City Rescue Mission of Lansing, Lansing, Michigan

 Mission Statement
	
"Meeting physical needs to bring those with spiritual needs to Jesus Christ."

The City Rescue Mission of Lansing shelters men, women and children; providing over 100 beds per night.
	
 Description
The Mission is the largest shelter in the mid-Michigan area.  It also provides over 65,000 meals per year, clothes over 
4,000 families and provides over 30,000 over-night accommodations.  We do not charge any of our guests for products and 
services.

We give back to the community as God provided for us to serve in the name of Jesus Christ.  The Mission does not receive 
any government funding and therefore glorifies God in operating through His blessings and provisions; through His people 
and through His direction.

MISSION HISTORY:

The City Rescue Mission of Lansing was founded by Thomas and Emily Dolton in October of 1911.  Since its founding, the 
Mission has existed solely on faith that God will provide through His people.

Early in the 1930s, the Mission added a soup line to its services.  At first, the Mayor of Lansing wanted the Mission to 
close the soup line, but as the Depression swept across the country, the Mayor commended the Mission for this service to 
the citizens of Lansing.

Thomas Dolton served the Mission until his death in 1942.  His wife served until 1949, when their son-in-law, John Beck, 
became Superintendent, incorporated the Mission, and created the Board of the City Rescue Mission to ensure the 
Mission?s continued ministry.

The City Rescue Mission in the upstairs of the old Tanner building, at Michigan Avenue and Frances; Oren Kellogg donated 
pews, songbooks, and organ.  Within a year, the Mission moved to the basement of a building in the 500 block of Michigan 
Avenue*; services included nightly lodging, food when possible, and articles of clothing.  They were at this location 12 
years.  

The Mission moved again to the upstairs of 429 ? Michigan Avenue*; here the soup line was started and continued when 
they left this location after eight years to move to the upstairs on the corner of Michigan and Cedar Street, 500 ? Michigan 
Avenue*, then to 519 ?*.  Bread was donated by local bakeries and given out.  Finally, property was purchased on 611 
Michigan Avenue, the Mission?s current chapel building.  George Squires donated the first (neon) sign proclaiming ?Jesus 
Saves? in 1948, and the building was remodeled for an Easter move-in, 1949.  

Later purchases (613 in July of 1957; 609 in November of 1972, and 607 in April of 1977), brought the Mission to its 
current size.  Since 1977, the Mission has expanded to include a Family Center (four houses), a Free Store, located on 1515 
Cedar Street, and transitional housing on Clear Street.
	
 Organizational Statement of Faith


1. Scripture: The 66 books of the Old and New Testament are complete, verbally and plenary inspired Word of God, being 
inerrant, infallible, and final authority for faith and life. As divine revelation of God, they shall be interpreted 
according to grammatical-historical meaning (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

2. The Godhead: There is one triune God, eternally existing in three persons?Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?each eternal, 
identical, and equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections and executing distinct but harmonious 
offices in the great works of creation and redemption (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 1 John 5:7).
a.	Father: The Father is perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power.  He concerns Himself 
mercifully in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus.
b. Son: 1. Jesus Christ became man without ceasing to be God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary 
so that He might reveal God and redeem sinful humanity (Isa. 7:14; John 1:14; Gal. 4:4-5. 2. He accomplished our 
redemption through substitionary death on the cross, and our justification is made sure by His physical resurrection from the 
dead (Acts 2:18-36; 1 Peter 1:3-5). 3. He ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God.  There, as our 
High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25-28; 1 John 2:1-2) 4. Christ will 
visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, as promised to the nation of Israel (Dan. 
2:31-45; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18).
c. Holy Spirit: 1. The Holy Spirit has come to complete and perfect in us all Christ accomplished on our behalf by His 
atonement.  He convicts of sin, regenerates, sanctifies, gifts us for ministry, and assures of salvation. He is the 
Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day 
of redemption (John 16:7-11; Eph. 1:13-14).  2. As divine Teacher, He assists believers to understand the Scriptures (Eph. 
1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)  3. He gives spiritual gifts to every believer and uses evangelists, pastors, and 
teachers to equip believers in the assembly so they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-7).
	
