Reformed by the Word

We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God and our only rule of faith and practice. We believe the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, is the standard that best explains in a systematic way the doctrine and truth taught in the Bible. Because we believe the Bible is the Word of God, Christ Presbyterian is careful to make sure that the Word of God is preached in our worship services and that there are ample opportunities for people to study God’s Word through Sunday School, small groups, and other ministries. We believe that our lives are to be continually reformed as the holy Spirit applies biblical truth to our hearts and minds.

 

Reformed by Worship

We believe worship is for the glory of God. We meet with God in worship both to speak with and to listen to him. We speak through prayers and songs. We confess our sins, praise his name, and present our requests for ourselves and others. We listen to God through Scripture, read and preached; and through biblical content in the songs we sing. As God receives glory from us for who he is and for all he has done in Jesus Christ, we receive his blessings. God reforms our lives through God-centered worship. Feel free (even encouraged!) to take a tour of our order of worship, or liturgy, here.

 

Reformed by the Community of Faith

We believe in biblical community. We affirm that we are all sinners, saved by grace alone. God has called us out of our sinful self-centeredness to live in the community of believers that is his church. In the church we learn to love one another, appreciate the diversity among God’s people, and share our lives with one another.

Christ Presbyterian is a communion of people who love and care for one another. This fellowship is experienced in a few programmatic context, like our monthly Lord’s Day Meal on the first Sunday of each month, but also in more numerous, subtle, and deeper ways than can be programmed.

Another part of our fellowship is the shepherding of the flock by Christ’s under-shepherds, the Elders. They strive to encourage God’s people in their Christian walk through loving oversight. God reforms our lives through the fellowship of the church.

 

Reformed by Prayer

We believe in prayer because we believe in the sovereignty of God and because God uses prayer as a means to impart his grace to us as we grow in our knowledge of him. God is the one who is in control and we come to him w our adoration, praise,  confession of sin, and petitions. Prayer is a significant part of life at Christ Presbyterian Church. We dedicate a significant portion of our worship service to corporate prayer.We pray together in our small groups. Our officers pray for all the members and regular attenders on a regular, systematic basis. And we pray for one another in less formal ways and settings. We believe God reforms our lives through prayer.

 

The Covenant of Grace

We believe salvation comes to us through the covenant of grace. Man was created by God and enjoyed fellowship with God until Adam broke covenant with God by eating fruit from the tree God had forbidden. God did not leave man in sin, choosing instead to institute a new covenant with fallen man, the Covenant of Grace. The Triune God covenanted for the salvation of a people and the redemption of the world. God the Father promised to justify and sanctify all those for whom Christ would die. God the Son promised to live a perfect life and then die as a substitute to atone for the sins of his people. And God the Holy Spirit promised to apply the gift of salvation to the hearts of God’s people. This is a covenant of grace because we receive the benefits of it apart from anything that we do.

The benefits of the covenant first came to Adam and Eve. we see the Covenant developed throughout the Old Testament and fully revealed in the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus, the Christ. The primary message of the Old and New Testaments is the good news of the salvation God provides through grace by the substitutionary atonement of Christ. There is no salvation apart from God’s gracious covenant love given to us in Jesus.

 

The Covenant Community - The Church

We believe the church is God’s covenant community. We are the people of God, the bride and body of Christ and the temple in which God dwells. The church is a called-out people that belongs to God. We desire to reflect this covenantal relationship with God through worship, ministry, and mission.

in our worship we practice Covenant Baptism. Children of believers are a part of God’s people and we therefore apply the sign and seal of the Covenant and commit ourselves to call them to personal faith in Jesus Christ.

As members of the covenant community it is important for each member to share his or her gifts and talents in the life of the church. Being served by and serving one another are parts of living in God’s covenant family.

 

Covenant Family

we believe God has established the family and established his covenant with families. Just as God established his covenant with Abraham and his family, so today God’s covenant promise is established with families. we look to God, out of his grace and love, to bring our children to a saving relationship with him.

Husbands are to exercise loving headship over their wives and wives are to be respectful helpers to their husbands as they nurture their children together. Parents are to raise their children to know, love, trust, worship, and obey God. They are to strive to be a godly example for their children, pray with and for their children, teach them the truths of the Bible and train them in godliness. Children are to respect and obey their parents.

We believe parents have the primary responsibility for the Christian education of their children. Sunday School and the church assist in important ways, but are secondary to the parents. Schools, public or private, may assist parents in the broader education of their children, but the primary responsibility, with its attendant rights and privileges, rests upon the parents.