1. We are a family that loves God.
Our love for God is why we exist as a church. Our love for Him and our response to His great salvation in Jesus Christ is expressed in our love for His Word, His Church and His mission.
2. We are a family that loves His Word.
As expressed in our motto ‘Your word above all things’, the Bible occupies a central place in our denomination, REACH South Africa. At Christ Church we read and preach from the Bible every week in our services and in our weekly Bible study groups. Scripture and Scripture alone is the standard by which all our teaching and conduct must be measured.
We are a protestant church, which means we stand for the following: Scripture Alone, Justification by Faith Alone and the Universal Priesthood of all Believers. We believe that every Christian has the right not only to read the Bible in their own mother tongue, but also to take part in all areas of the running of the Church. We are opposed to the hierarchical system which puts the authority of the Church in an exclusive priesthood and makes ordained priests the necessary mediators between God and the people.
We uphold the teaching of the priesthood of all believers, believing that the church can only be effective in evangelism and mission if it trains and empowers every believer for gospel ministry.
3. We are a family that loves His church.
We are a family of believers that hold firmly to the five points of doctrine which lie at the heart of the Reformation – grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, scripture alone and to the glory of God alone.
We are Reformed in that we embrace and articulate the great biblical insights taught by Luther, Calvin and the other reformers. We are a church that often uses confessions of faith to express the teaching of the Bible. We hold to the truths of these three creeds, namely the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed and what is commonly called the Apostles’ Creed, because they reflect and express the great doctrines clearly taught in the Bible.
Our church can be called a covenantal church, because it emphasizes God’s one single covenant with his people, promised to Abraham and fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone. This covenant is not simply with individuals but with families. We therefore practice the baptism of infants of believing parents as well as the baptism of adults who are new believers coming to faith.
We are also a church that values it’s Bishops as an ancient and well-tried form of ministry, agreeable to Scripture (though not actually required by Scripture). All REACH South Africa’s Bishops are viewed primarily as pastors and teachers. The ministry of women in the church is vital, but it does not require them to be ordained as Presbyters or Bishops.
We are a church that believes each Sunday service will be congregational and will include the confession of sin, praise and thanksgiving, prayer and the reading and preaching of God’s Word. We also believe in Christian community. We encourage regular fellowship and interaction throughout the year. We love His church.
4. We are a family that loves His Mission.
We are evangelistic and missionary in our outlook. It is our aim ‘to take the gospel to every man’s front door’ and to bring all people under the instruction and Lordship of Jesus Christ. What makes us Evangelical? We are evangelical because of the absolute supremacy we assign to God’s Word, the understanding and importance we give to the doctrine of human sinfulness and corruption, the absolute importance we place on the work and office of our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation He has secured for mankind.
We assign a high place to the inward work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of man. We place importance on the outward and visible work of the Holy Spirit, seen in the life, conduct and behavior of every believer in overcoming the world, the flesh and the devil.
If you would like to find out more about Christ Church Paarl, please feel free to contact us as we would love to answer your questions and get to know you better.