What We Believe
We worship God, as Jesus directed, in Spirit and in truth.
The Faith We Confess
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, and continued under the power of death; the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
“All Scripture is inspired by God,” therefore the Bible is our only infallible standard for doctrine and life.
Jesus Christ “is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him.” “By grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Only Jesus Christ, sent by God, is able to save. It is God who saves us; we cannot save ourselves by any work we can do. It is through faith alone that we receive God’s salvation.
We Believe
All things for His glory
No one may boast before God; rather, all things are for His glory, not ours. The Bible stands as the ultimate arbiter of faith and conduct. We follow its teachings to be instructed and uplifted; we use its lyrics to express and shape our hearts.
In times of need, we turn to prayer, seeking His assistance. We are comforted and instructed by the sacraments that Jesus gave, which signify and renew His promises to us. As members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, we uphold the Westminster Confession of Faith and joyfully propagate Reformed (Biblical) theology.
Our Standards
How we are guided
The Scriptures
The inspired and inerrant Word of God — our only infallible rule for faith and life.
The Westminster Standards
We subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism.
The RP Testimony
The Reformed Presbyterian Church also addresses issues that were not before the church when the Westminster Standards were written.
We are part of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), within the Atlantic Presbytery.
Article links: a few special topics
If you would like to read more about the convictions that make our worship and church life distinct, these resources may help.
Worship & Music
“We worship God, as Jesus directed, in Spirit and truth. Our worship must be Spiritual, not worldly, and it must be in truth. This refers not simply to sincerity but to conformity with the true teaching which God has given to us in the Bible.”Christian Adjemian
- Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus — read online (PDF)
- Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica — excerpt on instruments in worship
- John Calvin — comments on musical instruments in worship
- John Girardeau, Instrumental Music in the Public Worship of the Church — read online
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible
- Christian Adjemian, How We Worship as a Church
- Michael LeFebvre, Singing the Psalms of Jesus: Revisiting the Psalms
History of Church & Denomination
“In the words of the ancient Nicene Creed, the Reformed Presbyterian Church is part of the ‘one holy catholic apostolic church’ of Jesus Christ. Although sin has broken the visible unity of the church, Christ Himself is not divided…”William J. Edgar
- The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA)
- The Reformed Presbyterian Church — A History, by William J. Edgar
- What is the Reformed Presbyterian Church?
William J. Edgar, History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church 1871–1920 (2020) — available from Crown & Covenant or on Amazon
Women Deacons
- Christian Adjemian, On Women Deacons (PDF)
- RPCNA Archives — Minutes of Synod, 2002, pp. 114–122
- “Women and the Deacon’s Office,” The Reformed Presbyterian and Witness, November 1888