When Jesus ascended into heaven, He commissioned His disciples to spread the Good News in all lands and to make disciples of all peoples, "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)
Therefore, we take very seriously our continued calling to "teach what accords with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1). Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, has commissioned His church to continue to teach and uphold all that He has revealed to us in His Holy Word.
This means that we are committed to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is God's Word and we believe that it is the one true standard of our faith and obedience. And what is it that the Bible teaches? The Bible teaches us what to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of all people.
We promise to be a Church where this focus on God's Word is evident and clear in everything that we do and say.
In conjunction with this commitment, we are also committed to the thorough summary of our beliefs which can be found in our confessional documents, the Westminster Standards. Specifically, we subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism. That is, we uphold these as our established statement of faith from which we do not deviate. Why is this so important in an age when authoritative creeds and confessions are downplayed or despised? We are committed to a biblical, faithful, historical, and ecumenical testimony of what we believe.
We promise to be a Church that is committed to a robust and thorough confession of our faith that doesn't bend to new trends but instead upholds the faith once delivered to the saints! (cf. Jude 1:3-4)
Our overarching purpose or reason for existence as a congregation is to show forth the excellency of our Saviour Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul declares, "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." (2 Corinthians 1:20-22 ESV)
We promise to be a Church where the person and work of Jesus Christ are central in our teaching, preaching, and fellowship together!
Basil the Great, a 4th century Church Father, wrote the following in his commentary on Psalm 116, and its worth repeating here:
"What reward shall we give unto the Lord for all the benefits He hath bestowed? From the cheerless gloom of non-existence, He waked us into being; He ennobled us with understanding; He taught us arts to promote the means of life; He commanded the prolific earth to yield its nurture; He bade the animals to own us as their lords.
"For us the rains descend; for us the sun sheddeth abroad its creative beams; the mountains rise, the valleys bloom, affording us grateful habitation and a sheltering retreat. For us the rivers flow; for us the fountains murmur; the sea opens its bosom to admit our commerce; all nature pouring her treasures at our feet, through the bounteous grace of Him who wills that all be ours." (Basil of Ceasarea, in Spurgeon's Psalms Commentary)
We promise to be a Church that is devoted and enraptured by the calling we have to worship the Lord God and adore Him! He has blessed us in countless ways and we are committed to the rightful worship of our Sovereign and gracious God!