Biblical Foundation

The Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) Church is founded upon the belief that the Bible is the Word of God and this expresses itself in our doctrine, church government and worship. We believe and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord of every area of life, the King and foundation stone of the Church, the Divine Son of God and the only Saviour from sin.

History

The Reformed Presbyterian denomination traces its roots to the Reformation in Scotland in the 1600s when nation, church and people pledged themselves in solemn covenant to remain loyal to Christ – hence the name Covenanter.

The work and witness in Dromore goes back more than 200 years when the Covenanters in Dromore joined with others in North Down to call Rev. William Stavely to be their minister.

Present Witness

We are a group of ordinary people who believe the Bible to be true and relevant to every day life. We know Jesus Christ as Saviour and true friend – someone who gives us peace and strength for daily living and assurance of life in God's presence after death.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland has three basic strands to its teaching:

  1. It is a Reformed Church

As a church we believe that the doctrines that were rediscovered at the Protestant Reformation in the 16 th Century to be the teaching of the Word of God. At present we believe that the distinctive features of the Gospel are being blurred by the commitment of many churches to the modern ecumenical movement and the more recent phenomena of Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT). As a Christian Church we believe loyalty to Jesus Christ means that we must continue to contend for the faith that was once entrusted to the saints (Jude v3).

We believe that an excellent summary of the Christian Faith is found in the Westminster Confession of Faith and in the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, which are the subordinate standards of our church. More information is available on the denominational website www.rpc.org

  2. It is an Evangelical Church

We believe the Bible is the Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. In the Bible God speaks to us. He tells us that our greatest need is to have our sins forgiven so that we might be saved from His holy anger. God tells us that there is only one way to be saved, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to experience this salvation we must turn from our sinful ways, and trust the Lord Jesus for our deliverance on the day of judgement. In our church we have a concern to see people saved from their sin and possessing the sure hope of heaven. That is why preaching of the Gospel is emphasised for God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe (I Corinthians 1:21).

  3. It is a Covenanter Church

We believe in the Biblical practice of covenanting. This means promising to remain obedient to God's Word and loyal to Christ. (Nehemiah 9:38; II Kings 2:3; Joshua 24:25). By covenanting we do not bind ourselves to anything additional to the Word of God but additionally bind ourselves to that which is our duty to do so.