Good Distinctives - Christ Reformed Evangelical Church

This is from a church not too far from me, Eric Hollingsworth, Pastor

http://www.crechurch.com/xe/?mid=distinctives

Here are some distinctives of Christ Reformed Evangelical Church:

• That worship is a conversation between justified sinners and a holy, yet merciful, God.  So in our Sunday morning worship, we spend time in prayer and in public Bible reading, in confessing our sins and in hearing the promise of forgiveness through Christ, in hymn singing and in the preaching of the Word.  We are a “worship-driven” church!

• That families should worship together, rather than being separated at the door.  We don’t have a nursery or a children’s church, because we’ve found that little ones, as they are raised up in the church, benefit greatly by learning to worship and reverence God, alongside their parents.

• That our time “at church” is better spent in building relationships than in running endless programs.  So, following our morning worship, we have a fellowship hour (oftentimes with lunch), then a prayer meeting on Sunday afternoons, and a Bible study on Wednesday nights.  This gives us plenty of opportunity to share our lives with each other, as we seek the Lord together.

• That we should teach doctrine that encompasses the whole Bible, not just the parts that focus on us.  God planned to save His people before time began, and so the entire Bible is simply the story of how a sovereign God brings salvation to pass through Jesus Christ.  When we place the focus on God, where it should be, we bring glory to Him.

• That sermons should be expository, drawing the message from the text of the Bible, rather than from the preacher’s personal agenda.  It is our passion to “expose the text” rather than impose upon it anyone’s personal opinions or traditions.  We generally preach verse by verse, through books of the Bible.

• That the Gospel of Jesus Christ should never be downplayed or hidden from view.  We celebrate the Lord’s Table each Sunday, because we never want to forget what our Lord has done for us, paying the penalty for the sins of His people, by shedding His blood on the cross.