- We believe that God is the Eternal, Almighty person who created everything from nothing.
- We believe that this one single God exists in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- We believe that God created everything good, but Adam and Eve, the first human beings, disobeyed him and brought evil and death into the world. We believe that Adam and Eve’s sin caused all human beings to be born with a sinful nature.
- We believe that God the Father sent God the Son to become a human being, who remained God when he was born of the Virgin Mary. We believe that he was a human being in every way, except that he was without sin. We believe that only he can save us from our sins.
- We believe that Jesus perfectly kept God’s law for us, and that he died on the cross to pay the debt of our sin for us.
- We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he reigns over all things.
- We believe that through Jesus Christ, God the Spirit lives in us.
- We believe it is impossible for anyone to do all the right things and earn the right to live forever.
- We believe that salvation is a free gift of God given to all those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
- We believe that God the Spirit lives in us and is constantly changing us so that we more and more do what God wants.
- We believe that God the Spirit inspired and led the many different people who wrote the Bible over the centuries to write exactly what he wanted them to write, so that the Bible is actually God’s own Word to us.
- We believe that God the Spirit still speaks to us today through the words of the Bible.
- We believe that all those who believe in Jesus will be with him in spirit when they die, and that they will rise again with new and glorified bodies when Jesus returns at the end of time. We look forward to the day when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, when evil will be obliterated, and when we will live with God forever.
- Our Vision:
- Glorify God
Grow in Faith
Reach our Community With the Love of Christ
- Our Mission:
- To equip God’s people through:
WORSHIP that connects us together in a living relationship with God
EDUCATION which enables us to be grounded in our faith
COMMUNITY which enables us to care for one another
SERVICE which enables every member to use their gifts to express Christ’s love in the world. - What’s behind the name “Christian Reformed”?
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When Jesus ascended into Heaven, his church was not divided into so many “denominations.” But because his followers are imperfect, and because they often disagree on Christian teachings and practices, the church today is divided into many different “denominations.” Like different families, each denomination has its own ways of expressing itself and of doing things.
Our denomination is “Christian Reformed.” We are Christian because we believe the same basic things that the Bible clearly teaches and which all truly Christian churches believe. Many of these basic beliefs are listed in “Some of Our Basic Beliefs.”
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We are Reformed because we are part of a particular family of churches that was started in the 16th Century during the “Protestant Reformation.” A Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther saw that many errors had crept into the Roman Catholic church. When he protested against these errors and tried to change the church, the church put him out. Those who left the Roman Catholic church for similar reasons are generally called “Protestants” because of their protests against some of the ways and teachings of the 16th Century Roman Catholic Church.
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Protestant Christians who understand the Bible pretty much the way Luther did are known as “Lutherans.” Today there are many different denominations in the Lutheran family of churches.
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Another very influential 16th century reformer was a man named John Calvin. Christians who understand the Bible pretty much the way Calvin did are known as “Reformed” Christians. Reformed Christians are continually trying to build on Calvin’s understanding of God’s Word, as they seek to apply that understanding to the challenges of an ever-changing world.
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The Reformed family of churches also includes many denominations. Generally speaking, Reformed denominations that have their beginnings in Scotland are called “Presbyterian,” and those that have their beginnings in the Netherlands (Holland) are called “Reformed.” The Puritans who came from England to settle in America during the 17th Century generally understood the Bible and the Christian life according to John Calvin’s teachings. Thus, the Puritan Pilgrims who played a large role in the founding of our nation are also part of the Reformed family of Christians.
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Today the term Reformed includes a large, international group of churches, as well as countless individuals who belong to many different denominations that are not specifically identified by that term. For example, some of the most respected Reformed teachers in the world today are members of the Anglican Church (the church of England), and the largest congregation in the world today is a congregation in Korea which is very Reformed in its teachings. It is estimated today that there are more than twenty-five million Christians who consider themselves “Reformed.”
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The Christian Reformed denomination is one of many “Reformed” groups of Christians in the world today. We have our own ways of understanding the Bible and of doing things, and these ways are sometimes different from those of other Christians. Sometimes our ways and understandings are even different from those of other “Reformed” Christians.
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Nonetheless, we believe that all Christians who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and who believe the Bible’s basic teachings, are our spiritual brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, even if they belong to a different denomination, and even if they are of a completely different culture and nationality. We believe that the most important thing about any Christian is his or her relationship to God through Jesus Christ.
