What We Believe

Our Purpose

God has called us together in Lawrence, Kansas…

  • To love Him and to find all of our pleasure in pleasing Him. - Psalm 73:25-28, Revelation 4:11
  • To live and to proclaim the Reformed faith and Biblical worship. - John 4:23, 6:35-40, 44-45
  • To encourage & build up one another in Christ’s Body. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:11-13
  • To serve those God brings to us and to send them into ministries around the world. - Luke 10:2
  • To be salt and light by living out Christ’s Kingship in every realm. Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Timothy 6:15-16
  • To love the lost, the broken and the lonely, thus to fulfill God’s royal law. - James 2:8, Micah 6:8

Our Doctrines

In the first place, we are Christians [There is no other name, than Christ, by which we must be saved]. We are orthodox, holding to the great ecumenical creeds, from Apostles’ through the 5th Century A.D. We are evangelicals, holding to the Reformation solas: Scripture, Christ, grace, faith, … and gloria! We are fundamentalists in certain respects [referring to the five classic fundamentals as opposed to early-1900’s liberalism]. We are committed to working toward the unity of the one true Church of Jesus on earth.

We promote the Bible doctrines of sovereign grace, a particular way of understanding salvation, giving all of the glory to God: Often abbreviated as T.U.L.I.P. … the Pauline, Augustinian, Calvinistic answer to Pelagianism / Arminianism. The God-focused (self-doubting) faith and life from which these doctrines spring:

  • Man’s Total Depravity - his complete inability to obey God’s law apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.
  • God’s Unconditional Election of saints to save unto Himself by God’s grace before the foundation of the world, and by no action or merit of our own.
  • Christ’s Limited Atonement, guaranteeing salvation for those whom He has also elected to save.
  • The Holy Spirit’s Irresistible Grace, guaranteeing those whom God has called will come to faith by their own free will.
  • The Holy Spirit’s Preservation of the Saints, guaranteeing those whom God has elected cannot lose their saving faith.

We promote the presbyterian form of church government, a particular way of organizing in the church of Jesus. God is sovereign over the church; Christ is building it; the Holy Spirit sets the standards by His word. A plurality of qualified elders leads together in our local congregation, then congregations network together in presbyteries and synods for unity, accountability, and the wider work.

We promote the Biblical view of sacraments, a particular way of waiting upon God for His means of grace. How many sacraments are there and what is their value? (1) Baptism: for believers and their children; a promise & pledge; water quantity is not the primary issue. And (2), The Lord’s Supper: for believers who can self-examine; a sign & a seal; Jesus is spiritually present.

We promote God-regulated worship, a particular way of looking unto God, the only acceptable “worship-Leader.” Old Testament worship entailed doing everything according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain. New Testament worship is fulfilled, beautified, and simplified ~ given through the Lamb of God revealed. Our worship today involves the Bible read and preached, Psalms sung through redeemed instruments, sacraments, & the prayers.

We promote the crown rights of King Jesus and His mediatorial kingship, a particular way of looking at the world as it is, as it should be, and as it will be. Why did Jesus die? What did He come to do? Why is He waiting? What is He reconciling? The implications of His kingship for the world we live in today (from the personal to the universal).

We promote the covenants of Christ, reflecting His faithfulness through all ages, a particular way of looking at God’s approach to man and the response He desires. The major Biblical covenants: works/life and grace [Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New]. Why we were and still are called Covenanters: our historic struggles, commitments, and deposits. What is covenant theology? Agreements divine and human, old yet ever new, and the great overarching theme of God’s word.

Our Part in the Larger Body

As a congregation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, we are bound together with about 90 other congregations under a Constitution. Our preeminent authority is the Bible, which is God’s own inspired word. The RPCNA Constitution is an effort to summarize and pull together God’s truth on topics of great importance to the church in the world today. This compilation includes the Westminster Confession of Faith (from the 1640s), the RPCNA Testimony (an up-to-date commentary on that Confession, elucidating truth which our generation needs to hear), and three directories to guide us in details concerning Christian worship, church government, and discipline. You may find more info at the RPCNA’s own website: ReformedPresbyterian.org

Some Confessions of the Reformed Faith:

To access the RPCNA’s Constitution (which includes the Westminster Confession of Faith & our Testimony), click here.