What does 'Reformed' mean?

In short, we mean the church of the Lord Jesus Christ reformed according to the Bible. Some 500 years ago, in Europe, the church had become corrupt. Many Christians, including church leaders, reacted against this and God used them to bring the Church back to a greater faithfulness to the Scriptures. This great Reformation produced the Protestant churches Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Reformed, all of which were the churches of the Reformation in their respective countries. We are simply one of these churches that desire to be faithful to the Bible.

The Scriptures

Our churches believe that the Bible is the Word of God. This Word has no equal because it is:

• Inspired by God, the Holy Spirit, who caused many different men to write it over a considerable period of time,
• Infallible in that it is a completely reliable and trustworthy book which should not and need not be doubted,
• Inerrant, meaning that whatever is revealed in it is without error, contradiction or misrepresentation,
• All sufficient because it fully contains the Will of God and reveals all what we need to believe in order to be saved and live the life of a Christian.

This Bible is the final authority on faith and life in our churches. It is the standard for the regulation, foundation, and confirmation of our faith.

Creeds and Confessions

Because of the shear length of the Bible, it is helpful to have a summary of the key teachings of the Bible presented in an orderly way.

Of the many historical Creeds and Confessions that have been written over the centuries, we have chosen to adopt seven as our own.

• Apostles Creed,
• Nicene Creed,
• Athanasian Creed.
• The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
• The Belgic Confession (1566)
• The Canons of Dort (1619)
• The Westminster Confession of Faith (1643-1648)
  We believe these creeds and confessions are faithful to the Bible and that they serve as a standard of unity. The church is to be found together not by class, or by race, but by a common faith in Christ (Eph. 4:1-15). Sound confessions also enable the church to guard its members from false doctrine and to maintain the purity of the truth (2 Tim. 1:13-14).

  As human documents, however, they possess only secondary authority. The Word of God is the ultimate divine authority. The contents of our creeds and confessions are always subject to (and to be tested by) the standard of the Word of God.