As you connect with our church family, there are many steps we can help you take towards knowing Jesus and following him as a disciple. Join us Sunday mornings. Connect with our community groups. Volunteer to serve and help people in our community. We can pray with you. Get baptized. Become a church member. Keep reading below to learn more about our church family.
We are here because of the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are a people desperate for and delighted in Jesus. Though we have different backgrounds, ethnicities, opinions, and personalities, we find commonality in the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We gather each week to worship the one true God revealed in the Bible. We scatter throughout the week as individuals, families, and community groups to live out our mission to be and make disciples of Jesus.
We rely on God's grace to give us true unity to function together as one body in Jesus Christ, submitted to the Word of God and committed to living that Word out in our daily lives.
Who We Are
We exist to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Vision
As disciples of Jesus, we live out our mission through our vision: We glorify God by being a gospel-centered church family that celebrates, demonstrates, and communicates the good news of Jesus Christ among all people.
Our mission and vision are timeless, yet we want to live them out in a timely way. So every five years we set our eyes together on a fresh expression of that mission and vision. These days, we are chasing our…
2025 Vision
Our 2025 Vision boils down to three words: prayer, care, and share. Therefore, we desire to:
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Cultivate dependence upon Christ through prayer (Col 4:2-4)
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Demonstrate the mercy of Christ as we care for one another and our community (Col 4:5)
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Communicate the gospel of Christ as we share the good news of Jesus (Col 4:6)
One way to unpack prayer, care, share is through our passion to B.L.E.S.S. our neighbors. In other words, we are committed to . . .
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Be in prayer for the people on our ‘List of 5’
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Listen to them with compassion
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Eat and drink with them as expressions of hospitality
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Serve (and allow them to serve us) in love
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Share a story, the gospel of Jesus and our own testimony
What We Believe
Statement of Faith
At Mound Free Church, we put a high premium on truth as it is connected to the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our fellowship is a part of a movement of churches in this country known as the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) and we embrace the theological convictions of this movement. The EFCA Statement of Faith is set forth in 10 articles that unfold what we believe. As we study theology as a church family, our desire is to pursue gospel-shaped truths so we can see the vital connections between the pages of the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ. Our doctrinal convictions are all aspects of the gospel. Toward this end, we believe that . . .
1. The gospel originates in and expresses the wondrous perfections of the eternal, triune God.
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
2. The gospel is authoritatively revealed in the Scriptures.
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
3. The gospel alone addresses our deepest human need.
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
4. The gospel is made known supremely in the Person of Jesus Christ.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
5. The gospel is accomplished through the work of Christ.
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
6. The gospel is applied by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him, they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
7. The gospel is now embodied in the new community called the church.
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
8. The gospel compels us to Christ-like living and witness to the world.
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
9. The gospel will be brought to fulfillment by the Lord Himself at the end of the age.
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
10. The gospel requires a response that has eternal consequences.
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
What to Expect
When you visit one of our worship gatherings, we consider you our guest. Not to worry, our central focus won’t be on you . . . but seeing and savoring Jesus among us. At the same time, we are a very friendly congregation that notices and cares for those who visit us. It doesn’t take long to begin to make connections in our church. We would love for you to fill out a communication card and we’ll follow up with you later. You can come knowing you are in the midst of a group of broken people, all of whom need God’s grace.
Meet the Leadership
Elders
Dave Abernethy
Lead Pastor
Though the Lake Minnetonka area was his first home, Dave grew up mainly in the western suburbs of Chicago. He came to saving faith in Jesus Christ during the summer of 1998 while a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he earned a B.A. in English Literature. He also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL, as well as Level Two certification in the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. He served for two years as Assistant Pastor at Village Church of Lincolnshire in Lake Forest, IL, and accepted the call to Mound Free in 2005. He is ordained by the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) and is actively involved in district and national leadership within the EFCA. Dave also serves part time as a biblical counselor and teacher at Redemption House (a gospel-centered residential sober living facility for men in nearby Minnetrista). He is married to Melissa and has a son named Caleb and a daughter named Mia. Dave's passions include preaching, caring for the flock at Mound Free, and living for the advance of the gospel in the city of Mound and the Westonka area. He also enjoys reading theology (especially the Puritans), listening to music (mainly old singer-songwriters), and running on the Dakota Trail.
Scott Lund
Elder
Scott grew up in a Christian home. He came to Christ at the age of 10 and was baptized by immersion at 17. He currently owns his own construction business called Rightway Handyman. He is married to Jolene and they have four kids: Wes, Emma, Austin and Will. He has a passion for discipling our youth, being involved with biblical counseling, and supporting missions—both local and global. He disciples many young men towards living a godly and pure life in this present day. His favorite verse is 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Aaron Geise
Associate Pastor
I’m a follower of Jesus, a husband to Jenny, and father to three, Eleanor, Nathaniel and Isaiah. I grew up in northwest Ohio. I studied biology and psychology in college, going on to earn two Master’s degrees in psychology. While preparing to become a counseling psychologist at the U. of Minnesota the Lord used a mentor to draw me to Christ. I read Scripture and began trusting in the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. I then earned a Master of Divinity at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Plymouth, MN. After serving at Bethlehem Baptist Church for four years, I accepted the call to pastor part-time at Mound Free in 2018. I also provide biblical counseling through my private practice, Living Hope Pastoral Counseling. Our family enjoys making music, being outdoors, gardening and board games.
Andy Kahler
Elder
I was born and raised in Cedar Falls, IA. I attended Wartburg College where I received a Physics B.A. and went on to obtain a teacher's certificate from the University of Northern Iowa. I am a science teacher at Orono High School. I can’t pinpoint a certain date when I became a believer but I grew up in a Christian home and did what was “right” in the eyes of others. However, I didn’t truly mature in my faith until my Junior and Senior years in College. By the grace of Jesus Christ, I have been actively striving to turn from my sins every day. My wife, Cara, and I have been blessed with two wonderful children.
Deacons
Kevin Johansen
Deacon
Shawn Klein
Deacon
Chuck Von Hagen
Deacon
Greg Walters
Deacon
Staff
Cara Kahler
Pastoral Assistant
Greg Galler
Custodian