Our Core Values
We value Christ. Christ’s Lordship is the ultimate expression of God’s Grace as head of the Church and center of our lives. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 28:18; John 1:17, 14:6-7; Romans 3:24)
We value the Gospel. Biblical preaching and teaching is proclaiming the living Word in the Reformed tradition so it becomes a vital part of our everyday lives. (Proverbs 22:6; Psalm 19; John 1:1-4; Hebrews 4:12-14; II Timothy 4:1-5)
We value Prayer. Prayer is communicating with God, and we encourage its thoughtful use in all that we do. (Psalm 34:1-7; Matthew 6:5-15; John 17:1-26; Ephesians 6:18)
We value Fellowship. Fellowship is sharing Christ’s love in the faith community as we worship, witness and reach out together. (John 13:34-35; Act 2:42-47; I John 1:1-4)
We value Worship. Worship seeks to glorify God by experiencing Him in Christ through Word and Sacraments, music, prayer, mission and tradition. (Psalm 150; John 4:20-24; Ephesians 5:19; I Peter 2:9-10)
We value Giving. Giving attributes worth to God by our stewardship of the gifts He entrusts to us for His purposes. (Proverbs 19:17; II Corinthians 8:7; II Corinthians 9:7)
We value Family. Family is God’s institution where Christian values are taught, nurtured and lived in everyday lives. (Psalm 127:3 -5; Matthew 19:13-15; Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-40)
We value Evangelism. Evangelism is telling others of God’s unconditional love and encouraging a personal and transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. (Exodus 19:3-6; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 10:45; Act 2:29-47, 18:9-10; II Corinthians 3:4-6)
We values Serving. Serving is the sharing of God’s love, in Jesus Christ’s name, as empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve each other, the community, and the world. (Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:13-16, 25:31-46; James 2:14-17)
THE EVANGELICAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (EPC)
The EPC is a family of churches, Reformed and Presbyterian, defined by shared core values and bonded by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The EPC is a church family centered upon the good news of what God has done for the world through His Son, Jesus Christ.
THE ESSENTIALS OF OUR FAITH
All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation we affirm these Essentials:
1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!
2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.
3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.
4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.
6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth—personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
These Essentials are set forth in greater detail in the Westminster Confession of Faith.