Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Church is a church that…
CELEBRATES new life in Christ
WORSHIPS our wonderful God
LISTENS to God’s faithful word
SERVES one another, the community, and the world
Our Mission & Vision
Mission – We seek to be a church that glorifies God by reaching the lost and discipling the found.
Vision – As a church of Jesus Christ, Bethel aspires to be a church where, through engaging worship, thoughtful education, warm fellowship, and caring outreach, we will equip disciples for Christ to serve and reach our neighbors near and far
Our Core Values
Gospel – We believe in the power of the gospel to change and transform lives. The message of the gospel is that Christ has done everything necessary to bring us into a relationship with God. The guilt of our sin is forgiven in the death of Christ and the power of sin is broken through the resurrection of Christ. The gospel is the Good News that must be proclaimed to both the lost and those who trust in Christ for their salvation. The Gospel directs the way we worship, study the Bible, fellowship with others, and interact with the world. (Romans 1:16, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 9:16, Philippians 1:27)
Covenantal – We believe the church is a “covenantal” community formed by our common union with Jesus Christ. The Believer must abide in the church in a manner parallel to the way he/she abides in Christ (Romans11:16-18, 23; John 15:1, 5-6). The church is the sphere of God’s covenant blessings. The ministries of Bethel OPC strive to encourage the build strong family relationships within the family of God. (Proverbs 22:6, 1 Chronicles 16:15, Jeremiah 31:31).
Prayer – All of our work as Christians must be done in dependence on Christ. Bethel OPC strives to be a community of believers shaped by and dependent on prayer…daily, individual and corporate, and kingdom-oriented prayer. (Proverbs 15:8, Isaiah 56:7, Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 3:12).
The Word of God – Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The Word of God has authority and is the only rule for faith and life. Bethel OPC also uses the creeds, (Apostles’, Nicene, Belgic) and confession of faith (Westminster) as faithful summaries of the teaching of Scripture that are under the authority of the Word of God yet help us understand and apply the Word of God. (Deuteronomy 8:3, 2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 119:11, 2 Corinthians 4:2, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 4:12)
Mission – God’s mission is to rescue and restore his good creation that has been broken and distorted by sin. This mission involves saving lost sinners and striving to see them grow in being mature disciples of Jesus Christ. Followers of Jesus Christ are given the opportunity to join Christ in his mission to make “all things new”. This means Bethel OPC will be active in evangelism, missions (home and abroad), and discipleship. (Acts 1:8, 2 Peter 3:18, Matthew 28: 19-20, 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21)
Worship – The Christian life begins and ends with the worship of God. In worship we learn of the greatness and provision of God for us and the world and the necessity to respond in love for God and love for our neighbors. Worship also is the end goal of our service to others as we pray that they too will worship God. Worship at Bethel OPC is shaped by the authority of the Word of God and aimed at reaching both those saved and those unsaved with the message of the gospel of God’s grace. (1 Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 96:5, John 4:24, Romans 12:1).
Our Denomination
We are a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC).
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church is a theologically conservative Presbyterian denomination. It was founded in 1936, in the aftermath of a dispute over the integrity of the Bible, the gospel, and the purpose of the church in the world. When defenders of the Christian faith were ousted from Princeton Seminary and the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA), the OPC was born.
The OPC has not only stood for historic Christian orthodoxy (straight teaching) over the decades, it has also been a strong proponent of Christian missions and church planting. It has been vigorous in its defense and propagation of the historic Reformed faith.
The OPC is a small, faithful denomination that seeks to proclaim the hope of the gospel and the riches of the Reformed faith from generation to generation. If you are looking for a church that stands for the word of God, God-centered worship and faithful preaching, the OPC might be the place for you.
Our Theology
Our system of doctrine is the Reformed faith, also called Calvinism (because Calvin was the most important proponent of it during the Reformation). It pulls together the most significant doctrines taught in the Bible. These doctrines are set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the Heidelberg Catechism (with accompanying biblical references). Our system of doctrine is summarized in the following paragraphs:
- The Bible, having been inspired by God, is entirely trustworthy and without error. Therefore, we are to believe and obey its teachings. The Bible is the only source of special revelation for the church today.
- The one true God is personal, yet beyond our comprehension. He is an invisible spirit, completely self-sufficient an unbounded by space or time, perfectly holy and just, and loving and merciful. In the unity of the Godhead there are three “persons”: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- God created the heavens and the earth, and all they contain. He upholds and governs them in accordance with his eternal will. God is sovereign (in complete control) yet this does not diminish human responsibility.
- Because of the sin of the first man, Adam, all mankind is corrupt by nature, dead in sin, and subject to the wrath of God. But God determined, by a covenant of grace, that sinners may receive forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ has always been the only way of salvation, in both Old Testament and New Testament times.
- The Son of God took upon himself a human nature in the womb of the virgin Mary, so that in her son Jesus the divine and human natures were united in one person. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and died on a cross, bearing the sins of, and receiving God’s wrath for, all those who trust in him for salvation (his chosen ones). He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he sits as Lord and rules over his kingdom (the church). He will return to judge the living and the dead, bringing his people (with glorious, resurrected bodies) into eternal life, and consigning the wicked to eternal punishment.
- Those whom God has predestined unto life are effectually drawn to Christ by the inner working of the Spirit as they hear the gospel. When they believe in Christ, God declares them righteous (justifies them), pardoning their sins and accepting them as righteous, not because of any righteousness of their own, but by imputing Christ’s merits to them. They are adopted as the children of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies them, enabling them increasingly to stop sinning and act righteously. They repent of their sins (both at their conversion and thereafter), produce good works as the fruit of their faith, and persevere to the end in communion with Christ, with assurance of their salvation.
- Believers strive to keep God’s moral law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments, not to earn salvation, but because they love their Savior and want to obey him. God is the Lord of the conscience, so that men are not required to believe or do anything contrary to, or in addition to, the Word of God in matters of faith or worship.
- Christ has established his church, and particular churches, to gather and perfect his people, by means of the ministry of the Word, the sacraments of baptism (which is to be administered to the children of believers, as well as believers)b and the Lord’s Supper (in which the body and blood of Christ are spiritually present to the faith of believers), and the disciplining of members found delinquent in doctrine or life. Christians assemble on the Lord’s Day to worship God by praying, hearing the Word of God read and preached, singing psalms and hymns, and receiving the sacraments.
Copyright © 2013, The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.