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What We Believe
We believe that Jesus Christ alone is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is before all things, the king of creation, the one Lord over the church, and the only way to the Father. Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
(God) raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:19-23
We believe that the Bible – in its particulars as well as in its principles – is the uniquely authoritative witness to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the life into which God calls us, trustworthy in its entirety. The Scriptures expose the darkness of our sin, reveal the mystery of redemption, and illuminate God’s intended way for us to believe and to live. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
We believe that the Church is the visible embodiment of the reign of God. It is the worldwide fellowship of Christian believers, gathered into local congregations, among whom God is glorified, over whom God rules, and through whom God makes Himself known. As the servant of the Kingdom, the Church exists to proclaim and incarnate the love of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Our History
Covenant Presbyterian Church was planted in West Lafayette, IN in 1958. At its inception it was affiliated with the United Presbyterian Church (USA), which later merged with another Presbyterian denomination to become the Presbyterian Church (USA). As an evangelical congregation within a mainline denomination, we found ourselves increasingly concerned with the denomination’s directions and its theological convictions. Following a two-year long discernment process, on the basis of both calling and conscience, Covenant voted in 2008 to seek dismissal from the PC(USA). Shortening our name to Covenant Church, we joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, a denomination with which we find ourselves “one in spirit and in purpose” (Philippians 2.2).
While we are Presbyterian in our form of church governance and Reformed in our theological leanings, Covenant is foremost an Evangelical congregation, standing unwaveringly on the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the final authority of the Bible in all spiritual matters. On these convictions we stake our life as a church. Other theological issues, while not unimportant, are of secondary importance, and we desire to hold these in a posture of theological modesty. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church expresses a posture very similar to ours when it says in its motto: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”
The EPC has crafted a summary of core Biblical beliefs to which we enthusiastically ascribe as a church.