Our Story

 

Our Story

Central Valley Presbyterian Church informally began in 1998, when four families started gathering together weekly for the purpose of Bible Study. These weekly studies led to discussion on a variety of issues ranging from the role of the Church to the relationship between the Church and the family. Initially, these four families drifted to several different congregations within the Central Valley. Throughout the years, however,  God continued to keep them in close contact with one another as they considered beginning a new work.

On February 15th, 2004, forty-eight people gathered together in a church member’s living room to begin worship as Central Valley Evangelical Reformed Church. One week later, they secured a lease at the Central Valley Adventist Academy and since that time God has been faithful to add many more households.

In 2006, CVP joined with several other churches throughout the country to become one of the founding churches of the Covenant Presbyterian Church denomination (CPC), with the prayer that our unique distinctives might usher in a new reformation in church, home, and society. In early 2007, in order to better describe our church, the decision was made to change our name to Central Valley Presbyterian Church (CVP).

In 2011, CVP commissioned three leaders and several households to begin Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Elk Grove. Today, CVP is again approximately forty households.

It Actually Began Much Earlier!

But where we’d actually like to like to start our story is where many great stories begin … on a continent far, far away. Understanding where someone comes from can help explain a lot about who they are today. Similarly, who we are as a church is partly explained by understanding the movement known as the Reformation that started in Europe more than 500 years ago. Though we are first and foremost excited to be identified as Christians, we are also thankful to be part of  a historical heritage full of men and women of faith who by their work and sacrifice have sought to preserve the Gospel as it is found in the pages of Scripture. When you join CVP you are joining a family with a deep and exciting history and culture that have shaped who we are today.

 

The Spark Struck by Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a giant of history. Some believe he was the most significant European figure of the second millennium. He was the pioneer reformer, the one God first used to spark the reformation of Christianity and the Western world. In a day of ecclesiastical corruption and apostasy, he was a valiant champion of the truth whose powerful preaching and pen helped to restore the pure gospel of grace. More books have been written about him than any other man of history except Jesus Christ and possibly Augustine. It’s important that we reach back to the Reformation because it is to the emphasis of that great movement of the Holy Spirit that we owe much of our distinctive theology and church culture.

 

The Bible as Our Ultimate Authority

By the time of the Reformation the authority of the institutional Church had become more important than the authority of God’s Word. The Bible had been literally taken out of the homes and hands of Christians and could only be read and interpreted by church authorities. Responding to this perversion was at the heart of the Reformation movement.

 

Hermeneutics is the science of biblical interpretation. It teaches objective principles and rules that govern how we interpret God’s Word so that we are more shaped by that Word and less tempted to shape the Bible into our own image. 

 

At the heart of reformed theology is the regula fidei, or “the law of faith,” which says that no portion of Scripture must ever be made to contradict another portion of Scripture. The first assumption here is that all of Scripture is the Word of God. The second assumption is that what God reveals in His Word is always consistent. We believe consistency is a sign of clarity of truth, and God’s Word is consistent with itself.

 

Salvation by Grace: “Calvinism”

Because of our sin God owes us nothing but justice and wrath. We bring nothing with us to our redemption and any good works we perform are not the ground of our salvation. Our good works simply result from having been chosen by God and gifted with salvation. Grace, by definition, excludes the slightest hint that human merit contributes to our righteous standing before the most holy and perfect Creator. Faith admits our inability to help ourselves and rests wholly on Christ for salvation, confirming that our works have no power to atone for our wickedness. John Calvin writes, “If, on the part of God, it is grace alone, and if we bring nothing but faith, which strips us of all commendations, it follows that salvation does not come from us.” 

CVP believes that salvation begins, continues, and finds fulfillment with the gracious work of God. God must change our hearts in order for us to believe, and He must sustain us in order to continue in that faith. Because God always finishes what He starts, as God’s elect, having been given new hearts of faith, we can be confident that we will not lose our salvation, even though at times we will continue to sin. God is sovereign over all and is able to ordain all things without removing the freedom of man to reject Him. Nor does God’s sovereignty over all things remove man’s responsibility before Him.

 

The Torch Got Passed

The Reformation continued with men like John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland  and John Knox in Scotland. Eventually the Reformation found its way to America through the Puritans who immigrated to the early Colonies. It is from these roots that we find many of our theological, ecclesiastical, and even political beliefs as American Christians. We believe that the key emphases of the Reformation have been a blessing throughout church history as they have pointed us back to a God-centered, Bible derived, and gracious picture of God’s redemption.

 

Presbyterianism

What we know today as “Presbyterianism” naturally grew out of the  Reformation theology and practice that began to be practiced in 16th century Scotland. The word “Presbyterian” comes from the Greek word presbuteros meaning “elder” or “overseer.” But what it means to be Presbyterian has come to be varied and rich. To be Presbyterian can mean, depending on the context and person:

• A form of church government
• A shared history
• A shared culture
• A set of doctrines

At CVP the fact that we are Presbyterian means all of these things. Though our doctrine varies at points, as does our practice, we embrace to a large extent that which has been passed down to us in so far as we believe it accurately reflects God’s Word. We seek to express this great heritage in our particular context as Christians in the Central Valley of California.

