OUR NAME
CHRIST … The Lord, Head, Redeemer, and King of the Church. COVENANT… We are a covenant community living life before a watching world. CHURCH… We are God’s people, the church. “Ekklesia”, the ancient Greek word for the church, literally means that we are “called out” of the world for holy worship and living. The ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN traces its roots through the Seceders of Scotland, who left the church over issues of anti-patronage and the Marrow Controversy, believing that the free offer of the Gospel was for all men. (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)
WORSHIP
At Christ Covenant Church, we emphasize God-centered worship on the Lord’s Day according to His Word. The Bible is the authoritative Word of God, which is our only rule to guide us in worship. We hold to the “regulative principle”, which is defined as worshipping God as He has instructed us in His Word. True worship is to God alone, (Exodus 20:3, Matthew 4:10, Deuteronomy 6:13), and He is the audience of our worship. (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)
LORD’S DAY
The rationale for the Sabbath command goes all the way back to the beginning of time, and the Creation of the Cosmos. As a pattern for those bearing His image, God created the world in six days and rested on the Sabbath. This weekly rhythm is, therefore, as basic to life on earth as male and female, day and night, and sea and dry land. God also blessed the Sabbath Day, thereby showing He intends it to benefit man not burden him. God, furthermore, sanctified the day, setting it apart from all the rest, as a uniquely holy time period. (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)
LORD’S SUPPER
According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 96, “The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ’s appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace.” (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)
OUR SANCTUARY
We have endeavored to design a sanctuary that communicates the priority of the Word and Sacraments and facilitates the congregation’s response in worship. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17). In worship, God communicates to us through the reading and preaching of His Word and through the Sacraments. In worship, thec ongregation responds to God by hearing the Word, by praying, and by singing His praise. (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)
DISCIPLESHIP
A disciple is a learner or student devoted to learning a way of life. A Christian disciple is devoted to learning Christ Himself; thus, Christian discipleship is a process of transformative learning—wherein the knowledge of Christ, through the power of the Spirit, actually transforms our outward lives to be more like our Savior as we journey home to Him. This transformation begins as believers learn who Christ is and what He has commanded. Then, as we grow deeper in our knowledge of Him, we strive to live purposefully in His way, learning to stand firm in the face of culture and our own nature. As God’s truth radiates from inward to outward, our lives begin to look more like the pattern of Christ. (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)
EVANGELISM
Evangelism is the ministry of the great commission - making disciples of all nations. This work begins at home — as we come together in worship each week, we are renewed and equipped for the ministry of evangelism. We gather, and then we scatter. We “gather” together each Lord’s Day, and then we “scatter” out to our various fields of influence over the following week. Thus, much of our evangelism takes place quietly and informally. As a body, we also seek to call special evangelists who will go out in to other parts of our nation and our world, seeking to plant new churches and reach people groups who are lost or unreached.
MINISTRY & STRUCTURE
Every ministry of Christ Covenant Church participates in and supports the fulfillment of our mission: “Proclaim the Word of God, model the Grace of God, and Extol the Glory of God from this place to the ends of the earth.” All ministries are structured under the oversight and authority of the Session, but many are facilitated and organized by our gifted volunteer Ministry Leaders, members of Christ Covenant who lead and encourage other members to use their gifts in the service of our Lord.
CHURCH OFFICER ELECTION
The ordained offices in the church are the office of Elder and Deacon. The office of Deacon as set forth in scripture is one of sympathy and service after the example of Christ. The office of Elder as set forth in scripture is one of governing, disciplining, and shepherding. Both Elders and Deacons are selected and ordained according to biblical qualifications. We believe these offices carry great importance in God’s church, and accordingly, we follow a very thorough process of nomination, training, election, and ordination.
WOMEN
The goodness and creativity of God in Creation is never more manifest than in His creation of both men and women in His image (Genesis 3:21-25). Rather than filling the world with a monochromatic blandness, He has blessed humanity with the wonderful differences in males and females. The roles of men and women are beautifully complementary in the family and in the church. (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)
YOUTH
The goal of student ministry at Christ Covenant Church is to work among the youth and alongside their parents to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We long to see a rising generation gripped by the grace of God, inspired by the glory of God, and alive with a daily sense of gratitude - grateful to know God, to receive His mercy, and to observe His work in and through the Church where He has called them to worship, grow, and serve. (For more, click icon at left to open full PDF.)