Minco First Reformed Presbyterian Church

About Us

 

Vision

Our goal as a congregation is to bring glory to the Lord through our worship, our daily service and outreach to the community. We are excited about serving a glorious God who uses His people to build up His kingdom. And we rejoice in the power of the gospel to transform our lives and those of our neighbors.

Our desire is to minister to one another and the wider community, by proclaiming the gospel and by demonstrating the love of Christ through service and compassion. We are driven by the conviction that our ministry to others should be characterized by the grace and loving-kindess we have received from the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that growth in the Christian life happens through the means God has given us to know Him: His Word, Worship, Prayer, the Lord's Table, Fellowship and Service. All of these ministries flow from Christ and His body, the church. Therefore we believe active participation in the life of God's gathered people is foundational for living the Christian life.

 

Our Distinctives

We are a Christ-centered, reformed and Presbyterian congregation in Minco, OK.

Christ-centered: Christ is our Savior, our Shepherd, Ruler of the nations, and Head of the church. We exist to glorify, serve and please Him (Isa. 9:6-7; Eph. 1:20-23; I Pet. 1:18-20; Rev. 5:1-14).

Reformed: As a church we trace our roots back to the Reformation of the 16th c. that was led by men such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox, whom God raised up to "reform" the church in her faith and life according to the Scriptures. Out of this great movement came great confessions of faith. We hold to the classic Westminster Confession of Faith along with the Shorter and Larger Catechisms as faithful expositions of the Bible.

Presbyterian: refers to our form of government. We believe that the Scriptures teach that local churches should be governed by elders or "presbyters" who are elected by the congregation. There are teaching elders who pastors and there are also ruling elders who are ordained laymen. Both kinds of elders must meet the requirements for godly leadership given by the Scriptures (Acts 20:17; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17; Titus 1:5-9). This form of government has been followed by Reformed and Presbyterian churches since the days of John Calvin in Europe and John Knox in Britain. Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders from local churches are formed into regional "presbyteries". Representatives from presbyteries meet together annually at "General Assembly".

 

Our Beliefs

We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God's truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

 

We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

We believe that all are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from God's displeasure, except by His mercy.

 

We believe that salvation is by God alone as He sovereignly chooses those He will save. We believe His choice is based on His grace, not on any human individual merit, or foreseen faith.

 

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation.

 

We believe that God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to His Covenant promises.

 

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God's people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him.

 

We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself.

 

We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

 

A more in-depth statement of our beliefs is found in the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism.

 

History

In 1907 the church was planted by J.M. Robbins and Rev. J.C. Story of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) with ten members. In 1921 the church was able for the first time to purchase a manse and call a full-time pastor.

There have been two changes of affiliation in the history of the church:

First, on September 11, 1962 the church requested to be dismissed from the Presbytery of Shawnee (PCUS) to become part of the Mid-South Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod (RPCES)--a denomination formed for preserving a biblical, evangelical and Reformed church. Many changes were beginning to occur in the PCUS that were troubling not only to the members of FRPC but many believers in the denomination which eventually brought many other churches and individuals out of the PCUS to join a Christ-centered, mission-minded body passionate about preserving historic Presbyterianism.

Second, in 1981 the RPCES merged with the like-minded Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)--a denomination formed in 1973 out of the PCUS because of theological liberalism which denied the deity of Christ and the authority and inerrancy the Scriptures. The church remains today a member of the PCA whose goal is to be "faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith and obedient to the Great Commission."

We continue today by God's guidance and strength as a congregation that is passionate about the gospel and demonstrating the love and grace of Christ after more than 100 years of ministry in Minco, OK.