Who We Are

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A CHURCH THAT...

	honors God as the sovereign Lord of the universe
	preaches Christ as the Son of God who died for sinners
	lives by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit
	insists upon the absolute authority of God's Word

. . .we invite you to join us in glorifying God through the worship, work and witness of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

CLEAR IN PURPOSE

We're the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Our purpose is simple:
—to bring glory to God through our churches and individual lives
—to make known to our nation the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ

COMMITTED TO GOD

You'll find Orthodox Presbyterian Churches of many sizes in many communities throughout the United States. All are called to demonstrate the love of God and the relevance of Christ's message of deliverance to a society that is weary of sin, hollow materialism and shattered relationships.

We enjoy meeting together to worship our Creator and Redeemer. In worship, God's people adore him, bring him thanks, ask for his help and receive the blessing of his presence. Through the preaching of the gospel, God announces his saving acts and calls people to believing and obedient response to his Word.

Through faithful teaching our members grow spiritually. We seek to obey God's laws because such obedience pleases him. So, we not only embrace the teaching of God's Word, we also strive to demonstrate its application in our lives.

Our churches care about people. We show concern for the poor and for victims of such catastrophes as famines and earthquakes. Our goal and purpose can be summed up in the motto of one of our congregations, "Preaching all of God's Word; sharing all of Christ's love."

PRESBYTERIAN IN CHARACTER

Belief Our church is not new. We trace our historic roots to the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation and its seventeenth-century doctrinal statement, the Westminster Confession of Faith, together with its Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church understands the importance of defending and maintaining the truths of God's Word. In fact, in 1936 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church was established as a testimony to the Bible when its authority was denied. Her ministers, elders and deacons sincerely receive and adopt these Westminster Standards as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures and known as the Reformed faith.

Government From the time of Abraham in the Old Testament, God's church has been led by wise elders, men gifted by God and called to govern his church. The word "presbyterian" comes from the New Testament Greek word presbeuteros, meaning "elder." The Orthodox Presbyterian Church has followed this biblical pattern for church government. Local church elders, along with the pastor, form a "session" to care for the spiritual welfare of our members. Matters of common concern for churches in a given region, such as establishing new congregations and ordaining ministers, are regulated by a body of ministers and elders called a "presbytery." Annually, representatives of our twelve presbyteries form a "general assembly" to give the whole Church direction and advice.

WHY THE NAME ORTHODOX?

Everyone knows that an orthodontist is concerned about straight teeth. The "ortho" in orthodontist comes from the Greek word for "straight." The "dox" in orthodox comes from the Greek word for "thinking." So, in an Orthodox Presbyterian church you will find straight teaching following the long-accepted pattern given in the Bible. We are a church that believes what the Bible says and we try to put it into practice.

WORLDWIDE OUTREACH

When you visit one of our churches, you will find enthusiasm there about spreading the good news of God's Salvation locally and around the world. People of all backgrounds are part of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and you will receive a warm welcome among us. Each local congregation has an important part to play in reaching into its own neighborhood, and then joining others in a worldwide outreach.

As a denomination, The Orthodox Presbyterian Church carries out its mission for this worldwide outreach through three ministry committees: the Committee on Christian Education, the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension and the Committee on Foreign Missions. Each works to accomplish our purpose of bringing glory to God and proclaiming Christ to our nation and world, teaching them to obey what he has commanded.

Through the Committee on Christian Education, we help our churches to teach effectively the precious truths of the Reformed faith. We produce Sunday School materials, vacation Bible school courses, training materials, a hymnal and worship aids. Our Ministerial Intern Program helps churches prepare men for the gospel ministry through summer and year-long pastoral internships. Our magazine, New Horizons, keeps our people informed about how the Word of God relates to issues of the day, and how God is using our ministries of worldwide outreach.

Through the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension we plant new churches throughout the United States. We assist presbyteries in supporting Regional Home Missionaries to identify and develop new church planting sites. We have special concern for urban areas and for the development of ethnic ministries. We conduct training seminars for church planters. We also help established churches reach their communities with the gospel, and provide a Church Extension Loan Fund that offers help for congregations in need of new buildings.

Through the Committee on Foreign Missions we support our overseas outreach in Japan, Kenya, Korea, the Middle East, Suriname and Taiwan. As our missionaries preach the gospel, they establish churches. Some also sponsor Bible camps, provide radio ministries, present literature and films, teach in seminaries, work in the area of public health and preventive medicine, and train local church planters, evangelists and pastors.

Through the generous gifts of God's people within and outside The Orthodox Presbyterian Church the whole ministry of the Church goes forward. This ministry has a single unified plan of giving called Worldwide Outreach. Gifts may be designated for special purposes, but we think God's people will share more fully in his blessings when they support this whole ministry by making one gift to "OPC Worldwide Outreach."