Theology: What We Believe
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching...” (Acts 2:42)
Theology (what we believe) is taught by God, teaches of God, and leads to God. As a “confessional” congregation we believe having written statements of faith are valuable in a time of “mile wide, inch deep” Christianity. As a "confessing" congregation we continue believing these statements are relevant and necessary.
We’re Christian
With the church in all times and in all places, what we believe finds its source in God's revelation of himself to humanity: the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Old and New Testaments—the Holy Scriptures.
As a Christian church rooted in history, we identify with the “orthodox” (meaning, “right teaching”) and “catholic” (meaning, “universal”) creeds the ancient churches confessed—the Apostles’, Nicene, Chalcedonian, and Athanasian Creeds. These creeds confess the mystery of the one true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and who in time creates, redeems, and sanctifies. They also confess the mystery that the Person of the eternal Son assumed to himself a true human nature and so exists as one Person yet in two natures with two wills.
We’re Protestant
As churches rooted in the Protestant Reformation, we confess the truths of Scripture and the ancient churches against the abuses of the medieval Roman Catholic Church. We confess that the Triune God made an eternal plan in which the Father demonstrated his love for a sinful world by sending his Son to become a man and that by the work of the Holy Spirit sinful humanity is brought back into eternal fellowship with their Creator. Thus, sinners are saved from eternal wrath only by God’s grace alone, which we receive through faith alone that is placed in the perfect person of Jesus Christ alone.
We’re Reformed
As Reformed churches (in distinction from Lutheran churches), we also whole-heartedly believe what are called the “Three Forms of Unity”—the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and Canons of Dort. Their truths were confessed by all the Reformed churches of the 16th-17th centuries in other confessional documents we esteem such as The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, Second Helvetic Confession, Westminster Confession, and Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms.
We’re Confessing
While we stand upon the shoulders of our theological forebears, we continue to be confessing churches that proclaim the truths of the Word, creeds, and confessions in our contemporary context. The leadership of our church has also adopted the following statements on various issues of importance:
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978) on the ever-vital topic of the nature and authority of Holy Scripture
The Cambridge Declaration (1996) that calls the modern church back to the "solas" of the Reformation
The Federal Vision and Justification (2007) a study committee report adopted by our Synod of the United Reformed Churches in North America
Our Statement on Marriage (2015) in response to the Supreme Court of the United States' decision regarding marriage
Eastern Orthodoxy (2017) a study committee report commissioned by our regional assembly of churches, especially dealing with the allure of Orthodoxy and our pastoral response
Affirmations Regarding Marriage (2018) adopted by our Synod of the United Reformed Churches in North America
Pastoral Advice on Human Sexuality (2024) adopted by our Synod of the United Reformed Churches in North America.
Explore Our Faith
We invite you to explore our faith! Join us for worship & hospitality to get to know us personally. Get in touch with Pastor Danny about his next “Welcome to a Reformed Church Class.” You may also read his Welcome to a Reformed Church: A Guide for Pilgrims (Reformation Trust, 2010). All visitors to OURC get a free copy!