Our Beliefs

All Scripture is self-attesting, and being Truth requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God—the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments—is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation, we affirm these additional essentials of our faith.

  1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!
  2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.
  3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior, indwelling our hearts. He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.
  4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
  5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible yet imperfect expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity, where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting she awaits the return of her Lord.
  6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
  7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
When the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) started in 1981, it determined that it would not disagree on the basic essentials of the Christian faith, but on anything that was not essential but would give each church liberty. Above all, the EPC committed itself to brotherly love and not engaging in quarrels and strife. The result is that when the EPC gathers together in regional and national meetings, it spends most of its time in worship and fellowship.
 
The EPC consists of more than 600 churches with upwards of 171,000 members. It has a world missions program with a priority on sending missionaries to unreached people groups. The EPC is eager to plant churches across the United States and especially in urban communities and college towns. The ultimate desire of the EPC is that every congregation will be an outpost of the Kingdom, with every member viewing himself or herself as a missionary on a mission.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Westminster Confessions of Faith

The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms has been our doctrinal foundation since our beginnings in 1981. Two versions are available for use in the EPC. The traditional version with EPC-approved amendments is available for download. This version is, in main, the American version of the 1647 Westminster Confession of Faith. Chapter 24 (Of Marriage and Divorce) is the PCUSA version as amended by the EPC. The EPC adopted chapters 34 (Of the Holy Spirit) and 35 (Of the Gospel of the Love of God and Missions), which are 1903 additions of the PCUSA. The modern English edition adopted the EPC in 1984. The EPC publishes this modern English version, including Scripture references in the text, in two forms:

  1. As a free download in printer-friendly pdf format. Click here to download.
  2. As an 8 1/2 x 11 spiral bound book (item WC-SL), which can be ordered from the Resources page.
 
EPC ministers, Ruling Elders, and Deacons take a vow on their ordination saying that they “receive and adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Scriptures.” The 22nd General Assembly in 2002 commended the paper “What It Means to Receive and Adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith” by S. Donald Fortson III as a resource to understand this topic.