FAQ

What does "Reformed" mean?

The word "Reformed" essentially means "biblical." During the Middle Ages, the Christian church in the west became increasingly corrupt in its beliefs and practices. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the church experienced a great reformation, being reformed according to Scripture. The term "Reformed" refers to the biblical standards confessed during the Protestant Reformation.

As a Reformed church, we seek to be biblical in everything: our beliefs, how we worship, and how we live. We believe that Scripture alone is our only guide for faith and life. We believe that we are saved from sin and God's eternal wrath by God's grace alone, which is received not by our good works, but through faith alone in Christ alone. We believe our worship and life is now to be lived to the glory of God alone.

To summarize the doctrines of the Reformation and the truth that unifies us, we confess the "Three Forms of Unity, which are the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dort. We wholeheartedly believe these confessions, along with the creeds of the ancient church, faithfully summarize "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). To read these confessions, go here.

What are your worship services like?

Worship services at Christ URC are reverent, simple, and biblical. We gather together at 9.30am and 6.00pm every Sunday not to be entertained, but to meet with God and receive from him through the preaching of his Word and the administration of his sacraments. In worship, we enter a dialog with God, in which he speaks to us through his Word and sacraments, and we respond to him in prayer, song, confession, and giving.

To see the liturgy (order of service) for this coming Lord's Day, go here. For an explanation of Reformed worship and our liturgy, go here. In this short video, Pastor Brown explains the importance of the worship service.

WHAT ARE THE SACRAMENTS?

The sacraments are visible signs and seals appointed by God to declare the promises of the gospel, along with the preaching of his Word. According to the New Testament, there are two sacraments for the new covenant church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christ appointed these means to accommodate our weakness with elements that touch our senses: ordinary water, bread, and wine. The sacraments are not magic, but signs that point us to the reality they signify: the finished work of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the sacraments are not mere object lessons. The Holy Spirit uses them to strengthen those who receive them in faith.

For more about the sacraments, see Questions 65-79 of the Heidelberg Catechism.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU CELEBRATE COMMUNION?

Every Sunday, usually in the morning service, but sometimes in the evening.

if I am a visitor, may I participate in communion?

If you are not a member of Christ URC and wish to partake of the Lord's Supper, you must be able to answer 'yes' to the following questions: 

1. Have you been baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, either as an infant or adult?

2. Have you publicly professed your faith in Christ and embraced the Christian faith as summarized in the Apostles' Creed?

3. Are you presently a member in good standing of a Protestant church that bears the marks of a true church, that is, a local church that preaches the gospel faithfully, administers the sacraments as instituted by Christ, and has governing elders who exercise church discipline?

If you are able to affirm these questions sincerely, the elders welcome you to the Lord's Table.

If you are not a member of a local church and accountable to no one, please abstain from the Table when you visit Christ URC, but speak with the pastor or an elder after the service to discuss your relationship with Christ's church. We are eager to share good news with you.

does Christ urc practice infant baptism?

Yes, Christ URC baptizes the children of believers because they are members of Christ’s visible church and covenant people. We do not believe in baptismal regeneration or presume that every baptized child is elect. Rather, our children are included with us in the covenant community and brought up as disciples in the Christian faith, because that is God’s design in Scripture. As the Reformed theologian B.B. Warfield put it, “The argument [of infant baptism] in a nutshell is simply this: God established his church in the days of Abraham and put children into it. They must remain there until he puts them out. He has nowhere put them out. They are still then members of his church.”

Baptized children must first profess their faith before they are admitted to the Lord’s Table. For a fuller answer to this question, see this article by Pastor Brown.

Do You Have Childcare?

The Bible teaches that the children of believers are part of Christ's visible church. We believe that children should be included in the worship service, and not removed to a separate “children's church.” Children are welcome to participate in the worship service.

In this short video, Pastor Brown explains briefly why we welcome children into the worship service.

If, however, you desire a place to train your little one on how to participate in the service without the fear of an unexpected meltdown, you may utilize the “training room” which is equipped with hymnals and a monitor to view and hear the service. There is also an optional nursery for covenant children under the age of two.

Why Does the Minister Wear a Black Robe?

Great question! Pastor Godfrey explains the answer briefly here:

During the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s, Reformed churches addressed the following question: What should a pastor wear? 

Little is known about what ministers wore prior to the fourth century, before Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire. But during the subsequent centuries, with the rise of the church of Rome, Western churches adopted more and more elaborate and ornate liturgical vestments to distinguish all of the various church officers from the laity.

Our Reformed churches did away with all the liturgical vestments worn by the priests of Rome. Our churches did so for two main reasons. First, they feared that clothing which elevated the clergy above the congregation and emphasized the distinction between the office-bearers and the members of the church would amount to a denial of the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:5-6, 5:10). Second, Reformed churches wanted to emphasize the truth that Christ had fulfilled all of the Old Testament ceremonies and symbols. The Reformers feared that retaining symbolic priestly dress would amount to a denial of the finished work of Christ as our “only high priest” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 31; see also John 19:28-30; Hebrews 9; and Belgic Confession, Article 25).

So instead of symbolic clerical dress, Reformed ministers wore simple black robes, now known as Geneva gowns. These robes were the common academic dress of the time, well-known from ordinary life as the normal attire of the educated class. These robes were something every educated person would have worn. And so, these robes served no official purpose nor carried any ecclesiastical symbolism but rather simply provided ministers something ordinary, proper, and dignified to wear.

Such robes have all but disappeared from the ordinary life of our world today. As a result, many of our churches have adopted the formal dress of our time (suit and tie) as ordinary, proper, and dignified clothing for their ministers to wear. But our church has chosen to retain the black Geneva gown as a connection to and continuation of the historic practice of our Reformed churches.

(For this and more on the history of clerical dress in our Reformed churches, see Chapter 10 of Our Worship by Abraham Kuyper.)    

What is church membership?

Church membership is about belonging to the people of God. The church is not only the place where Christ meets us in his Word and sacraments, it is also the people to which the Christian belongs. The New Testament has no category for “lone ranger” Christians who are not members of a local congregation. As Christians, we are not free to be autonomous and anonymous. We need real accountability to elders and other believers. Church membership provides us with that blessing.

For a fuller explanation of church membership, go here.