Who We Are
This branch of Christ’s Church in the Panhandle seeks to be faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission.
As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Redeemer Presbyterian Church is a confessional church, fully committed to living out in today’s context the rich theology, piety, and practice of the historic Christian faith recovered at the Protestant Reformation, and best summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms.
We Love to Worship
We love to worship because we love the Triune God. Our praise of the Lord is regulated by his Word; this is often called the Regulative Principle of Worship. Christian worship is to be according to divine rule (cf. John 4:24). Worship is to include those elements which God has commanded in Scripture: The reading, preaching, singing, and praying of the Word. We value verse-by-verse expository preaching, the joyful administration of the sacraments (the Lord’s Supper and Baptism), and reverent prayer. We sing both the Psalter and theologically-rich hymns during corporate worship. Click here for our Theology of Worship.
We Are Reformed
We are Reformed in our faith and practice, which means that our church stems from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century when the church was reformed according to Scripture. In addition to the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed, we subscribe to Reformed faith and practice as it is expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. We believe that the Westminster Standards, though secondary to Scripture, are accurate and detailed summaries of what the Bible teaches.
We also value the system of Reformed faith and practice found in what is called the Three Forms of Unity: The Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), and the Canons of Dort (1618-1619). The Three Forms of Unity stem from the Continental Reformed tradition.
The Reformation was a powerful force that swept across Europe under the leadership of men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox. Driven by a passion for the Word of God, the Reformation was a recovery of five main Scriptural principles:
- Soli Deo Gloria (God’s Glory Alone)—We live for God’s glory. All creation exists for His glory and praise.
- Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)—Scripture is the Word of God, and is the ultimate source of authority in the Church. Our consciences are not bound to the words of men, but to the Word of God.
- Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)—Scripture teaches that people are saved not by what they do, but by what God has done for them in the person and work of His Son, Christ Jesus. It is by grace that we have been saved, through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)
- Sola Fide (Faith Alone)—God is the one who saves sinners, and He saves them by giving them the ability to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.
- Solus Christus (Christ Alone)—Christ alone is the Savior of sinners. We rely on His blood and His obedience to save us for eternal life.
The Westminster Assembly (1643-1655) met to define and to discuss Reformed and Presbyterian doctrine, ultimately drawing up the Westminster Standards. Photo credit: https://reformedforum.org/ctc134/ (https://reformedforum.org/ctc134/)
We are Presbyterian
We are Presbyterian, which means that our congregation is ruled by elders (the word “presbyter” stems from the New Testament Greek term presbuteros, which means “elder”). This group of elders is called the Session. A presbytery oversees our church as well as other churches in our region. The name of our presbytery is the North Texas Presbytery. Our denomination is the Presbyterian Church in America.
We Love the Church
We love the church because we love the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the sole King and Head of the Church. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) “Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6) “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” (Ephesians 1:22) “And he is the head of the body, the church.” (Colossians 1:18) Christ our King has appointed how the church should be governed. As our head, the Lord Jesus gives us life. We are one with him, we abide in him, and his life is our life. He feeds us by his Holy Spirit, and brings vital spiritual energy to his body, the church. Because we delight in the Lord Jesus Christ, we delight to join Christ’s Church.
