Distinctives

Doctrine

  • Committed to the Word of God as Truth
    • Interpreted from traditional Reformed, Evangelical Protestant Christian hermeneutic
  • We agree with the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed
  • With very few exceptions, we agree with the Westminster Confession of Faith
  • We baptize our children because we believe they are to be brought up in the fear and admonition of the Lord and that Baptism replaces circumcision in the old covenant (Col 2:11-12).
  • We invite our children to the Lord’s table because they are baptized, part of the covenant family, and are being trained in the fear and admonition of the Lord which includes regularly participating the beautiful sacrament of feasting at the Lord’s table. Just as we speak to small children before they can speak themselves, we share this bread and wine with our children, teaching them the deep meanings of this simple act as they grow in the Lord. Instead of fencing them out until some indeterminate time, we invite and welcome them into the family of God, teaching them to obey and love the Lord of hosts who has commanded that we do this in remembrance of Him.
  • We are post-millennial in our eschatology. Which simply means that we believe Christ reigns today, having been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And our task is to take dominion (Ge 1:26-28, Ps 8) and make disciples.
    • (Mt 28:16-20) Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Worship

  • Each week, our Sunday morning worship includes the following:
    • Opening Psalm reading and hymn
    • Short exhortation and corporate confession of sin while kneeling at our seats
    • Recitation of the Nicene Creed – recited by Christians since the 4th century
    • Reading of substantial portions of scripture – OT, NT, Gospel
    • Exposition of Scripture in the sermon
    • Corporate prayer
    • Communion – with real bread and real wine and children participating
    • Singing of Hymns and Psalms accompanied by piano
    • Active call and response (pastor and congregation) throughout the service
  • Given this description (or a visit to our church), we may at first appear to be aligned with Roman Catholicism. This isn’t the case. We are a traditional Reformed Protestant church that cares deeply about strong family worship, spiritual disciplines, and historical practices of the church that honor the Lord and are aligned with scripture
  • We strongly encourage visitors to plan to be with us for several weeks in a row, if possible, to get a good feel for the rhythm of the service, the fellowship of the body, and the preaching and teaching ministry

Music

  • Congregational signing, accompanied by piano, using music from hymn books is our primary form of worship music.
  • Singing is a glorified form of speech, and we encourage all congregants – young and old, trained and untrained – to participate in robust singing during worship.

Sermons

  • A plain-spoken, well researched teaching and exhortation on a specific passage of the Bible (or occasionally on a specific topic grounded on scripture)
    • Textual
    • Christ-Centered
    • Expository preaching
      • Grammatical-Historical exegesis
      • “Lectio Continua” discipline
    • Bringing together Old and New Testaments (Covenant Theology)
    • Illuminating the meanings of the passage
    • Help in applying the meaning and intent of the passage to your life
    • Hope of real prosperity and joy in living a life well
      • In contrast to the “prosperity gospel” or the “poverty gospel”

Fellowship

  • We emphasize Christian hospitality and fellowship through the following:
    • Weekly pot-luck lunches after the Sunday service (all but the 1st Sunday of the month)
    • Once-per month-hospitality Sunday (1st Sunday of the month). Families are encouraged to host another family or two in their home for lunch after the Sunday service
    • Monthly psalm sings hosted in a congregant’s home. All bring food to share and the host cooks a main dish. We sing, eat, and sing again while enjoying each other’s company in fellowship. Sometimes we practice a new song here.
    • Men’s monthly pub night. Hosted by a congregant. Drinks, talking, and sometimes a cigar or pipe.
    • Regular book readings and discussion. Men’s discussions. Women’s discussions. Occasional joint men and women discussions. Young adult children welcome to participate.
      • Previous books:
        • The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy paired with Ecclesiastes
        • Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham
        • The Stone Lectures by Abraham Kuyper
        • Radiant – Fifty Remarkable Women in Church History by Richard Hannula
        • Christendom and the Nations by James Jordan
        • Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
        • From Forgiven to Forgiving by Jay Adams
        • Keep a Quiet Heart by Elizabeth Elliot
        • Devils Diet – the Seven Deadly Sins Revisited by Jack Phelps
      • Annual beach cookout at Navarre Beach. Food, fun and sun.
      • Fall Banquet – nice, relaxing meal provided for adults and a word of encouragement from the pastor.
      • Short-term mid-week studies (each lasts about a month, meet on Wednesdays for a cook-out and study)
        • The book of Ecclesiastes
        • The book of James
        • Fasting and Prayer (ACTS)

Church Government

  • Presbyterian form of government
    • Teaching Elder (head pastor) is nominated by the Session and elected by the congregation. His primary role is to lead the congregation, preach the gospel, and administer the sacraments (Baptism and Lord’s Supper)
    • Elders are nominated by the Session and elected by the congregation. Their primary role is to lead. Elders may also teach and serve. The Pastor and Elders together are called the Session.
    • Deacons are nominated by the Session and elected by the congregation. Their primary role is service.
    • The Pastor, Elders and church are accountable to the southeastern (Athanasius) presbytery.
  • Affiliations
    • We are affiliated with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC)
    • Although our name may seem similar, we are not affiliated with the “Church of Christ” denomination