What We Believe

We believe that all of us are on a journey of faith that lasts a lifetime. At Covenant we have committed to take that journey together – asking and wrestling with big questions, trying to make sense of the world as it is and as God wants it to be, seeking to be faithful to God’s call, and loving one another along the way. Here there are cradle Presbyterians, doubting skeptics, curious seekers, and committed Christians journeying together as one inclusive community of Christ.

As Presbyterians we are a church that is Reformed in our theology but is always being re-formed by the continuing work of God’s Spirit. Our theological roots are in the Reformation led by Martin Luther and John Calvin in the 16th century, but our faith continues to be shaped in new ways in the 21st century as the Spirit leads and challenges us to be faithful. What then are some of the things we believe? We believe:

  • There is one God who is called Yahweh or LORD in the Hebrew Scriptures, a God who is known to us in three persons – often called the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all things. 
  • The Lord our God is the Creator of all things, all places, and all people. Science helps us understand how God has been creating all things, but our faith affirms that it is God alone who is the creating force behind it all. God is at work in the whole universe; no place and no one is beyond God’s reach! God loves us all without end and calls us to love one another.
  • Humans sin; we disobey God’s commands and do what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do. God calls us to repent of those sins and turn back to God’s faithful ways. We can never get it perfectly right but we keep trying. God knows we cannot save ourselves from our sins, so in a great mystery of faith, Jesus suffered on the  cross for us, so that we might be forgiven and might live more faithfully with peace and hope in God’s sure promises for eternal life. We are saved by grace through faith, not by what we do, but by what God did for us in Jesus.
  • In love God came among us in Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus was fully human but also fully God. Jesus showed us how to live in obedience to God and as servants of one another. He proclaimed the reign of God among us and urged his disciples to follow him. He healed and taught and challenged religious authorities to be more faithful leaders. The religious authorities had him put to death on a cross to silence him, but God raised Jesus from the dead to new life – a life God promises to us. Two thousand years later we are still telling his story and striving to be his faithful disciples!
  • The Holy Spirit is God’s continuing presence among us, strengthening us for the challenges of each new day, guiding us in the decisions we make, and comforting us with the assurance that God is always with us. The Spirit inspired the men and women who wrote the Bible, and we are inspired again by that same Spirit when we hear it or read it. God continues to speak to us through the words of Scripture to guide our lives. The Bible is the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ and God’s Word to us.
  • The church is a family of faith, a community called by Jesus to worship with joy, grow in faith, and serve in love together. We are one expression of a much larger church that includes all those who are followers of Jesus. In baptism we welcome new believers and children into our family. In the Lord’s Supper we share a holy meal in remembrance of our crucified and risen Lord and in celebration of God’s promises for us. We welcome all people to share in our life together, for we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, different in many ways but united by Christ. We strive to love our neighbors in tangible ways that express God’s love for them through us.
  • Faith is something we say, but more importantly something we do. Faith ignites a passion in us to trust and grow closer to God each day. We are not a haven for saints who have it all figured out, but a hospital for sinners where all find the healing grace of God. Together we try to live into God’s vision for us, to glorify and enjoy God now and always, to live in covenant fellowship with God and one another, and to participate in God’s mission to and for the world as we journey through life together.
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