About Us

Fellowship Potsdam is an English Speaking fellowship who focuses on learning from the Bible to grow in maturity and and find solutions for the complexity of life.

our Leaders:

Franz Martens

Lead Pastor

Franz and his wife Kristie have 3 children, 2 in-laws and a grandson. Having started in ministry in 1996, the Martens have served two terms in Papua New Guinea and short-term projects in several other countries.

Moving to Berlin in 2017 they started a ministry to host and council ministry leaders facing burnout. Living in the Potsdam area, they recognized that an English speaking church didn't exist for the many who struggle with the German language. Over the course of two years, the Lord confirmed that planting an international church was their next calling.

Scripture that guides and comforts them is Colossians 1:27-29

Franz has received his B.A. in Multicultural Ministry and M.A. in Christian Counseling.

Chad Gfeller

Associate Pastor

Chad and his wife Cherry, along with their two daughters, Quinn and Gracie, moved to Berlin in 2017.

Chad’s call to ministry came through an unlikely route: his background in collegiate sports. Seeing the opportunities that sports afforded to build bridges for the gospel in urban areas gave way to a vision to use this as a tool to reach unreached peoples.

Chad’s desire is to see believers grow to maturity in Christ and learn how they can live out their calling so that others may be gathered for God's glory. He has received his B.S. in Health, Fitness & Recreation from Bob Jones University and an M.B.A from North Greenville University. Chad’s favorite verse is Psalm 19:14: “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Daví Machado Batista

Music Leader

Daví and his wife Renatta have 1 child. Originally from Brazil, he works as a computer programmer.

With an excellent voice and the ability to lead congregations in singing praise, Daví is a valuable asset to our ministry team.

STatement of faith

Statement of Faith

ARTICLE I — THE SCRIPTURE
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and conduct.

ARTICLE II — GOD
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

ARTICLE III — JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man (God-man).

ARTICLE IV — HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, one with the Father and the Son, the indweller of every believer whereby each is sealed unto the day of the redemption of the body.

ARTICLE V — DEVIL
We believe in the existence and operating power of a real and personal being opposed to all righteousness and exalting himself against all that God is and has, the evil one called Satan or Devil.

ARTICLE VI — HELL
We believe in a literal hell, the place of eternal punishment for the wicked dead.

ARTICLE VII — HEAVEN
We believe in a literal place called heaven where God’s immediate presence is manifested, where the angels are, and where the redeemed shall ultimately be, from whence Christ descended and ascended again, where he makes intercession for the saints, and from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

ARTICLE VIII — MAN
We believe that God created man in his own image and in a state of innocence, but that through temptation man willfully transgressed and became dead in trespasses and sins, whereby his posterity inherits a corrupt nature, being born in sin and under condemnation.

ARTICLE IX — SALVATION
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; that he arose from the dead in his glorified body, ascended into heaven, and as our great High Priest and Advocate he ever lives to make intercession for us; that all who believe in his name are justified on the ground of his shed blood, and receive the gift of eternal life by the grace of God.

ARTICLE X — REGENERATION
We believe that regeneration is a divine and instantaneous work of the Holy Spirit whereby God imparts life to one dead in trespasses and sin.

ARTICLE XI — SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is a divine and progressive work of the Holy Spirit whereby God, upon the ground of the finished work of Christ on the cross, his present intercessory ministry, and his Divine Word, sets the believer apart and works out, in, and through him by means of a submissive will that which is well pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. This work culminates in the redemption of the body.

ARTICLE XII — THE CHURCH
We believe in the one true church, the mystical Body and Bride of the Lord Jesus, composed of believers from Pentecost to the Rapture, into which believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit. We believe that the local church is an organization composed of professing believers instituted for the purpose of fellowship, worship, and service. In the matters of administration and policy, it is self-governing.

ARTICLE XIII — BAPTISM
We believe that Christian baptism by immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the Bible mode of baptism and testifies of the believer’s faith in, and identification with, the crucified, buried, and risen Savior.

ARTICLE XIV — THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance whereby believers show forth the Lord’s death till he comes.

ARTICLE XV — THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the glorious hope of the pre-millennial, imminent, visible, and bodily return of Christ.

Values

Expository Teaching

God gave us the whole Bible as one big story. When we find a particular issue is of significant importance, you might hear a message or series devoted to that topic. However, our typical approach is to walk through a book of the Bible seeking to hear what God might say to us. We teach “expositionally” (explaining the meaning) to help you understand the Bible and apply it to your life. Acts 2:42; Acts 8:30-31

Team Leadership

Because we do not think God entrusts any church to a single person, we do not have a “Senior Pastor” model of leadership. We are guided by a team of Elders—men gifted by God to oversee the church, and affirmed by our members as those who meet the biblical standards set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.

Equipping Emphasis

The Bible makes it clear every believer is to participate in the life of the community of faith-consistent with his or her gifts, talents, and passions. We are committed to teaching and training you to pursue life and mission with Jesus through serving, rather than simply offering events to keep you busy. Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10

Participatory Worship

When we worship together, we want to draw you and everyone else into a personal encounter with God. It’s not enough simply to watch others worship or just listen to the songs. We invite everyone to be present and respond, celebrating who God is and what he has done for us in and through Jesus Christ. Psalm 150; John 4:23-24; Ephesians 5:18-20

Pneumatic Ministry

We want to live out the life we have with Jesus pneumatically— in the presence, power, and prompting of the Holy Spirit. We depend on the Holy Spirit to direct us to make decisions in line with the will and Word of God. We don’t move our ministry forward based solely on reasonable, practical solutions. Rather, through prayer, our leaders seek to know the leading of the Spirit in every decision shaping our life together as a church. Romans 8:4-9; Acts 13:2; Acts 16:6-7

Purposes

The primary purpose of planting any church is to develop a community that grows and matures believers who in turn are prepared to take the gospel to the world they live in. This means our plans need to point specifically in that direction. Discipleship is the word we use to describe this process.

At Fellowship Potsdam, we have identified a process of discipleship that moves people in a practical, but simple direction. “Sow-Grow-Go” is our simple way of summing it up and here is how we describe it.

Sow, Grow, Go

Sow – This is where the Gospel seed is sown and is the entry point into our church community. Here is how we get to know one another and have the opportunity to respond in faith to the preaching of the Gospel. This can also include our Sunday morning services, meeting together for a meal or coffee, an outreach event or anything that introduces a person to the Gospel of faith in Jesus Christ.

Grow – After a seed is sown and takes root, it’s time to create conditions in which it can grow. New and existing believers learn to follow Jesus by serving in environments such as the morning worship service or attending a discipleship group. This starts moving people towards spiritual growth.

Go – When a seed is grown towards maturity, it is ready to produce the fruit that it was created for. A mature believer is ready take advantage of the environment that God has prepared for them and utilize what they have learned through their growth to create opportunities to take other people through the process of “Sow, Grow, Go.”