Glorify Nuture Proclaim
Sundays:
8 AM – Early worship service
9:30 AM – Sunday School for all ages
11 AM – Late worship service
6 PM – Evening worship service
What We Believe
At Westminster Presbyterian Church
We believe that the Word of God in Scripture is our one, infallible authority for doctrine and life. The Bible is our rock of divine authority, our only source for absolute truth and the knowledge of God, “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)
We believe that all of humanity has fallen into sin, choosing to go our own way rather than God’s way (Rom. 3:23). Because of our sinful nature, each of us is separated from God and deserves His just punishment (Rom. 1:18).
We believe that Jesus was both a real person in human history and the divine Son of God. Jesus died on the cross in our place to take the punishment we deserve and rose again to give eternal life to all who trust in Him for salvation. He is “the way, the truth, and the life…no one comes to the Father except through Him,” (John 14:6) and “Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
We believe that the Holy Spirit draws us to Christ, bringing us to repentance and faith (Titus 3:5-6), enabling us to fight against sin, and growing us in holiness while we wait for the return of Christ (Gal. 5:22-25).
We believe that when God saves His people, He not only reconciles them to Himself, He also saves them into fellowship with other believers in the family of God (Eph. 4:1-6). The church is the body of Christ; the visible gathering of God’s people on earth, called to minister to one another so that we “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:12-16).
As a confessional church, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed are excellent short summaries of what we believe. We use these often in our worship services.
As a Reformed and Presbyterian church, we hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith along with the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
Our Core Values
OUR MISSION
GLORIFY and enjoy the living God by striving for worship that is pleasing to Him.
NURTURE believers of all ages to become mature disciples of Jesus Christ: rooted in the doctrines of Scripture, zealous in prayer, holy in character, and committed to one another.
PROCLAIM the good news of faith in Christ by words of witness and deeds of mercy in Lancaster County and to all nations of the earth.
Glorify
God-Centered Worship
We approach the Living God with both reverence and joy in accordance with the Word of God. Glorifying and enjoying God is our purpose in life, and worship should characterize the lives of God’s people. When we come to worship together on Sunday, we participate with praise, prayer, confession of sin and of faith, thanksgiving, and petition, as well as, hearing and responding to Bible-centered preaching. Biblical principles and church history inform our expressions of worship, but no expressions of worship may go beyond that which may be deduced from the Scriptures. Regular worship has transformational power as the people of God meet and see God’s glory revealed in Jesus Christ. Our corporate worship turns our hearts and minds to the glory of God and sends us forth to live for His glory in the week to come.
Nurture
Bible-Centered Teaching
The Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God in its original manuscripts. Our constant goal is to hold forth the Word of God to the people of God and to a world, thirsty for truth and hope, since God has told us that His word is the chief means He uses to save and to sanctify His people.
Christ-Centered Discipleship
Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is at the center of our shared life as a congregation. We seek to be a Christ-centered, gospel-focused church in our faith and practice. The grace and truth of God in Jesus Christ is central in our preaching and teaching, in our worship, in our outreach, in our relationships, and in all we do. Our goal is that all who come to Westminster would see Jesus Christ and would be encouraged to grow in godliness, increasingly reflecting Christ in all they do.
One-Body Community
Community among members is a high priority. Our culture tends to be self-reliant and individualistic, but God sees us as intimately connected to each other because we are all part of the body of Christ and enlivened by the same Holy Spirit. Just as the parts of our human body cannot function independently, so members of the church cannot function properly apart from community. We need each other to grow and thrive. We minister to one another with the same compassionate grace that God has lavished upon us and spur each other toward maturity in Christ. Elders shepherd the flock by encouraging and equipping every member to fulfill his or her role in the church.
Proclaim
Graciously Reformed
Salvation is completely accomplished by God’s grace. We do not contribute to our salvation in any way. Yes, we respond to the initiative of God, but even that response of faith is by God’s grace. We see reformed theology, as specified in the Westminster Confession of Faith and catechisms, as the best summary of the theology of the Bible. This theological structure is the “bones” of our church body but we “flesh out” our reformed views by explaining them in a winsome manner and by welcoming those who do not hold to these distinctives.
Gospel-centered Outreach
The great commission constantly calls us to an outward orientation. Jesus, the “Light For The Nations,” must not be hidden under a bushel. In love, we both speak and show the gospel as we reach those captivated by every form of brokenness, sin, and ignorance. We sacrificially support missionaries, both locally and around the world. We believe that taking the gospel to those outside the church counteracts our natural inclination toward ingrowth and refreshes the joy of our salvation. We equip members to personally share the gospel and serve the local community with Christ-like love.
Our Denomination
True to the Scriptures
Since its beginning in 1973 as an evangelical Presbyterian denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has grown from about 40,000 members, primarily in the Southeastern United States, to become 380,000 members in more than 1,750 congregations located across the USA and Canada.
You can learn more about the Presbyterian Church in America by viewing the PCA denominational web site at this address: www.pcanet.org.
The theme of the PCA from early days has been: “True to the Scriptures, the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.” Emphasis on missions and outreach has led to the founding of scores of new churches all over North America. We also send international missionaries throughout the world through the PCA’s worldwide missions organization, Mission to the World (MTW). We believe in reaching out to share the gracious gospel of God’s saving truth in Christ.
Every PCA congregation belongs to a regional network of congregations, called a presbytery, organized to do essential business such as ordaining ministers, to oversee the churches, and to support one another in a cooperative way. Ours is the Susquehanna Valley Presbytery, comprising about 20 churches and several new church plants in central Pennsylvania.
Meet our leadership
Serving the Lord Together
Westminster Church is committed to a Presbyterian system of church government. This means that the congregation elects their leaders, who then make decisions about the vision, ministries, finances, and life of the church.
In a Presbyterian system of government, there are two ordained offices that have authority to lead the ministry of the church: elders and deacons.
