Creating a Culture of Congregational Worship
We seek to honor God as He wants to be worshipped. The attitude of Worship is focused on the holiness of God, as the first and best being, worthy of all praise and honor. His word is to have preeminence in reading, singing, praying, and preaching. The music of the church is to be distinct from the music of the world. Prayer is to be reverent. Preaching is to be faithful.
Gospel Focused
Though we have all sinned and fall short of God’s perfect standard, the Good News is that Jesus lived the perfect life we cannot live, suffered the death we deserved, then rose victorious over death. When we repent (turn away) from our sins and trust in Jesus, we can be forgiven because Jesus takes, in our place, the penalty we deserve and accounts to us His standing of obedience, granting us eternal life.
Proclaiming the Gospel each week is a priority because:
Proclaiming the Gospel each week is a priority because:
- Not everyone who attends may be truly saved.
- Visitors to our services need to hear the Gospel.
- Believers never tire of rejoicing in the Gospel of God in Christ.
- We desire to be always ready to share the Gospel:
hearing it clearly expressed each week teaches us how.
Christ Centered
There is not one microbe or mountain of which Christ does not say, “Mine!” Christ is Lord over all regardless of whether we recognize or deny His lordship. We are completely dependent on Him and exalt Him as the only Savior of mankind. His sovereign grace gives forgiveness, eternal life, purpose, and joy.
There is no greater truth, beauty, or goodness than Christ. The central message of the bible is Jesus Christ and the saving grace of God in Him. The promises of the Old Testament point forward to Christ, and the New Testament bears witness to the accomplishment and coming consummation of the fullness of those promises. There is no salvation outside of Christ. We depend on Christ in all we do, and trust in Christ alone for salvation for all who believe. We desire that our preaching, singing, prayer, fellowship, and everything we do would exalt Christ.
There is no greater truth, beauty, or goodness than Christ. The central message of the bible is Jesus Christ and the saving grace of God in Him. The promises of the Old Testament point forward to Christ, and the New Testament bears witness to the accomplishment and coming consummation of the fullness of those promises. There is no salvation outside of Christ. We depend on Christ in all we do, and trust in Christ alone for salvation for all who believe. We desire that our preaching, singing, prayer, fellowship, and everything we do would exalt Christ.
Biblical Preaching
Because we believe that the bible is the Word of God – faithfully recorded, preserved, and transmitted to us – we believe we are entrusted to faithfully preach that word. Faithful preaching draws out and explains the main point of scripture and makes that the main point of the sermon, seeking to persuade listeners of its truth and apply that truth to our congregation. It is God’s Word that convicts, converts, and sanctifies. Preaching through the books of the bible sentence-by-sentence, phrase-by-phrase, seeks to ensure that God’s Word is preeminent over the doctrines of men.
Reformed
We stand with the protestant reformers, in affirming what are called the “Five Solas”:
We affirm the doctrines of sovereign grace as taught by Jesus, Paul and the apostles, formulated by Augustine, expounded by Calvin, and helpfully refined at the Synod of Dort.
- Sola Scriptura — Scripture alone is the ultimate authority
- Sola Gratia — Salvation is by Grace Alone
- Sola Fide — Salvation is through Faith Alone
- Solus Christus — Salvation is in Christ Alone
- Soli Deo Gloria — All to the Glory of God Alone.
We affirm the doctrines of sovereign grace as taught by Jesus, Paul and the apostles, formulated by Augustine, expounded by Calvin, and helpfully refined at the Synod of Dort.
Confessional
We subscribe to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith because it is a faithful and accurate reflection of biblical teaching.
We use the 1689 Baptist Confession as an affirmation and defense of the truth, a guide for teaching and discipleship in the local church, an aide to maturity in understanding biblical doctrine and practice, a basis for evaluation of preaching, a support for planting churches, as a help to identify unity with other Christians and churches, and as a means of declaring our continuity with historic Christianity
We use the 1689 Baptist Confession as an affirmation and defense of the truth, a guide for teaching and discipleship in the local church, an aide to maturity in understanding biblical doctrine and practice, a basis for evaluation of preaching, a support for planting churches, as a help to identify unity with other Christians and churches, and as a means of declaring our continuity with historic Christianity
Evangelical
Evangelicalism has historically been identified with a commitment to the inerrancy and sufficiency of the Bible, the need to be Born Again, the need for Personal faith, and obedience in proclaiming the Gospel.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church affirms the bible to be the inspired, inerrant, reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative Word of God, places an emphasis on the need to be born again, and the need to believe and trust in the life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and imminent return of Jesus Christ. We desire and seek to be faithful in witness, in proclamation, in sending, and in support – that we may share the Gospel personally, send others, and support missions in prayer and giving.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church affirms the bible to be the inspired, inerrant, reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative Word of God, places an emphasis on the need to be born again, and the need to believe and trust in the life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and imminent return of Jesus Christ. We desire and seek to be faithful in witness, in proclamation, in sending, and in support – that we may share the Gospel personally, send others, and support missions in prayer and giving.
Age Integrated
The Bible teaches that the primary responsibility for instructing children (making disciples) falls on dads and moms (Deut 6:7, 2 Tim 1:5). For this reason, we seek to equip and aid parents in this great task, never to replace them.
Our services are family friendly, with children joining in worship. It is good for families to worship God together, so we have plenty of patience with noise and wiggles!
Our ministries seek to be open to all ages as well, although there is plenty of room for natural visiting and we never try to limit or restrict how families choose to practice hospitality in their homes (1 Pet 4:9).
Our services are family friendly, with children joining in worship. It is good for families to worship God together, so we have plenty of patience with noise and wiggles!
Our ministries seek to be open to all ages as well, although there is plenty of room for natural visiting and we never try to limit or restrict how families choose to practice hospitality in their homes (1 Pet 4:9).
Complementarian
We believe that men and women have equal dignity and value before God, yet men and women have distinct and complementary roles in the home and in the church. Both men and women are made in the image of God and are heirs of the grace of life (1 Pet 3:7). The Bible teaches that God reserves church government to qualified men (1 Tim 2:12) and that men are to lead their families (Eph 5:22-33). The Bible is clear that leadership is to be loving and sacrificial.