Statement of Faith and Mission

Our Faith

   We, the congregation of the Holland Presbyterian Church, are people united in Faith and Mission. Our Faith cannot exist apart from our Mission, nor can our Mission be separated from our Faith. In order to promote our own clearer understanding, and to make known to all what we believe and what we are called to do, we make this Declaration of Faith and Mission.

We believe in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whom we are to glorify and enjoy forever.

We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins on the cross, and was raised from death on the third day in full victory over both sin and death.

We believe that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” and that we can be reconciled to God only through the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us on the cross.

We believe that in receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive God's free gift of eternal life, the forgiveness of our sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live our lives in dedication to Christ and obedience to his will.

We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written, wholly inspired by God, the only infallible rule of faith and life.

We believe that as Christians we are together called to be the Church of Christ in this time and place, and that as the Church we are called to serve God and our fellow human beings in mission.

 
Our Mission

   The mission of the Holland Presbyterian Church is to lead persons to saving faith in Jesus Christ, to call believers to discipleship, to encourage, nurture, and strengthen disciples for service, and to serve God together through worship, fellowship, and work. In fulfillment of this mission:

We are called to seek first the Kingdom of God in our own lives, in our congregation, in our community, and in the world.

We are called to worship God in spirit and in truth, providing for the regular public worship of God and encouraging Christians in their private devotions.

We are called to proclaim the Good News of salvation, providing for regular public preaching of the gospel, equipping our members to share their faith in word and deed, and participating in the mission of the larger Church.

We are called to live lives dedicated to Christ and to grow toward spiritual maturity, providing for Christian education of all members, and supporting and encouraging one another in our pilgrimage of faith.

We are called not to be served but to serve our fellow human beings, providing for the poor and needy, comforting the grieving and suffering, caring for the afflicted, and helping any in need as God enables us to do, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.


The Holland Presbyterian Church hereby reaffirms the Statement of Faith and Mission adopted in May, 1991

We make this reaffirmation in the light of controversies within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and within the larger Christian Church in recent years and in order to declare our understanding of the faith we profess as it relates to these controversies. 

We affirm that God's people are called to holiness in all aspects of life.

 We affirm that God has spoken clearly and authoritatively in the scriptures that His gift of sexuality is to be expressed only within the sacred bond of marriage between one man and one woman. 

We reject the false teaching that sexual relations are an appropriate expression of human love in any other relationships.

We will not ordain, install or employ in any ministry position any person who continues unrepentant in sexual or other sin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                     

We therefore announce our commitment to the Confessing Church Movement and we call upon all Presbyterians to uphold these historic Christian beliefs, standards of Christian behavior and qualifications for leadership in the Church.

Holland Presbyterian Church May, 2001 

Statement of Faith and Mission   

“Seeking first the Kingdom of God”

Adopted May, 1991

Reaffirmed May, 2001
Reaffirmed January 2013