Answer:
Our name is Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, Associate Reformed Synod. This name identifies who we are as a society.
Church
At the most basic level, we are a church. In calling ourselves a church, we are identifying ourselves with that great society that Jesus Christ established of those who profess to be reconciled to God together with their children. This society is universal and is not confined to any one nation. Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church is but one small, local congregation of that great assembly. We are grieved by the fact that because of our (the whole worldwide Church’s) imperfection and sin, there are so man different branches of Christ’s Church. Jesus even spoke of a particular congregation that had so degenerated that they were no longer churches of God but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless, recognizing our own imperfection and sin, we are very thankful that we ourselves can be identified with all those who profess Him throughout the world. In calling ourselves a Church we profess to be a part of that great body that calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Presbyterian
Jesus instituted a pattern of government for His church to follow which was put in place by the apostles and which is set forth in the Bible. This government was a Presbyterian government. Because many churches are not organized according to this pattern, we call ourselves Presbyterian to show that we are so organized. Presbyterian government is simply government by a plurality of elders or presbyters meeting the qualifications stipulated in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3) at every level with Christ, speaking through the scriptures, as our only head. As Presbyterians, therefore, we reject government by the entire congregation or government in which one man, other than Christ, is given rule over his brethren as is done in the Roman Church with the pope or in the English church with the Monarch. Christ has indeed appointed higher levels of government than the local congregation, but in the government that He instituted, each of these levels is also governed by a plurality of elders from the churches they govern rather than by a single individual. Thus, we find in scripture the elders at Jerusalem or at Antioch gathering to make rulings that effect them all, and in Acts 15, there is the General Assembly of these regional churches, again with elders from them all, who meet at Jerusalem to determine important matters of doctrine.
Reformed
We call ourselves reformed because we consciously identify ourselves with those who recognize that the church has often drifted into error and needs to be reformed according to Scripture. Our goal is, by God’s grace, to conform ourselves in everything that we do to the scriptures. In particular, by this name reformed we identify ourselves with those churches that returned to biblical worship, doctrine, and government in Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries. Their goal was simply to follow the scriptures. One set of standards in biblical doctrine and practice based on scripture was clearly hammered out is called the Westminster Standards. As a reformed church, we require all of our officers to affirm these standards as the expression of their own faith and to submit to them.
Covenant
We have the word covenant in our name because we want to emphasize that our relationship with God is a covenant relationship. As Creator, God defines the terms of the covenant, and in the beginning, He told Adam and Eve how they were to live before Him and that if they did not live the way He commanded, they would surely die. They rebelled and so made themselves incapable of life (joyful communion with God) by that covenant and fell under God’s curse. But God in His great mercy was pleased to establish a second covenant by which He sets forth a new way by which human beings can be restored to eternal life in harmony with God. It is through His provision of a mediator, His only Son, who procures righteousness for all of those that God has chosen to redeem or restore through Him. He does this coming in human flesh and then by going to the cross to bear their punishment which they incurred (along with the rest of the human race) by breaking the first covenant and by giving the Holy Spirit to them to turn their hardened and rebellious hearts back to God. In the Covenant, He promises that whoever trusts in what Jesus His Son has done and turns to Him for eternal life will obtain life. We keep this covenant by turning from our own way to follow Jesus Christ, trusting in Him for forgiveness and a new heart, and He establishes us as members of His church and places us under the authority of the officers of His church. The covenant that God established in the Old Testament is essentially the same as the covenant He established under New Testament, except that in the old the people were called to trust in Christ promised and in the new we trust in Christ given. Therefore new rules of worship are appointed in relation to that difference. But essentially, we are in the same Covenant with all who have been redeemed and who shall be redeemed until Christ returns. By calling ourselves Covenant we show that we are submitted to the covenant relationship that God establishes with fallen sinners for life and that we do not attempt to relate to God upon any other terms.
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Synod
We add this as a subtitle to our name to identify which branch of the church we are affiliated with—in other words, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Synod is the name of our denomination. Our denomination obtained this name in 1782 when the Associate Presbyterians and the Reformed Presbyterians merged. You can read about that here http://arpchurch.org/about-the-arp/history/. Today, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church is in fraternal relations with other likeminded denominations http://arpchurch.org/fraternal-relations/) and also recognize ourselves as brothers with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- John R Shearouse
Our name is Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, Associate Reformed Synod. This name identifies who we are as a society.
