reformation
Because we stand self-consciously in the tradition of the 16th century Reformers. Just as the institutional church of their day had become weak and corrupt, so has ours. Just as they had to labor to restore the purity of the faith, so do we. And just as they emphasized the comprehensive rulership of Jesus over their nations, so we emphasize his total sovereignty as Lord of New Zealand. -
Church
Because this is the traditional and most readily understood word for the gathering of God’s people. In the New Testament, the original Greek word implies the assembling of God’s people together: church can just as accurately be translated as assembly or congregation.