Some Of Our Distinctives
What Makes Us Who We Are
Below we have tried to give you helpful idea of who we are, what we think makes us unique, and some of the things we view as important. We’d encourage you to also take a quick look at the “What To Expect” portion of our Worship Page, because our weekly worship will give you a practical idea of who we are as well.
Of course, we may have missed a few things, or maybe the words we chose didn’t quite communicate what we’d hoped, but we do think you’ll get a good idea of who we are. If you think there might be a fit, we’d love to see you at worship, one of our events or ministries, or you can contact the Elders at any time.
Reformed Theology
We are thankful that God has blessed His people over the past 2000 years with faithful men who have kept His Bride from error and helped His People to come to know Him better. In particular, we are thankful for the significant work that was done, often through trial and difficulty flowing out of the Protestant Reformation begun by men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox in the 16th and 17th centuries. They wanted to recapture the original teaching of the Bible. Some of the significant fruit of that period of development and since, has been a system of doctrine called “Reformed Theology.” This is the perspective that helps guide our sincere desire to know God better from His Word.
Joyful Liturgical Worship
We believe what will keep you are the same things that first attract you. So we want you to be attracted by Christ, his message, and his people, not entertainment.
Purposeful: We work to ground our worship in God’s word and think of each corporate gathering on The Lord’s Day as an opportunity to renew our commitment to God.
Joyful: Worship should be heartfelt and reflect the joy that comes from knowing God.
Liturgical: From the call to worship, through confession, singing, preaching and communion, we want each part of worship to have a purpose.
Gospel Saturated Expositional Preaching
We believe in the importance of preaching as a vital ministry of discipleship to God’s people. Preaching should seek to humbly and carefully draw meaning out of the text that God has given us, and then to help the congregations to understand, love, and apply what they are hearing.
At the heart of the biblical message and therefore at the heart of all our preaching is the good news Gospel that God provided His Son, Jesus, to purchase His people out of their bondage and slavery to sin, and to draw them into a vital relationship of love and life with Him.
An Exclusive and Evangelical Gospel
- We believe God when He says that there is only one way to be made right with God, and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ shed to cover and to pay the penalty for our sin. This is what we mean by “exclusive.”
- We believe that the only way to receive this gracious gift is by humbly surrendering to God in faith, trusting that the work of Jesus alone satisfies the guilt of our sin. This is what we mean by “Evangelical.”
- We know that the above is not always popular today. We’re okay with not being popular.
All of Christ for All of Life
It’s easy and comfortable to think of Jesus simply as Savior. Certainly He is that, but we believe that Jesus is also Lord over every square inch of heaven and earth. When we surrender our lives to Christ we are not so much making Him Lord, rather, we are acknowledging what he already is …. Lord over everything.
A practical outworking of this is that we view God’s Word as not simply inerrant but also sufficient for all things. God’s Word provides us with principles to know how we should think and live in every area of human existence, from worship to washing the dishes, and we then get the opportunity to live that out day to day.
Cultivating Church Community
We believe that Church is more than a 90 minute obligation on a Sunday morning. The Church is the tangible community of God’s people in a particular place that is called to be a body and a family. This means we are called to live in relationship with one another.
We make much of The Lord’s Day each Sunday. We look forward to worship and then spending time together throughout the day at church, in our homes, and playing and serving in our communities. We also seek to care for one another and to enjoy the company of one another throughout the week.
Confessional
We unapologetically believe that the Bible is God’s Word: the ultimate standard and authority for everything we are to believe and for how we are to live in all areas of life. But, we believe it is useful and, in fact, important to be able to answer the question: “What do you believe the Bible teaches?” It is for this purpose that wise Christians before us kindly handed down confessions, creeds, and catechisms, that in a summary and systematic way help us think about what we believe.
We hold to the Westminster Standards which include the Westminster Confession of Faith as well as The Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
Pastors who are Shepherding Preachers
We prioritize the ministry of The Word by preaching faithfully from the Bible. But, we also believe that this is one vital part of a whole ministry of shepherding those in our church body. We really do believe that the members of our church are the members of a family and that we have a responsibility to care for one another, led by the elders and deacons.
Families Worshipping Together
We believe that God desires the worship of all His people from the smallest member to the oldest, and that the church should be careful not to accidently fracture families. So we worship together and look for opportunities to help families grow.
Intergenerational Ministry
We believe that every person in our congregation has something to offer and that this is reflected in the inter-generational nature of the church body. Older members have wisdom and life experience to pass on, and younger members have strength and energy to offer. Passing the torch to the next generational is an ongoing and vital part of building Christ’s Kingdom.
We love and Promote Christian Education
We believe that education is an important part of a person’s discipleship, especially in the early years. So we desire that every family in our church have the opportunity to provide their children with a robust and distinctively Christian education. Whether homeschooling, private schooling, or a creative combination of the various options available, we believe this is a vital part of discipleship.
Presbyterian Church Structure
Our church is led by church elders who have been approved by the congregation and then examined in terms of doctrine and life by the denomination. In order to protect against the abuse that can often happen when authority is given to a human man, we believe in a plurality of elders serving with equal authority. This not only allows for accountability but also the blessing that comes from diverse gifts. Additionally, our church leadership is held accountable to our denomination, the Covenant Presbyterian Church Denomination. This approach to church leadership and authority is often called “Presbyterian” when it is compared to other common church structures.