Who are we?

A group of families committed to the Biblical worship of the Triune God and a church fellowship that includes:

What we do not seek to be is:

Are we successful in all these things?

We acknowledge that "the purest churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error. Nevertheless, there shall always be a church on earth, to worship God according to His will". We acknowledge then, that God has revealed in His Word how He is to be worshiped. And in giving His Spirit to the church He enables us to humbly submit to the rule of Jesus Christ who is the head of the Church. Leadership and membership should always be ready to receive Biblical directives so as to improve their lives and doctrines in consistency with Scripture.

Because the natural tendency of man is to corrupt the church with error, we deem it necessary and advantageous to be a confessional church.

What does it mean to be "confessional"?

To be a confessional body is to agree together that a certain statement of faith accurately summarizes a body of truth. In agreeing that this summary is accurate and true, one does not claim these confessions to be a superior authority to the Holy Scriptures. Rather, these confessions derive their authority from the scriptures, without which they would be but empty shells.

The 16th century Reformation produced several statements of faith which have been studied and tested through the years as to their agreement with the Holy Scriptures. These are frequently called "Reformed Confessions of Faith".

What is it to be "Reformed"?

To be Reformed is to agree with the system of theology that had its roots in the 1st century church, later given articulation by men such as Augustine, Athanasius, Aquinas, and others, and was recovered and more fully developed in the Reformation of the 16th century by men such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the European church matured its thinking on Scriptural matters by developing confessional statements to summarize what it believed the Bible taught. On the continent, the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dordt were accepted. In Switzerland, the second Helvetic Confession was accepted. And in the British Isles, the Westminster Assembly compiled the Westminster Confession of Faith together with the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechism.

All of these confessions, though arising from different places and written by various people or assemblies, speak with largely one voice, giving us a system of theology that has been termed "Reformed".

What is it to be "Presbyterian"?

To be presbyterian is to govern the church by a plurality of elders. In practice, this means that:

• Presbyterians who hold true to the scriptures ordain and install biblically qualified men to the office of elder to serve Christ as church leaders.
• This ruling body (always a plurality), although selected from amongst the membership by election, is to recognize that they govern in obedience to Jesus Christ as revealed in His Word.
• In cases where elders may govern in a way that a member believes is unbiblical, he may appeal to higher judicatories or courts for a hearing and resolution.

Where does "Associate Reformed" come from?

Since the inception of "presbyterianism" in 1560 under John Knox in Scotland, there was both political upheaval in the British Isles, as well as conflict within the Church.

One such conflict came about as the Church of Scotland deemphasized the free grace of God in salvation. Besides this, trends towards Unitarianism, moralism, and bishop vs. elder rule all combined to bring about the Secession of 1733 and the formation of the Associate Presbytery.

Key early leaders were men such as Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, Thomas Boston, and Alexander Moncrieff. In the New World, an Associate Presbytery was formed in 1753 in Pennsylvania. In 1774, a similar tradition called the Reformed Presbytery was formed, also in Pennsylvania. A union was accomplished in 1782, thus forming the Associate Reformed Synod.