Creeds and Confessions

Our Evangelical Presbyterian Church Heritage

Christ’s Community Church is part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), which has its roots in the Protestant Reformation and the Reformed Churches in Scotland. As a “Reformed” and “Presbyterian” church, we affirm that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are our only rule of faith and life. We believe that all understanding of the Christian faith must, at all times, be submitted to the Word of God.

We are also a confessionally Reformed church, which means we understand the Christian faith through the lens of historic Reformed confessions and catechisms. We affirm the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. A “confession” is a work that attempts to express the truth of the major points Christian faith and life. A “catechism” is a way of teaching that uses a question and answer format to teach the Scriptures and what it looks like to live as a Christian. We believe these confessions and catechisms accurately reflect the teaching of Scripture and offer us a friendly hand to understand God and His will.

And we are Presbyterian, which means that we are governed locally through spiritually mature elders, called the Session. We are also intentionally connected and engaged together on a regional basis through presbyteries. We do this for the sake of shared gospel ministry, mutual support, and accountability. Our churches and presbyteries are also committed to an overarching authority called the General Assembly, who gathers each year to support the work of the local church.

As Evangelical Presbyterians, we are joined together in a passion for the gospel of Jesus, for following him wherever he leads, and for those who do not know him.

We affirm these historic Christian creeds:

We affirm the Westminster Confession of Faith and Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms as reliable and trustworthy expressions of the teaching of Scripture:

While we believe that all of our faith is important, some elements of that faith are absolutes. For example, it is essential that we agree on the meaning of the atoning death of Jesus on the cross. On the other hand, we do not believe it is essential to agree on the timing of Christ’s second coming. The EPC therefore has set forth these core beliefs of the Christian faith upon which there must be agreement, but permits latitude and (biblically based) differences of opinion on matters not considered essential to be a Christian

The EPC Essentials (PDF)