We’re a reformed, confessional, presbyterian, and Bible believing church committed to preaching the whole counsel of God and the ordinary means of grace.
Reformed – Reformed theology is fundamentally a bible-based theology. The Protestant Reformation, led by figures such as John Calvin and other Reformed theologians, sought to recapture and emphasize the biblical truths that had been hidden under the corruption of the medieval catholic church. Key aspects of Reformed theology include the doctrines of God’s sovereignty, covenant theology, and the five solas: Scripture alone (sola Scriptura), faith alone (sola fide), grace alone (sola gratia), Christ alone (solus Christus), and glory to God alone (soli Deo gloria). These core principles are deeply rooted in the biblical text and reflect the Reformers’ commitment to align their beliefs and practices with the teachings of Scripture. (See, for example, Romans 1:16-17, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Confessional – As a confessional church, we affirm and adhere to specific, historic confessions of faith—formal statements that summarize key theological convictions. For the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the primary confessional standards are the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism. We do not treat these secondary standards as having the same authority as the scriptures, but we affirm that these contain the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.
Presbyterian – As a Presbyterian church, we practice a form of church governance that emphasizes the role of a plurality of elders in the leadership and oversight of the congregation. This means that no one man leads all men elected, ordained, and installed to the office of elder lead the church jointly. Presbyterianism is rooted in the biblical teaching that Christ governs His church through a representative system (Acts 15, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). Our church structure includes both teaching elders (pastors) and ruling elders, who work together in local (session) and regional church (presbytery & General Assembly) courts to shepherd, guide, and protect the flock of God. This form of government seeks to promote unity, accountability, and shared responsibility in the church, while recognizing the headship of Christ over His body (Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18). We are not presbyterian on a whim, but because it is the form of church government articulated in the scriptures (Exodus 18:13-26, Numbers 11:16-17, Acts 14:23, Acts 15:1-29, Acts 20:17-38, 1 Peter 5:1-4).
Bible-Believing – As a Bible-believing church, we hold the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), the final and supreme authority in all matters of faith and life (Matthew 4:4). We believe in the clear teaching of the Bible, and we seek to live out its truths in our daily lives.
Church – The church is many things, but at its core, it is the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33). Men and women who have been saved from their sins and adopted into the family of God (1 Peter 2:9-10). It is also the local body of believers in a particular place united together to worship God. When a person professes faith and joins a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church they vow before God and the assembled saints:
(1) Do you believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, to be the Word of God, and its doctrine of salvation to be the perfect and only true doctrine of salvation?
(2) Do you believe in one living and true God, in whom eternally there are three distinct persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—who are the same in being and equal in power and glory, and that Jesus Christ is God the Son, come in the flesh?
(3) Do you confess that because of your sinfulness you abhor and humble yourself before God, that you repent of your sin, and that you trust for salvation not in yourself but in Jesus Christ alone?
(4) Do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as your sovereign Lord, and do you promise that, in reliance on the grace of God, you will serve him with all that is in you, forsake the world, resist the devil, put to death your sinful deeds and desires, and lead a godly life?
(5) Do you promise to participate faithfully in this church’s worship and service, to submit in the Lord to its government, and to heed its discipline, even in case you should be found delinquent in doctrine or life?
Preaching the Whole Counsel of God – We believe in preaching the entirety of God’s Word, not omitting or avoiding any part of Scripture (Acts 20:27). This means we teach both the Old and New Testaments, recognizing that all of Scripture is beneficial for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the Old Testament and so the gospel can be rightly and profitably preached from both the Old and the New Testament. We believe that making these scriptural connections is essential to the health and growth of the church.
Ordinary Means of Grace – We hold to the belief that God ordinarily communicates His grace to His people through certain appointed means: the Word, sacraments, and prayer. The preaching and hearing of God’s Word (Romans 10:17), the administration and receiving of the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper, as per Matthew 28:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-26), and prayer (Philippians 4:6) are the regular channels by which God strengthens and grows us in our faith. Other things in the Christian life are profitable and wise, but none come with the same promise of blessing as the ordinary means of Word, sacraments and prayer.