Church
At the most basic level, we are a church. In calling ourselves a church, we are identifying ourselves with that great society that Jesus Christ established of those who profess to be reconciled to God together with their children. This society is universal and is not confined to any one nation. Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church is but one small, local congregation of that great assembly. We are grieved by the fact that because of our (the whole worldwide Church’s) imperfection and sin, there are so man different branches of Christ’s Church. Jesus even spoke of a particular congregation that had so degenerated that they were no longer churches of God but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless, recognizing our own imperfection and sin, we are very thankful that we ourselves can be identified with all those who profess Him throughout the world. In calling ourselves a Church we profess to be a part of that great body that calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Presbyterian
Jesus instituted a pattern of government for His church to follow which was put in place by the apostles and which is set forth in the Bible. This government was a Presbyterian government. Because many churches are not organized according to this pattern, we call ourselves Presbyterian to show that we are so organized. Presbyterian government is simply government by a plurality of elders or presbyters meeting the qualifications stipulated in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3) at every level with Christ, speaking through the scriptures, as our only head. As Presbyterians, therefore, we reject government by the entire congregation or government in which one man, other than Christ, is given rule over his brethren as is done in the Roman Church with the pope or in the English church with the Monarch. Christ has indeed appointed higher levels of government than the local congregation, but in the government that He instituted, each of these levels is also governed by a plurality of elders from the churches they govern rather than by a single individual. Thus, we find in scripture the elders at Jerusalem or at Antioch gathering to make rulings that effect them all, and in Acts 15, there is the General Assembly of these regional churches, again with elders from them all, who meet at Jerusalem to determine important matters of doctrine.
Reformed
We call ourselves reformed because we consciously identify ourselves with those who recognize that the church has often drifted into error and needs to be reformed according to Scripture. Our goal is, by God’s grace, to conform ourselves in everything that we do to the scriptures. In particular, by this name reformed we identify ourselves with those churches that returned to biblical worship, doctrine, and government in Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries. Their goal was simply to follow the scriptures. One set of standards in biblical doctrine and practice based on scripture was clearly hammered out is called the Westminster Standards. As a reformed church, we require all of our officers to affirm these standards as the expression of their own faith and to submit to them.
Covenant
We have the word covenant in our name because we want to emphasize that our relationship with God is a covenant relationship. As Creator, God defines the terms of the covenant, and in the beginning, He told Adam and Eve how they were to live before Him and that if they did not live the way He commanded, they would surely die. They rebelled and so made themselves incapable of life (joyful communion with God) by that covenant and fell under God’s curse. But God in His great mercy was pleased to establish a second covenant by which He sets forth a new way by which human beings can be restored to eternal life in harmony with God. It is through His provision of a mediator, His only Son, who procures righteousness for all of those that God has chosen to redeem or restore through Him. He does this coming in human flesh and then by going to the cross to bear their punishment which they incurred (along with the rest of the human race) by breaking the first covenant and by giving the Holy Spirit to them to turn their hardened and rebellious hearts back to God. In the Covenant, He promises that whoever trusts in what Jesus His Son has done and turns to Him for eternal life will obtain life. We keep this covenant by turning from our own way to follow Jesus Christ, trusting in Him for forgiveness and a new heart, and He establishes us as members of His church and places us under the authority of the officers of His church. The covenant that God established in the Old Testament is essentially the same as the covenant He established under New Testament, except that in the old the people were called to trust in Christ promised and in the new we trust in Christ given. Therefore new rules of worship are appointed in relation to that difference. But essentially, we are in the same Covenant with all who have been redeemed and who shall be redeemed until Christ returns. By calling ourselves Covenant we show that we are submitted to the covenant relationship that God establishes with fallen sinners for life and that we do not attempt to relate to God upon any other terms.
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Synod
We add this as a subtitle to our name to identify which branch of the church we are affiliated with—in other words, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Synod is the name of our denomination. Our denomination obtained this name in 1782 when the Associate Presbyterians and the Reformed Presbyterians merged. You can read about that here http://arpchurch.org/about-the-arp/history/. Today, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church is in fraternal relations with other likeminded denominations http://arpchurch.org/fraternal-relations/) and also recognize ourselves as brothers with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- John R Shearouse
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Covenant Reformed
Presbyterian Church Email:
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