3. Spiritual Gifts: We believe in the continued expression of the spiritual gifts.  The more demonstrative or ?sign 
gifts? such as healing, raising the dead, and speaking in tongues were given for the authentication of the apostolic 
generation and are not normative for today. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).

4. God and man: God is sovereign and allows humanity free will.
a. Salvation:  1. Salvation is the gift of God brought to by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus 
Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins. All sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are 
forgivable (Matt. 12:31; John 1:12; Eph. 2:8; 1 John 1:9). 2. Man was created in the image of God, but, through Adam's sin, 
humanity fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly 
unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:27; Rom. 5:12). 3. Once saved, all the redeemed are kept by God's power, thus 
secure in Christ forever (John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39). 4. Believers have the privilege of rejoicing in the assurance 
of their salvation through God's Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh 
(Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13).
b. The Church: 1. The church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (1 Cor. 
12:12-14; Eph. 5:25-27). 2. The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New 
Testament (Acts 14:27; 1 Tim. 3:1-13). 3. The local church is autonomous and free of external authority or control (Acts 
15:19-31; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). 4. Water baptism and the Lord's Supper are Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church (Matt. 
28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
c. The Personality of Satan: Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man. He is the declared 
enemy of God and man and shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Isa. 14:12-17; Rev. 20:10).
d. The Eternal State: 1. All people will be bodily resurrected: the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment 
and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:12-13). 2. At death, souls of the redeemed are absent from the body and 
present with the Lord; in conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to 
be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; I Thess. 4:16-17). 3. After death, souls of unbelievers remain 
in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection; with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the 
Great White Throne Judgment and be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:41-46; Rev. 
20:11-15).

Faith in Practice:
1. Separation:  All the saved should live so as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His 
people to separate from all religious apostasy, worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from 
all immodest appearances (Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

2. Civil Government:  God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: Home, Church, 
and State. Everyone is subject to these authorities, but all (including these authorities) are answerable to God and 
governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities 
with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon another. Home, Church, and State are separate and 
sovereign in their respective, biblically assigned spheres of responsibility (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:33; Heb. 13:17).

3. Love:  We should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers but also toward unbelievers. We are to 
deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids stirring up strife, taking revenge, 
or threatening/using violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God 
commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in sinful actions (Matt. 5:44-48; 
John 13:34-35).

4. Human Sexuality:  God has commanded us to refrain from any intimate sexual activity outside marriage. Any board 
member, staff member, or volunteer of the Mission confirmed to be involved in sexual sin (including molestation, 
homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, pornography, and/or transexualism) will be 
immediately removed from any positions of ministry or service by the Executive Director or Board of Directors (Leviticus 18; 
Romans 1:26-29).  The only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24).

5. Divorce and Remarriage:  God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one spouse dies. However, Biblical 
provisions allow divorce within limited conditions; in such cases, divorced persons may hold positions of service and be used 
of God to minister at the Mission (Malachi 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12).

6. Abortion:  Human life begins at conception; an unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes taking 
human life. We reject any teaching that abortions are acceptable (due to rape or incest, birth defects, gender selection, 
birth or population control, or for the mental well-being of the mother) (Psalms 127:3, 139:14-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:44).

7. Lawsuits Between Believers:  Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians to 
resolve personal disputes. The Mission possesses the resources to resolve personal disputes between Mission staff and/or 
volunteers (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32).

8. Slanderous Gossip Forbidden:  Slandering the character or hurtful destructive criticism of methods and practices of 
others is sinful and not to be permitted (1 Timothy 5:17, Proverbs 6:16-19).
 
Authority of Statement of Faith:
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all we 
believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible 
and, therefore, is binding upon all members of the Board of Directors and managerial and counseling staff.  All 
educational and promotional materials used in the ministries of the City Rescue Mission shall be in complete agreement with this 
Statement of Faith.

Program Type

Homeless Program

Denominational Affiliation

Non-denominational

Organizational Partner

Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM)

Do you Require Formal Orientation Training?

No