There are many ways to define a church including doctrine (what we believe and don't believe), associations (who we like and don't like), and even styles (contemporary vs. traditional). We think all of these are important but most of all we want you to meet and know Jesus Christ. The best way to find out who we are is to spend some time with us building relationships.
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.
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{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.
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{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.