What We Believe

I. We Are Evangelical

To say that we are evangelical means we believe and teach the historic doctrines of the Christian faith. We believe and teach the existence of the one, true, and living God; who is one in essence yet eternally existing in three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Deut. 6:4, 1 Cor. 8:4, Matt. 28:19

We believe and teach the preeminence and exclusivity of Jesus Christ, that He is truly man and truly God, that He was born of a virgin, that his death for sin upon the cross was substitutionary in nature, that He rose physically from the dead, that He will one day come again, and that repentant faith in Him alone is necessary for salvation.

John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Phil. 2:6-7, Isaiah 7:14,
2 Cor. 5:21, John 20:27-28, Acts 1:11, Mark 1:15,
Eph. 2:8-9

We believe and teach that the Bible is the very Word of God, breathed out by Him and thus infallible, inerrant, and sufficient for all of life and godliness.

Isaiah 40:8, John 17:17, 2 Timothy 3:16,
2 Peter 1:19-21

We joyfully affirm our unity with like minded believers from every tradition and denomination who hold to these essential truths.

II. We Are Reformed

The word “reformed” is a reference to our historical link with the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century with its theological distinctives. These distinctives can be summarizes as:

  1. Our glad affirmation and adherence to the five “Solas” of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone, Sola Fida—by faith alone, Sola gratia—by grace alone, Solus Christus—through Christ alone, Soli Deo gloria—for the Glory of God alone.

  2. Our glad affirmation of the responsibility of every person to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

  3. That though every person is dead in sin, God the Father, by his sovereign electing grace saves sinners , through the effective substitutionary atonement of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in giving faith and enabling perseverance.

III. We Are Presbyterian

Grace covenant church is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The word “Presbyterian” refers to how our church is structured and governed. We believe that the most clear biblical pattern is for churches to be governed by a plurality of “presbyters” (elders) who rule jointly. The leadership of the local church is entrusted in representatives, called elders, who are members of the local church and elected by members of the local church. The Pastor is one elder among many in the local church. The enders of the church, called the session, are connected to the regional presbytery, and the national General Assembly of the PCA.