How We Worship

We seek to preach the Word, pray the Word, sing the Word, and live the Word; all by His grace and enabling (John 4:23-26).  On the Lord’s Day (Sunday), we place an emphasis on Biblical expository preaching, prayer, reading of God’s Word, and  singing biblically-based hymns and psalms usually accompanied by piano. Below is a brief overview.

The Order of Worship

  • Call to Worship
  • A Hymn or Psalm
  • Prayer of Invocation
  • A Hymn or Psalm
  • Scripture Reading
  • Pastoral Prayer
  • A Hymn or Psalm before the Preaching
  • The Preaching of God’s Word
  • Closing hymn & Benediction
  • Closing Meditation

Why are the services so simple?

The regulative principle of worship is the Reformed practice of doing only what God commands in public worship, and forms part of What we Believe.  The Reformed approach differs from others who require obedience to what God commands, but who also allow practices not forbidden in the Scripture.

The Biblical foundation for this practice is Ex 20:4-6; Dt 12:32 and Heb 12:28.  The passage in Hebrews declares that by God’s grace, “we may serve [Him] acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”  The regulative principle of worship addresses the questions, “who defines what acceptable worship is and what does it look like?”  The answers are obvious:  God defines acceptable worship and reveals His mind in the Bible.

Our confession summarizes the position in chapter 22, paragraph 1,

 “The light of nature shews that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is just, good, and doth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might.  But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.”

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