Before you can have a right relationship with God, you need to first understand how your current relationship with God is broken. Isaiah 59:2 says that “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear”. Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone is affected by sin.

But what’s the big deal about sin? So, you’re not perfect – and no one else is. And what does it matter if you don’t have a great relationship with God? Can’t you live your life and let God live His? Romans 6:23 tells us that every sin deserves death. Since God is perfectly just, He can’t let sin go unpunished forever, but will judge people (Hebrews 9:27).

The saying “if you’re not for us, you’re against us”, applies here. If you don’t have a right relationship with God, then you are against God, and He will be against you. This means that anyone who doesn’t have a perfect solution for all their sin will face eternal judgement, or hell. And since we’re not perfect, we can’t save ourselves – we have to find another way.

Once you understand the desperate situation you are in, you have a choice. You can either suppress the truth and ignore it, or you can seek to deal with your sin.

Dealing with sin is something all Christians work on their whole lives – becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you will never sin again. However, the first step is to turn away from sin, or to repent. This includes confessing to God that you are a sinner and that your sin rightly deserves death.

Just admitting to God that you’ve sinned, however, doesn’t remove your sin or it’s penalty. That’s where Jesus comes in. 1 Peter 3:18 says that “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God”. Jesus lived a perfect life without sin and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He is the perfect solution to our problem of sin.

When we trust in Jesus as our Lord – the master over all of our lives – and our Savior – the one who saved us from sin by paying the penalty for it – our relationship with God is made right again. Jesus himself says that “whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)

If God has worked in your heart to help you understand your sin and to help you want to have that right relationship with Him, but you’re not sure about the process, reach out and contact us. We’d be glad to help!

If you’re already trusting in Jesus for salvation from your sins, but you understand the importance of being part of a local bible-believing church, then becoming a member might be right for you.

The first step to becoming a member is getting to know us and letting us get to know you. This happens best by joining us for worship and other activities.

The next step is to talk with one of our elders about becoming a member. One of our elders will work with you to dive deeper into what you believe and what we believe, to make sure they’re compatible. Depending on where you are in your walk with Jesus, this might be a couple of conversations or might look like a longer and more formal study, or something in between. The goal is to make sure that when you join our church as a member, you know us personally and know what we believe well enough that you’re comfortable submitting to the authority of the Church.

Once the elder and you have worked through the topics enough that you both agree that our church is a good fit, then you’ll meet with all our elders. We’ll interview you to hear from you about how you came to trust in Jesus Christ, what difference that’s made in your life, and to what degree you agree with what our church believes.

If there are no red flags, then we’ll ask you to make promises/vows about being a part of the church:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life?
2. Do you believe in the one living and true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as revealed in the Scriptures?
3. Do you repent of your sin; confess your guilt and helplessness as a sinner against God; profess Jesus Christ, Son of God, as your Savior and Lord; and dedicate yourself to His service: Do you promise that you will endeavor to forsake all sin, and to conform your life to His teaching and example?
4. Do you promise to submit in the Lord to the teaching and government of this church as being based upon the Scriptures and described in substance in the Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America? Do you recognize your responsibility to work with others in the church and do you promise to support and encourage them in their service to the Lord? In case you should need correction in doctrine or life, do you promise to respect the authority and discipline of the church?
5. To the end that you may grow in the Christian life, do you promise that you will diligently read the Bible, engage in private prayer, keep the Lord’s Day, regularly attend the worship services, observe the appointed sacraments, and give to the Lord’s work as He shall prosper you?
6. Do you purpose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness in all the relationships of life, faithfully to perform your whole duty as a true servant of Jesus Christ, and seek to win others to Him?
7. Do you make this profession of faith and purpose in the presence of God, in humble reliance upon His grace, as you desire to give your account with joy at the Last Great Day?

Once you make those promises in good faith, then you’ve become a member of our church!