Why Advent?
Presbyterian?
So, what is a Presbyterian Church? We are an evangelical, Reformed protestant church sharing many of the same beliefs as other evangelical denominations. You could say that we are a connectional, covenantal, and confessional denomination. A good concise creed of an evangelical church can be found in the Apostle's Creed:
"I
believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of
heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only
Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He
descended into hell. The third day He arose again
from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth
on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from
thence he shall come to judge the quick and the
dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the
forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting. Amen."
We want
to emphasize the good news of salvation through
faith in Jesus Christ as well as holding to the
inerrancy of Scripture. By Reformed, we mean that
we are connected to the historic church and the
doctrinal beliefs recovered by the Reformation.
These doctrinal beliefs are expressed in the
Westminster Standards (Westminster Confession of
Faith,
Larger &
Shorter Catechisms).
One other distinction worth noting is that we
are covenantal. We believe that God relates to
his creation through two primary covenant
promises than run throughout Scripture: the
covenant of works (made with Adam) and the
covenant of grace (made with Jesus).
By Presbyterian, we describe our representative
form of government. We are connected to other
churches locally called a Presbytery and we are
connected internationally through our General
Assembly that meets once a year. These "higher
courts" may not "act for" a lower court so we are
not hierarchical in our government and neither are
we Congregationalists.
Our church is a member of the Presbyterian Church of
America whose
vision is to be faithful to the Scriptures, true
to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great
Commission of Jesus Christ.
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{PCA Fast Facts}
• Bible-believing
Presbyterians began the Presbyterian Church in America
(”PCA”) in
1973, with 260 congregations and 41,000 members.
•
We now
have over 1,500 churches and more than 340,000
members in the United States and Canada with at
least 76 Presbyteries.
•
The PCA
is one of the fastest-growing Presbyterian
denominations in North America, and is among the
fastest growing of all Christian denominations.
•
The PCA
has over 610 long-term missionaries, 6,642
short-term workers serving worldwide.
•
The PCA
has over 164 chaplains in all branches of the armed
services.
•
The PCA
has placed campus ministers on more than 80 college
and university campuses all across America.
•
The PCA
maintains 902 acre conference center in the
mountains of North Carolina.
•
The PCA
provides college and seminary educations through
its college and theological seminary.
_____________________________________
{Who We
Are}
•
The
Presbyterian Church in America (”PCA”) was formed
to be a denomination that is “Faithful to the
Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and
Obedient to the Great Commission.”
•
The PCA
is an Evangelical and Reformed Presbyterian
denomination. By Evangelical, we mean that we
emphasize the gospel (good news of salvation)
through faith in Jesus Christ, as well as affirming
other orthodox Christian doctrines and holding to
the inerrancy of scripture.
•
By
Reformed, we mean that we are connected to the
teachings of the historic church and the doctrinal
beliefs recovered by the Reformation. These
doctrinal beliefs are expressed in the Westminster
Confession of Faith with the Larger and Shorter
Catechisms. All officers of the PCA must personally
subscribe to and uphold the teachings of the
Westminster Confession of Faith.
•
By
Presbyterian, we describe our representative form
of church government. Local churches are governed
by a “Session” of “presbyters” (elders), elected by
the members of the congregation. Representatives of
local churches within a geographical area compose a
“presbytery”. Representatives of presbyteries meet
annually at “General Assembly”. Thus, through the
combined efforts and resources of all the churches,
we are enabled to advance God’s Kingdom much more
effectively. The Committees and Agencies of the PCA
help lead this Kingdom work.
_______________________________________
{What We Believe}
•
We
believe the Bible is the written word of God,
inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in
the original manuscripts. The Bible is the
revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and
authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.
•
We
believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who
exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
•
We
believe that all are sinners and totally unable to
save themselves from God’s displeasure, except by
His mercy.
•
We
believe that salvation is by God alone, as He
sovereignly chooses those He will save. We believe
His choice is based upon His grace, not on any
human individual merit, or foreseen faith.
•
We
believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of
God, who through His perfect life and sacrifical
death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in
Him, alone, for salvation.
