Denomination PCA

Come Visit the Church of the Covenant Church!

Our Denomination: The Presbyterian Church in America: PCA

Why a Denomination Anyway?

Christians disagree on how a local church should work with other congregations and how much accountability there should be between churches. There is some justification for the dispute: some Bible passages speak of the local congregation almost as if it were an autonomous and independent body; others seem to imply an interconnectedness that would make mutual submission and shared ministry the norm. While no denomination is perfect, Church of the Covenant participates fully in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and is committed to its motto that states, “True to the Scriptures and the reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.”

We value the mutual support, encouragement, accountability, and submission that comes from being part of a denomination. No Christian prospers alone; we all need others to help bear our burdens, to strengthen our faith, and to challenge and correct us when we go astray. Ephesians 5.21 even points out that “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” results from the filling of the Holy Spirit!

W e are grateful for the benefits for ministry that come from partnering with others of like heart and mind. PCA churches work together to fulfill the Great Commission through:

World Missions through Mission To the World (MTW): www.mtw.org
Church Planting, Church Renewal, and Church Revitalization in the Americas through Mission to North America (MNA): www.pca-mna.org
College Campus Evangelism and Discipleship through Reformed University Fellowship (RUF): http://www.ruf.org
Training of Pastors and Missionaries through Covenant Seminary: www.covenantseminary.edu
Making seminary quality online education available free to the whole world through Covenant Seminary's Worldwide Classroom (http://worldwide-classroom.com/)
An online and print magazine, ByFaith, which considers implications of a Christian world and life view: http://byfaithonline.com

The PCA has a vision statement which helps explain what we believe God is calling us to do.

The Vision of the Presbyterian Church in America

As one communion in the worldwide church, the Presbyterian Church in America exists to glorify God by extending the kingdom of Jesus Christ over all individual lives through all areas of society and in all nations and cultures. To accomplish this end the PCA aims to fill the world with churches that are continually growing in vital worship, in theological depth, in true fellowship, in assertive evangelism and in deeds of compassion.

The distinctiveness of the PCA lies in our stress on both reformation and revival. Without an emphasis on revival, "reformation" may become either a mimicking of political ideologies or sterile doctrinalism. Without an emphasis on reformation, "revival" may become a shallow pietism or mysticism. Only reformation and revival together can accomplish the Great Commission of our Lord. With these twin emphases, the local churches of the PCA hold to these commitments:

We are committed to the Scriptures and the historic Westminster Standards based firmly on a biblical theology that answers the questions and issues of each culture and people to which we minister.
We are committed to worship that practices the presence and power of God within the church to the transformation of the surrounding culture through biblical application in population centers around the world.
We are committed to the winning of new converts and their incorporation into the church through the ministry of the Word and to significant ministry to the needy through deeds of mercy and service.
We are committed to the freedom of every member to minister through spiritual gifts and also to the responsibility to do so under spiritual authority and loving discipline.
We are committed to dynamic, prophetic confrontation on non-Christian thought forms and behavior and also to the demonstration of the truth through the practice of holiness and love in Christian fellowship.
We are committed to guarding and strengthening the biblical family and also to a ministry to the broken family forms such as the divorced, the widowed and the unwed parent.
We are committed to teaching and discipling men and women in the whole counsel of God and also to ministering to the needs of the whole person.

The Presbyterian Church in America has a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work at home and abroad, and to Christian education. From its inception, the church has determined its purpose to be “faithful to the Scriptures, true to the reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission.”

Other PCA Churches in Cincinnati

North Cincinnati Community Church
Faith Presbyterian Church
New City Presbyterian Church
Grace & Peace Presbyterian Church
Trinity Presbyterian Church
South Dayton Presbyterian Church