What is Reformed?

A Practical Approach to Understanding "Reformed"

Another church? A Reformed church?

What kind of church is that?

If you had the opportunity to build a church from scratch, what would it be like?

Most Christians would agree it should be based on the Bible. After all, the Bible is God’s Word. 

You would want to keep the best from the past yet not cling to the past as if all change is bad.

You would probably agree that a church should be honest enough to make changes if those changes result in the church being even more Biblical. 

You certainly wouldn’t want a church of hypocrites – people who “talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk.” You would hope the people pray often, believe with sincerity, and try by the grace of God to live truly holy lives.

Certainly it should be a place where the messages you hear are Word-centered, where the people you meet are Christ-centered, where God is real, the Bible is taken seriously, and  the worship reflects the greatness and majesty of the God of Scripture.

We dream of a church like that too. And that’s the kind of church we are trying, by God’s grace, to build. This is what “Reformed” is all about.

Reformed churches have been around for centuries, but they are new to this part of Arkansas. 

Reformed believers are not ashamed of the great work God has done in His church in the past, and we aim to keep the best from those glory days. But we also recognize that the work of the church is not finished – that God calls His church to continue  seeking to become as close to what the Bible teaches as possible. That’s our desire.

Our worship services focus on the Bible. The preaching is personal. The messages are straightforward. The Bible is explained in a simple way. Its truths are applied to daily life situations and challenges.  We sing to honor and praise God, not to entertain. When we pray, it is with reverence.  Jesus Christ is exalted.

Everyone is welcome in our church. We want to glorify God.  We also want to help each other have a right relationship with God and live as holy a life as possible by God’s grace.   

If you are already being richly blessed in your church, please pray for us. If you are looking for the kind of church we’ve just described, please visit us and help us make it a reality, God assisting us. If you’re not a Christian, we would love to help you on the way.

A Historical Approach to Understanding "Reformed"

From a historical perspective, "Reformed" traces its roots to the Protestant Reformation.  There have been Godly men, throughout the centuries, such as John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, John Huss and others who sought to reform the church back to Biblical teaching and practice.  Many such men paid with their life for such efforts.  Martin Luther (1483-1546), one of the best known Reformers, also sought to bring the church back into line with the Word of God in areas where it had strayed.  He had no intention to break away from the church but instead to encourage change from within.  He was excommunicated by the church for his attempts. 

From that time on there had been a unified understanding of many of the main teachings of Scripture - a unity that spanned the centuries and nations.  Multitudes of Protestant Christians in Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Wales, England, Scotland, Hungaria, the Netherlands, the United States were united in their understanding of these Scriptural doctrines.  Written representations of this unity can still be found in documents such as the Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms; the Belgic Confession of Faith, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Second Helvitic Confession; and the Canons of Dort.  Sadly, in many of these same nations today, offshoots of this unified body of truth have overrun the theological landscape so that the historic Reformed faith is now often viewed as an offshoot of mainline Christian thinking. 

Our group of congregations, and many others like us, continue to be blessed by embracing the robust, faithful understanding of Scripture that so many in the past have done.  God has blessed to experience the same mighty enlivening and enlightening work of His Holy Spirit in that Christians throughout the centuries have experienced.  Time-tested, Spirit-blessed, historic understanding of God's Word - that is something we unashamedly embrace.  We invite you to join us in so doing.