Beliefs
Who We Are
We are a community of ordinary people who have been saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and live to serve a living and gracious God.
We believe that God has placed Spencer Mills Church in the community to study and submit to His Word, to seek the lost, to celebrate in worship, and to equip believers for service so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, many people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
What We Believe
Biblical
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are sufficient for our spiritual needs, clear to understand, and the final authority for how we ought to live in this life (2 Tim 3:16-17). Therefore, we are convinced that the Scriptures must be studied. Above all, though, we believe that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, points us to our gracious and merciful Savior, Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27). It is for this reason that we love studying the Bible.
Confessional
We hold to the creeds and confessions of the Ancient and Reformed Church, as we believe they are an accurate and faithful summary of the teachings of Scripture (2 Thes 2:15). As a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, we hold to the Westminster Standards, which includes the Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. Our creedal and confessional commitments unite us with the church universal, that is, saints down through the ages and around the world (Jude 1:3).
Presbyterian
We are governed by a body of elders called by God and elected by the congregation. Jesus, our Chief Shepherd, has appointed under-shepherds to care for His flock until He returns (Eph 4:11-14; 1 Pet 5:1-4). Following the pattern of the Apostolic Church, we are united to other churches in a supportive and collaborative manner (Acts 15:1-4). Our elders serve the denomination regionally through presbyteries and nationally through the annual General Assembly.
For more information please contact us or visit the OPC website at opc.org.
What to Expect
Worship
Our worship services are a divine dialogue - that is, when we come together on Sundays for worship it is to have a conversation with God. This understanding informs what we do in our services and the way we do it. God is the initiator in this conversation: He speaks to us in the call to worship, the reading of the law, the assurance of pardon, the preaching of His Word, the administration of sacraments (Lord's Supper and baptism), and the benediction. Primarily we come to hear from Him. Our part in this divine dialogue is always responsive in nature: we respond to God in our prayers, confession of faith, giving of our tithes and offerings, and singing.
Expository Preaching
We preach consecutively through books of the Bible in an expositional manner - that is, exposing what is in the text instead of imposing our preferences upon it. We believe that God uses expository preaching to feed sheep and rescue the lost. Expository preaching lets the drama of the sermon flow from the text of Scripture itself, resulting in a message from God that is Christ-centered, urgent, and personally engaging.
Our Community
A Warm Community
If you visit Spencer Mills, you will notice the warmth of the people in the congregation. We not only love our Savior and the saints; we also have a heart for the lost and love to see more people be transformed by the power of the Spirit.
A Caring Community
As fellow recipients of God's grace in Christ and members of His body, it's our privilege to express our love for one another in tangible, selfless, and encouraging ways as we use our gifts, prayers, words, and deeds to build one another up. We desire a church culture where we can openly admit our sins and humbly acknowledge our weaknesses as we collectively point one another to Christ and His Word in the pursuit of holiness.
Multi-Generational
In our church you will find people of all ages: newborns, children playing together, teens, college age young adults, singles and families of all ages. Not only that, our congregation is made up of people from all sorts of backgrounds. We seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ together by seeking to be discipled by others within the church family and making disciples ourselves. All of us are growing, and it's our privilege to walk together as we point one another to the Word in love.
Hospitality & Evangelism
The gospel compels us to share the good news with those who are lost and to welcome visitors as we have been welcomed by the Father in Jesus Christ. Evangelism is not a program, but a way of life. It's not for a team of few, but a culture of the entire church.