Our Beliefs

The Bible is a collection of 66 individual books that together tell the story of a group of people
bound by a common faith in God. It is divided into two main sections: the Old Testament
containing 39 books originally written primarily in Hebrew and the New Testament containing
27 books originally written primarily in Greek. For Presbyterians and others of the Reformed
tradition, the Bible is the means by which Christian believers come to understand how God
has been present with humanity since the beginning of time and is present in our world today.
By studying the scriptures, we can begin to know of God’s faithfulness, constant love, and
eternal goodness.

The church confesses the Scriptures to be the Word of God written, witnessing to God’s self-
revelation. Where that Word is read and proclaimed, Jesus Christ the Living Word is present by
the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, the reading, hearing, preaching, and
confessing of the Word are central to Christian worship.

The Church is the Body of Christ in and for the world. “Our Reformed view of the church is
grounded in the triune God. The church is not based on being a voluntary association of those
who decide it may be a good idea to get together to form an organization. Rather, we believe
the church and our part in it is through the work of the eternal God who elects and calls and
brings together the communion of saints.”
Church is where our Christian faith and life are expressed. Yet the Reformed and Presbyterian
traditions have a much broader view of a universal church that includes not only the saints
presently living on earth, but all the people whom God has blessed throughout history. We are a
priesthood of believers.

Sacraments are signs of the real presence and power of Christ in the Church, symbols of God’s
action. Through the Sacraments, God seals believers in redemption, renews their identity as
the people of God, and marks them for service. Denominations often differ over what they
recognize as sacraments. Some recognize as many as seven sacraments; others have no
sacraments in the life of the church. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has two sacraments,
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. “The Reformed tradition understands Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper to be Sacraments, instituted by God and commended by Christ.

Christian baptism is the sign and seal of our adoption into God’s family. In baptism, we die to
our old selves and are raised to new life in Christ. We are baptized only once in the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible declares that God claimed humanity as God’s own
“before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4)
Both believers and their children are included in God’s covenant love. Children of believers are
to be baptized without undue delay, but without undue haste. Baptism, whether administered to
those who profess their faith or to those presented for baptism as children, is one and the same
Sacrament. The baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God’s love claims people before
they are able to respond in faith. For Presbyterians, Baptism, therefore, usually occurs during
infancy, though a person may be baptized at any age. Parents bring their baby to church, where
they publicly declare their desire that he or she be baptized. When an infant or child is baptized
the church commits itself to nurture the child in faith. When adults are baptized, they make a
public profession of faith.

Having been welcomed into God’s family through baptism, we are welcomed at the family table
again and again so we may be nourished in our life of faith. In the Sacrament of the Lord’s
Supper, we are united with Christ and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We believe Christ
is really present in the Sacrament through the Holy Spirit, though the elements of bread and
wine/juice remain unchanged.