FAQ

Here are brief answers to some of our most frequently asked questions

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CONTENTS

What is your music style?

“The simplicity and beauty of Reformed worship.” This is how our worship service has been described by a first time visitor.

We all sing together as a congregation (Colossians 3:16) and the preacher usually leads the songs. The whole congregation can be heard singing with one voice together as we offer up praise to God.

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What is your order of worship?

We worship in dialogue with our triune God: God speaks to us through his Word and we respond to him with praise and prayer.

We aim for the beauty and simplicity of Reformed Worship according to the Regulative Principle: in public worship we seek to do only that which God has commanded in his Word (see the 1689 Confession of Faith, 26.1 ).

Here is an example of our order of worship.

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What do you have for the youth?

We offer four things for the children and three additional things for young adults.

A. For children

  • 1.— Engaging preaching. We are committed to delivering Scriptural and theological preaching presented with clarity, simplicity, and engagement so that even a child will be able to track with our sermons and benefit from them. We have found that even small children who sit under this kind of preaching have a profound ability to grasp the truth preached. Over time, they begin to make extensive connections. We have even noted on occasion that our small children have gained a better grasp of sound theology than some modern pastors have!
  • 2.— Assistance in family worship. We offer resources, advice, and actionable plans to help each head of household implement regular family worship at home. This includes catechizing our children.
  • 3.— Cultivation in public worship. It is such a joy to see how our children become accustomed to enjoy public worship with everyone else, often listening and participating better than some adults! We offer friendly and simple training for parents on how to achieve this. Some refer to this as “family integrated worship,” or a “family integrated church.” But we just see it as the plain pattern set forth in Holy Scripture (e.g., Deut. 31:12–13; Josh. 8:35; Matt. 19:14; 2 Tim. 3:15).
  • 4.— Opportunity for lasting friendships. Since we enjoy extended times of fellowship every Lord’s Day and also during the week, our children naturally bond with one another and look forward to every chance to play and interact together between and after services on Lord’s Days.

B. For young adults (teens)

For the young adults (teens), we offer everything mentioned above, in an excellent atmosphere for their spiritual training and flourishing. We also offer the following:

  • 1.— Expansive friendship opportunities with other Christian youth. We support and attend multiple conferences in various regions which are attended by many other Reformed Baptist youth. These conferences give opportunity for our youth to meet others with the same spiritual struggles and aspirations. These conferences have become a catalyst for enduring friendships.
  • 2.— Expansive opportunities to meet a Christian spouse. Through the years, many of these friendships have led to lasting marriages.
  • 3.— Preparation for a Christian marriage. In hearing our preaching ministry and spending time worshipping with the families in our congregation, our young adults gain years of Scriptural instruction and personal example as to how godly husbands treat their wife and children and vice versa.

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What are Creeds and Confessions of Faith?

A creed(e.g., Nicene Creed ) is a historic doctrinal statement expressing the foundational truths of the Christian Faith (the Trinity, person and work of Christ, etc.). The term “creed” is from a Latin word which simply means “I believe.” Thus, any time we say “I believe…” we are stating a kind of creed. Scripture itself contains a number of creeds (e.g., Deuteronomy 6:4–5, Matthew 16:16, Acts 8:37, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Timothy 3:16).

A confession of faith is more detailed than a creed. It is a historic doctrinal statement that defines what kind of Christian church we are (Reformed Baptist).

More info:

Where can I learn more about what is taught in the 1689 Confession of Faith?

Here are some excellent resources, listed from most basic to most advanced.

Must I agree with everything in the 1689 Confession of Faith to be a member of this church?

Church members are not required to agree with every detail of our confession. The doctrinal requirements for members are very basic, only requiring agreement with the core truths of the Christian faith (Nicene Creed).

Only our pastors are required to fully subscribe our confession (the 1689 Confession of Faith) , which means they hold to every doctrine taught in it).

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What are the requirements to become a member of this church?

Eligibility for church membership requires four basic things:

  1. A viable profession of faith (fruits of repentance and faith in Christ)
  2. Baptism (on profession of faith) in the triune Name by a due administrator (Matthew 28:19)
  3. Agreement with the core truths of the Christian faith (Nicene Creed)
  4. A commitment to walk with us in love, peace, and unity

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What is your stance on the Charismatic movement and continuing miraculous gifts (e.g., tongues)?

While we acknowledge that there are many sincere and godly Christians who hold Charismatic views, we are convinced that these views are not in keeping with the teaching of the Bible.

Though we believe that God today heals sicknesses when and where he wills, we believe that all miraculous sign gifts ceased with death of the apostles, including the gifts of languages (tongues), prophecy (revelatory gifts) and healing. We believe that Scripture teaches that these sign gifts were temporary (e.g. 2 Peter 1:19, 20) and are “now ceased” ( the 1689 Confession of Faith, 1.1 ).

More Info:

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What is your stance on hyper-calvinism?

We firmly reject hyper-calvinism. Hyper-calvinism is any denial of the free offer of the gospel. We wholeheartedly believe and confess the free offer of the gospel as the teaching of God’s Word ( the 1689 Confession of Faith, 7.2 | Isaiah 55:1–3; Matthew 11:28; Luke 24:47; John 6:37, 7:37; Revelation 22:17).

The doctrines of grace (sovereign election and predestination) should never cause us to withhold the gospel from sinners. Rather, these glorious truths serve as one of our highest motivations to warmly preach the gospel to sinners.

Thus, we hold forth Christ to sinners and exhort them to repent and believe. We seek to evangelize the unconverted and zealously support the work of world missions.

More Info:

Book: Spurgeon Vs. Hyper-Calvinism , by Iain Murray

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Do you offer advanced training for men who aspire to ministry (feel called to preach)?

Yes! We are committed to train gifted men for ministry in at least three ways:

  • 1) Robust training modules covering all the main categories of Biblical theology, systematic theology, and the preaching.
  • 2) Hands-on experience where men are given opportunity to preach in a closed setting so they and the church can evaluate their preaching gifts.
  • 3) Hands-on feedback and coaching from seasoned preachers to help you hone your gifts and graces that God has given you.

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What do you mean that you are an associational church?

The New Testament teaches that churches ought to hold association with one another “for their peace, increase of love, and mutual edification” (the 1689 Confession of Faith, 26.14). This is taught by example and implication in texts such as Acts 11:22, ch. 15, Romans 15:26, 1 Corinthians 12:12, and 2 Corinthians 8:19–24.

More Info:

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What is your view of End Times (Eschatology)?

Our emphasis on the End Times is very simple: God calls us to live holy lives, looking for the return of Jesus Christ to judge the wicked and reward his people.

Our Lord Jesus taught there are details about the timing of his Second Coming which are impossible for us to know (Matthew 24:36). Therefore, we seek to put the focus where Scripture does: “He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end” (Nicene Creed).

In light of this, our main emphasis on eschatology is this: We must seek to live always in light of Christ’s return and the final judgment ( the 1689 Confession of Faith, 32.3 | Luke 12:35–40; 2 Corinthians 5:10–11; Revelation 22:20).

Additionally, our 1689 Confession of Faith is broad enough to embrace a diversity of views on the details of eschatology, such as the millennial reign of Christ .

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More Questions? We’d love to talk.

If you have a question that has not been answered here, or would like more clarification, we’d love to speak with you and take time to answer any questions you may have.

Feel free to contact us here.

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