What do we Believe?

We are part of the RCA

The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a confessional church. This means that, as a denomination, we affirm specific statements of belief called creeds and confessions. These statements are biblically based and were written to respond to issues by explaining in detail what the church believes about those topics.

Along with most Christian churches, the RCA affirms three creeds that were written in the first few centuries after Jesus’s death: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Four statements of belief, known in the RCA as Standards of Unity, express what the Reformed Church believes: the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Confession of Belhar.

To be clear, the Bible is the only rule of faith and practice in the RCA; the creeds and confessions simply explain the beliefs set forth in Scripture.

foundational Beliefs at ERC

For our congregation specifically, the Apostle’s Creed will give you the best picture of what we view as essential beliefs. Even those of us who are less connected to our Reformed identity will still (like generations of Christians before us), affirm the truths of these simple statements.

In 2024, we at Emmanuel Reformed Church explored the Heidelberg Catechism together as a congregation. This friendly exploration of the basics of faith represent for us a great starting point if you want to know what we mean when we speak of living a Christian life. We all have Guilt and must acknowledge our sins before God. Christ Jesus, however, through His death and resurrection, has given us Grace to live a new eternal life in Him. Now, because of an outflowing of Gratitude we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live godly lives according to scripture.