Presbyterian Culture & Distinctives

Some of the distinctives and culture that come with being a Presbyterian are:

 

1. Reformed theology
2. Confessional (adhering to the Westminster Confession)
3. Rule by a plurality of Elders who are co-equal in authority and who have both met the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and who have been examined and approved by the regional Presbytery
4. Worship that tends to be more liturgical
5. Accountability of Elders to a regional Presbytery
6. Emphasis on an approachable leadership
7. Covenant Baptism

Presbyterian Polity

As you just read, “Presbyterian” can mean a lot of things. One important thing it means is how church authority is wielded. This is what we mean by church “structure’ or church “polity” (another word for “government”). We don’t take a top down approach (called “episcopalianism”), nor do we believe in democracy within the church (called “congregationalism”). We are what might be considered a “middle ground” New leaders are both accepted by the congregation and the existing Elders. They are examined by the regional Presbytery as a further way of vetting leaders. The Presbytery then keeps the Elders of all the local churches accountable and acts as a potential court of appeal if problems cannot be solved at the local level.

 

Elders and Deacons

The leadership of any biblical church must be composed of men of integrity who desire what is best for their church; men whom God has raised up with the gift to be shepherds and rulers with the hearts of servants. Leadership is one of sacrifice, but it is also one of vision. 

We believe that the Bible gives the Church two offices: Elders and Deacons. 

Elders are responsible for the rule, shepherding, and spiritual care of the church. The deacons are responsible for the practical and physical needs of the church and function to help alleviate those burdens from the elders so that the elders might focus on the spiritual needs. Both elder and deacon must be men of humility, conviction, passion, and godly temper.

  

Our Church and Denomination

Every church body develops certain doctrines and practices that make them unique. This is a good thing as long as those distinctives are within the boundaries of scripture and don’t lead to unhealthy factions. Our church and denomination have certain distinctives that we explicitly acknowledge because they tend to be those that set us apart and we want to be transparent about that.

We believe it is important to look back at the men and women who have come before us for the same reason it’s helpful to know where that nose you now wear comes from. That uniquely shaped nose or those notable ears are no accident nor are they simply a creation of your own. How we look and think is shaped significantly by our parents, both physical and spiritual. 

 

We are Confessional/Creedal

The Bible is not a systematic textbook. It is a collection of sixty-six writings, comprised of various genres, compiled over a long and colorful history. This makes the Bible beautiful, but it can also make it a bit difficult at times to answer what the Bible teaches on a particular subject. Being able to answer what your church teaches, however, is important. 

 

Confessions and creeds are documents that were providentially developed throughout church history as a means of clarifying in succinct or systematic ways what the Bible teaches on particular subjects .CVP recognizes that many historic confessions and creeds have been developed throughout church history, but for the purpose of doctrine and teaching in this fellowship, we affirm the standard known as the Westminster Confession of Faith. We also recognize the Nicene Creed as a historic standard defining orthodox Christianity. These act as authoritative standards for us, even while God’s Word is our ultimate authority.

 

We hope that our confession and catechisms will help you answer questions about particular subjects and will ultimately point you back to the Bible. As a member you do not need to affirm the Westminster Standards, but our Elders do have to agree with the Confession or have their personal exceptions made known to and accepted by the Presbytery.

 

Covenant Community

We desire that our church operate as a family community where members know one another intimately and live and serve as a Family. In this community, it is our desire that the elders shepherd the flock with love and gentleness, knowing well the needs of each individual and family.  Because this is so important to us, we have a fellowship meal together each week after the service and gather together in each other’s homes on a regular basis.

Opportunities to be involved

 

We believe that the leadership of the church is vital to a healthy church, but one of the jobs of the leadership is to help you, the church members, to serve one another and the world around us. We believe that deep and real relationships are vital to the work God has called us to as His Church. In that regard, one phrase you’ll hear us sometimes use is that we are not “program focused.” By saying that, we mean that it is not programs that drive the church, but rather our commitment to biblical worship and fellowship. An efficient program is not considered a success unless it bears good fruit. The Elders and Deacons constantly assess our church activities, especially at our monthly Session meetings. Generally, unless there are confidential issues being discussed, Session meetings are open to the church and we welcome you to attend.

 

CVP Mission, Vision and Values

Our vision for this church is to foster a great love for God, a high view of the Church, a self-aware humility that expresses itself in a love for the unlovely, a warm embrace of visitors, a deep trust in the leadership, and through all of that a sober-minded sense of purpose that stands out sharply from the casual Christianity of many Californians. 

 

In line with our vision, through our preaching, discipleship, and fellowship we have the overall goals of strengthening marriages and families, imparting a right view of the Church, and encouraging an awareness of the Kingdom of God. We expect that our members will be active in their communities, looking for opportunities to serve and share the Gospel. We also want to look for ways that corporately, all of us together can serve, whether that’s by ministering to our local rest homes, being involved in local politics, fighting for pro-life issues, or a host of other ways to expand the Kingdom.