OUR DOCTRINE & IDENTITY

1. GOOD NEWS! — Jesus bled and died on the Cross for our sins, was buried, and was resurrected the third day. All who repent of their sins and trust in him for salvation receive full payment for their sins and a guarantee of resurrection and eternal life. Jesus, having ascended into heaven, now reigns as King of kings and Lord of Lords, hallelujah! Through preaching this gospel, we seek the expansion of his kingdom until all nations, tongues, kings, judges, families, individuals, and all creation submits to Jesus as Lord.

2. MISSION — We want to make disciples who make disciples. We want to be a church that plants and multiplies. We are engaged in making and equipping disciples to love the Lord, their families, and their neighbors in such a way that they positively impact their community for the cause of Christ. We believe that the gospel entails "All of Christ for All of Life": so we want to be engaged in politics, culture, art, trades, commerce, etc. in ways that glorify Christ, exposes and expels darkness, and transforms the world for good in spiritual and tangible ways.

3. UNCOMPROMISING — We remain faithful to the biblically-orthodox doctrines and confessions of the historic church. While the culture says that truth is relative, or that people should change with the times, our God is never-changing, and his Word remains forever (1 Peter 1:25). We therefore "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), for there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). We diligently "guard the deposit" of this faith (1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:14).

4. REFORMED — We are rooted in the 5 Solas of the Reformation (Scripture alone is our rule of faith and practice. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, for God's glory alone). We confess the historic creeds and teach the confessions of the Reformation such as the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Three Forms of Unity.

5. PRESBYTERIAN — Leaders are held accountable through a plurality of biblically qualified, ordained, Spirit-filled men. We are part of the Federation of Reformed Churches. We also closely align in faith and practice with the CREC (Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches). We welcome and seek the fellowship, unity, accountability, charity, and edification with and from all Bible-believing churches, pastors, and Christians. The Body of Christ is greater than our own denominational affiliation. We pray for and seek the unity of the Church of Christ, without compromise. You do not have to be 'Presbyterian' to be a member of our church, or have to agree with every point of doctrine—you simply must be a Christian!

6. COVENANTAL — Christians are encouraged to baptize their children. We practice weekly communion, and all who are baptized (including children) are welcome to partake. We practice a liturgical, covenant renewal worship. We sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, traditional and contemporary, with a rotation of guitar, piano, organ, flute, and a capella.

OUR CENTRAL THEME:

Princeville Presbyterian Church is a community of love, under the authority of God’s Word, centered upon the gospel, for the glory of God.

1.   We are a church under the authority of Scripture.

We live in an age where evil is increasing and sound doctrine is decreasing. There is a constant pressure on all of us to cave to the world’s pattern of living and thinking, which are opposed to the system of teaching handed down to us in Scripture (2 Tim. 2:1-2). Nevertheless, God does not call us out of the world; rather, we are called to live in the world, engage the world, and shine as God’s beacons of light in a dark place. He does not leave us to do this in our own strength, but has given us the “God-breathed word…so that [we may be] thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). As a Church, we are committed to the proclamation of God’s word, which Paul says is profitable for “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”

2.   We are a church centered upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel is the announcement, or good news, of who Jesus is and what he has done on our behalf. As such, it is the divine means by which we are saved and comes to those who believe in the life-transforming power of God. So, Paul says the gospel is to be of “first importance” in the church and that it undergirds and informs all of the Christian life (1 Cor. 15:2-3). Gospel-formed Christianity is not moralism; it is not the message of how you can be a better person, or how you should be a better person, or how to have more success, security, or peace. It is the announcement of what God has done for us in Christ! As we hear the gospel, believe the gospel, and grow in faith and trust in Christ our savior, our lives are progressively restored by God’s grace. As a gospel-centered church, we are committed to grace-filled Christianity, not the deceptive promises of moralism.

3.    We are a church that exists for the glory of God.

Yahweh reveals Himself to Moses as “The Lord, The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin” (Ex. 34:5-7). This is the God we see most clearly at the cross, where God’s wrath is poured out on Christ, the Son, on our behalf. In Christ, we see the compassion of God as He bears our sins, and we see the wrath of God as Christ dies the death each of us deserves. In the light of such an awesome and loving God, we respond as the body of Christ in worship and mission, seeking His glory above our own in all things.

4.    We are a church that is a community of love.

We live in a world of hierarchy and status, but the gospel calls us to a community of self-sacrificing love and service. This is the truth that Jesus demonstrated in His life and death. As the body of Christ, we evidence the life of our Lord, and the truth of the gospel, in how we treat one another. In fact, Jesus said, “by this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35). As a church, we are committed to the interests of each other above our own.

OUR GOSPEL ESSENTIALS:

All Scripture is self-attesting and, being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation, we affirm these additional Essentials of our faith:

1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory, and praise forever!

2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.

3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.

6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth-personally, visibly, and bodily-to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20)

7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)

OUR ACCOUNTABILITY AND ASSOCIATION:

• Our church is part of the Federation of Reformed Churches (FORC) — If anyone has an unresolved dispute or grievance within our church that our elders can't properly resolve, they can contact any elder in the FORC and ask for a Council to hear the matter.
• We also closely align in faith and practice with the CREC (Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches).
• We also seek the fellowship, unity, accountability, charity, and edification with and from other Bible-believing churches, pastors, and Christians.  The Body of Christ is greater than our own denominational affiliation. We pray for and seek the unity of the Church of Christ, without compromise.

What is the Federation of Reformed Churches?

• Its primary purpose is to serve and nurture local churches.
• The FORC enables local churches to give concrete expression to their connection to the catholic church (Ephesians 4:1-6).
• FORC churches worship God within the bounds set by scripture with a primary focus on the Word and Sacraments (Psalm 29:1-2; John 4:23-24).
• The FORC adheres to the inerrancy and all-sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures (the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament), which is the final authority in all matters of life and doctrine (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:14-16).
• While the FORC considers no other written document to be of the same authority as Scripture, its members hold to the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Creed of Chalcedon.
• The FORC believes that the historic Reformed confessions best define the system of doctrine taught in the Scriptures. The specific choice of these confessional documents resides with each member church.

The FORC's distinct positions include:

• That the world was created out of nothing in six normal days thousands of years ago.
• We believe in an optimistic eschatology.
• We believe in the Kingship of the Lord Jesus over all of life and culture now.
• We believe in a Presbyterial form of church government. Each church is governed by its own Presbytery. Councils and Synods comprise the FORC's broader courts. Synod conducts business pertinent to the entire FORC and also provides mutual accountability and encouragement among Presbyters.
• We believe in an adherence to Biblical ethics.
• We believe the Lord's Supper is an essential part of Christian worship. Therefore with humility and reverence we recognize the need to receive this holy sacrament in the weekly gathering of God's people.
• We practice baptism of all believers and their children. All baptized adults and children in good standing, including feeble-minded and senile persons, are joyfully welcomed into the Eucharistic celebration (Communion). We practice what is commonly called paedo-communion.