ABOUT | crpc

ABOUT US

Values

VALUES

We value...

God-honoring theology that is rooted in Scripture and preserved in our confessional documents.

We believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. As a confessional church we believe the major theological doctrines found in Scripture have been adequately summarized in certain historic confessions of faith. Though the Bible alone is our sole rule for faith and practice, what we believe about the Bible is contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These documents, though not infallible, are a sound interpretation of biblical doctrine and a faithful expression of the historic Christian faith. Our theological standards are precious to us and we seek to use them in ministry for the benefit of the church and to the glory of God.

Bible-filled worship that is expressed in historic and reformed forms. Humans are made to worship, so we believe our public gatherings of worship are our highest priority and privilege as a church. Amidst the multitude of different approaches to worship, we embrace the simple yet beautiful patterns found in the forms of historic and reformed worship. Since the early church, worship has consisted of a few simple elements, all of which are focused on God’s word: reading the Bible, preaching the Bible, praying the Bible, singing the Bible, and seeing the Bible in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Our church follows this same liturgy: we read the Bible and preach expository sermons through books of the Bible; our services are filled with different types of prayer; we sing hymns (old and new) and Psalms; and we baptize new believers and children of members, as well as celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We even think worship is so important that we gather twice on most Sundays, in the morning and in the evening, to worship.

Christ-exalting ministry that is dependent on the Ordinary Means of Grace. We find in Scripture that God has appointed certain means by which he calls, disciples, and nurtures his children. These means of grace are the Word of God, the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), and prayer. As we express our dependence on God through the use of these unadorned means of grace in worship and ministry, we believe that God will use them to save, sanctify, and comfort his people. As our Confession of Faith states, they are "the very means by which the Holy Spirit unites sinners, through faith, to God’s crucified and risen Son."

Spirit-led community that is served by our members and led by our shepherds.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd who knows, feeds, leads, and protects us, and he does this by gifting and calling shepherding elders to watch over his flock. One of the primary duties of these elders is to equip the saints for the work of ministry; therefore we place a high value on discipleship and involving all of our members in service and leading our ministries, as they are directed and gifted by the Holy Spirit. In this way we strive for a transformative community of growing disciples through deepening relationships and intentional care for one another. Along those lines, we believe raising covenant children is a central component of making disciples, and therefore our parents are supported by all the members of the congregation. We are also served by an active group of deacons who lead us in caring for the physical needs in our community.

Church-focused evangelism and mission that is faithful to the Great Commission.

Jesus commissioned the early church to make disciples of all nations, and that commission continues today as the mission of the church. We desire to see the gospel proclaimed to the very ends of the earth through the Biblical model of evangelism and church planting. We do this by proclaiming the gospel in our words and adorning the gospel in our deeds in our own city, as well as sending and supporting church planting efforts in our nation, and every nation to the very ends of the earth. We work towards the planting, growing, and renewal of faithful churches in every nation that exalt Christ through the life-transforming ministry of the Word, sacraments, and prayer.

Beliefs

BELIEFS

Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). And a member Church of Highlands Presbytery.

A Synopsis of the Beliefs of the Presbyterian Church in America:

The Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
There is one God, eternal and self-existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who are to be equally loved, honored, and adored.
All mankind participated in Adam's fall from his original sinless state, and is, thus, lost in sin and totally helpless.
The Sovereign God, for no other reason than His own unfathomable love and mercy, has chosen lost sinners from every nation to be redeemed by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit and through the atoning death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ.
Those sinners whom the Spirit quickens, come to believe in Christ as Savior by the Word of God, are born again, become the sons of God, and will persevere to the end. Justification is by faith and through it the undeserving sinner is clothed with the righteousness of Christ. The goal of God's salvation in the life of the Christian is holiness, good works, and service for the glory of God.
Baptism is a sign of God's covenant and is properly administered to children of believers in their infancy as well as to those who come as adults to trust in Christ.
At death the Christian's soul passes immediately into the presence of God, and the unbeliever's soul is eternally separated from God unto condemnation.
Christ will return to earth, visibly and bodily, at a time when he is not expected, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. The gospel of God's salvation in Christ must be published to all the world as a witness before Christ returns.

For a fuller statement of our beliefs, please see the Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism.

Worship

WORSHIP

Our worship is both reverent and joyful, and focuses on God's Word. As God is Light and in Him is no darkness, we worship reverently. Yet, as sinners who have been saved by God's grace, we worship joyfully. Our worship focuses on God's Word because it is God's revelation of Himself and the means by which we know God. Therefore, we read God's Word, preach God's Word in expository sermons that explain and apply the meaning of the Scriptures to our lives, sing God's Word in older and newer hymns and psalms, and pray God's Word.

We partake in the Lord's Supper on the first and third Sunday of each month during the morning worship service, and on the fifth Sunday of each month during the evening worship service. We do not have evening worship on the first Sunday of each month, instead we gather for a Congregational Meal or Elder Group lunches immediately following the morning service.

History

HISTORY

In 1980, several families from the Swannanoa Valley Presbyterian Church (PCA) left with that congregation’s pastor, Rev. Wayne Rogers, to form Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church.

At first the new congregation was a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES), but when that denomination joined the PCA in 1983, it brought us into the PCA. We met in the Oakley Community Center for a short time and then moved to Asheville Christian Academy, at that time located in the Haw Creek neighborhood in East Asheville, where we stayed for almost ten years.

While at ACA, Rev. Robert Drake was called as Senior Pastor in December of 1983. In September of 1989 we moved into the present church building, which we purchased from Edgewood Bible Fellowship Church.

After more than three decades of faithful service, Rev. Drake retired on December 4, 2014. The session soon called Rev. Bill Clark to serve as the interim pastor, and it was his humble service that played a vital role in unifying the congregation in a season of transition.