•
We
believe
that God is gracious and faithful to His people not
simply as individuals but as families in successive
generations according to His Covenant promises.
•
We
believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people
and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust
Christ and follow Him.
•
We
believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly,
to judge all mankind and to receive His people unto
Himself.
•
We
believe that all aspects of our lives are to be
lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of
Jesus Christ.
________________________________________
{Where We Are Going}
•
We
desire to take the message of Jesus Christ’s
atoning love on the cross to every nation so that
all people will trust in Him alone for their
salvation from sin.
•
We want
to show compassion and render mercy, to love and to
serve people from every ethnic group, nation and
socio-economic level.
•
The
mission of the PCA is to glorify and enjoy God by
equipping and enabling the churches of the PCA to
work together to fulfill the Great Commission by
making disciples of all nations, so that people
will mature as servants of the triune God, will
worship God in spirit and truth, and will have a
reforming impact on culture.
What is the vision of Advent?
Endorsements
Tom Hawkes, Senior Pastor
Uptown Church, A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America
926 Elizabeth Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28204
704.564.8180 | tomhawkes@uptownchurch.org
___________________________________________
About 3 ½ years ago our daughter was starting kindergarten. We chose for her to attend a small Christian school with a half day kindergarten. The school was located at a church that several of our friends attended. I had heard great things about the church and pastor. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church, but our family had not attended nor joined a church. It became increasingly important to me to provide that experience for my children. So….I went to church one morning right before Jordan (our daughter ) started kindergarten. Right from the beginning I walked in and found friendly faces and felt good. The music was very inspirational and brought a feeling over me that just felt like coming home. The pastor was Ken Cross. Ken delivered a message that made me want to come back the next Sunday. He is a very intelligent man, but delivers the message in a way that even I could get it. I say “even I”, because paying attention during lessons is not my strong suit. He encouraged us to get to know others, get out of your comfort zone, fellowship! Every Sunday, in fact, I believe he stressed how important it is that we meet new faces. My family joined the church and we felt like it was a great beginning for our children. Ken Cross is a wonderful pastor and person. He is dearly missed, but we are excited for what’s to come! He has been truly blessed by God to minister to people. I am so very pleased that we were able to worship with him and learn from him and I am honored to tell others!
Meghan & Ross Cooke
Southern Pines, NC
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I've known Ken Cross for about 12 years. He was my Pastor and is still my friend. No matter what happened to me, nor where I went, this remained. It's hard to know if all he did for me was fulfilling the calling of a Pastor or just what a dear friend would do. But either way, he lived out the Gospel in front of me. When I needed a place to stay, he had one for me. When I needed a friend and a Pastor in an emergency, he was there. More than once. He told me (and the congregation I was a part of) the truth. Even when it hurt. He loved me. He rebuked me (when I needed it) and he stuck as close as any brother I ever had. He walked through hell with me. A couple of times. We mourned together. We rejoiced together. He gave me advice (both spiritual and practical) and loved me even when I ignored it. And he never said, "I told you so." He never pretended to be bulletproof or perfect. He is a man, a sinner saved by grace. And he taught me to accept that about myself also. For all of the past 12 years, he was there when I needed him and waiting when I didn't. I will always feel special for the attention he gave me (i.e. Parable of the Lost Sheep), but I wasn't his only project. I think his talents are for preaching, being a visionary and for encouraging/recruiting people to get involved. We wish he was here.
Darrell Teubner
General Manager
Real Country, WMOD, 96.7 on your FM dial
Bolivar, TN
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Every once and awhile, you meet a pastor and church planter who so winsomely presents the gospel that you want to know God and connect to his church more. Ken Cross is one of those experienced and gifted individuals whom God has raised up to multiply his kingdom in the lives of individuals and their families. Ken is a true evangelist and the many people of Steele Creek need a man and a church pointing them to Christ as the sole hope in our generation. I heartily recommend Ken as a leader worthy of prayer and financial support in an age and place longing for hope.
Dean Faulkner
Lead Pastor, Church of the Redeemer
Monroe, NC
Chairman, MNA Committee, Central Carolina Presbytery