I’ve been here for a while, and observed a number of things about us. Here’s a quick survey of what I’ve seen:
While we see a great deal of diversity among our members, we find ourselves in the theological center of the Christian church.
As a group, our congregation is neither stodgy nor off the wall. We tolerate a wide variety of voices, yet we find our coherence in the confession that “Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of the world.”
Some might define us by the language we use. We are a “Trinity” church, as distinguished from those congregations who tend to emphasize Jesus or the Holy Spirit. When we speak of God, we speak as completely as we are able.
Some may define us by our political stance. While individuals in our congregation vote across the political spectrum, our corporate stance tends to be moderate. We are challenged by conservative and liberal voices and, like a lot of American Presbyterians, sometimes get caught in the crossfire over the issues of the day.
Others might define us by our theological position. We are a Reformed church, which means we find our roots in the sixteenth century thoughts of John Calvin, Martin Luther and John Knox. Our church values the integration of intelligence and passion – the mind and the heart – as we seek to serve God in contemporary circumstances.
Still others might define us by the ways we worship. If someone asks, “Do you have a contemporary worship service?” we might respond by saying, “Sure, worship happens here and now, and that makes it contemporary.” Then we would quickly add: our worship is also rooted in the best traditions that the church has inherited for the past three thousand years.
