Trinity Presbyterian Church is a part of The Presbyterian Church in America (“PCA”) which was formed in 1973 to be a denomination that is “Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.”
The PCA is an Evangelical, Reformed, and Presbyterian denomination.
By Evangelical, we mean that we emphasize salvation (the good news of the gospel) by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, as well as holding to the inerrancy of Scripture.
By Reformed, we mean that we are connected to the teachings of the historic church and the doctrinal beliefs recovered by the Reformation. These doctrinal beliefs are expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
By Presbyterian, we describe our representative form of church government. Local churches are governed by a “Session” of elders who are elected by the members of the congregation. Representatives of the local churches within a geographical area compose a “presbytery.” Representatives of presbyteries meet annually at “General Assembly.” Thus, through the connectional efforts and resources of all of the churches, we are enabled to effectively advance God’s Kingdom. There are a number of Committees and Agencies of the PCA which help lead this Kingdom work.
To find out more about the (PCA), see the denominational
website.
Purpose — Why does TPC exist – what is our purpose?
Our purpose is to make mature, grace-filled disciples of Christ who are growing in their knowledge and love for God, for people, and in their desire and ability to serve in the kingdom of God for God's glory.
● Matthew 28 - the great commission to the church → make disciples
● Matthew 22 - the great commandment to the church → love God and love people
● Ephesians 4 - equipping the saints for ministry and building up the body in love
Plan — How will TPC accomplish our purpose of making mature, grace-filled disciples of Christ?
(1) We plan to help people grow in knowledge and love for God by:
● having weekly worship that is God-centered, God-directed, God-glorifying; is anchored in the historical richness of tradition; is understandable by today's culture; presents the grace of God; focuses on the Word, sacraments, and prayer.
● providing an education program for adults and children
(2) We plan to help people grow in knowledge and love for others by:
● encouraging gospel-centered community through small groups and fellowship opportunities
(3) We plan to help people grow in their desire and ability to serve in the kingdom of God by:
● equipping/training people to serve inside and outside TPC
● providing opportunities for people to serve on committees and ministries inside TPC
● sending people to serve in the kingdom of God with organizations and ministries outside TPC
Principles — What are the things most important to us?
(1) Scripture - We are committed to the inerrant Word of God, which is inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the revelation of God's truth, and is infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy in all matters of faith and practice.
(2) Grace - We are committed to the gospel of God's amazing grace as the foundation of all we do at TPC and as the primary motivation for growing into mature disciples.
(3) Reformed Theology - We are committed to the reformed faith as it is articulated in the Westminster Confession of Faith & Catechisms and to teaching that is a warm and winsome demonstration of it.
(4) Missions - We are committed to the gospel going out into every aspect of culture, locally and globally.
(5) Discipleship - We are committed to a life-long process of growing in Christian maturity and Christ-likeness.
(6) Fellowship - We are committed to building community within the church by demonstrating God's love for us in our love for each other.
(7) Welcoming - We are committed to being a welcoming community - open and welcoming to both Christians and non-Christians - to the convinced and to the skeptic.
(8) Growing - We are committed to being a growing community - internally as members of TPC grow both numerically and in Christ-likeness and externally as we see churches planted in SE MN for God's glory.