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Visiting: What to Expect

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When visiting a new church, there are many emotions and questions. At Covenant Reformed, we want to warmly welcome you and help make your visit a time when you encounter God above all else. First and foremost you will be in a house immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.


What to wear?

We all wear clothes, and that is enough. At Covenant Reformed, you will see folks dressing fancy and frugal. You will even see Pastor Chris wearing a robe that makes him look like Harry Potter! The important thing is to bring a heart desiring to encounter God.


Children

We love children, and we believe God loves them too. All people and all ages are welcome in our Sunday Services. Therefore, we welcome and encourage parents to include their children in worship as part of the church community. However, we also understand the need for wiggles. If it is easier for you to worship, we have a staffed nursery for our youngest children to play safely.


Music

At Covenant Reformed, we want to worship God with all that we are. We bring our emotions--hurts and joys--and our preferences. However, we do not wish for something like our personal preferences to distract from a meaningful encounter with the triune God. Therefore, you will find music with lyrics that are meaningful, impactful, and biblically accurate. We sing songs and hymns that span over 2,500 years of church history!




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Worship: Guided By God's Word

Word-centered

The worship at Covenant Reformed is guided by Scripture, God’s living Word to us.

This means:

  • We read, recite, and rejoice in reading the Bible
  • The Sermon will passionately unpack a passage of the Bible
  • Our heartfelt prayers arise from the Bible

Joyful and Reverent

The beauty and glory of the triune God summons us to approach with reverence and awe. We are filled with joy as we are welcomed into His presence as His beloved children.

This means:

  • We worship with passion,
  • We pray boldly with confidence (Eph 3:10);
  • We approach the Throne of Grace to receive grace, mercy, and help (Heb 4:16).

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Liturgical

Every church and aspect of life has a liturgy. Some are biblically informed, and some are haphazard chaos. We desire to structure our liturgy as a dramatic encounter with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A good liturgy empowers the community to have a foretaste of the future heavenly rest in a present covenant renewal. A beautiful liturgy enables God's children to receive the divine gifts of God as refreshment for the soul.

This means:

  • We focus on God and his word,
  • God speaks, and we respond, (known as antiphonal)
  • We confess, we receive, and we are transformed,
  • He feeds the Head, Heart, and Hands,
  • We include Instruction, Adoration, Lament, and Celebration,
  • He meets us to passionately worship him in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24).
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Why is the Pastor dressed like Harry Potter?

Depending upon your church background, the sight of a minister wearing a robe may be unusual. Why do we do it? Is it because we like Harry Potter?


1. Wearing a Robe hides the man

We live in a culture of distraction, and on Sunday mornings, you don’t need to be distracted by what the pastor is wearing. A pastor doesn’t need an expensive suit, a cheap suit, a Hawaiian shirt, or his favorite camo-pattern. A simple black robe helps to remove these distractions and point to the message about Christ and not the man.


2. Wearing a Robe emphasizes the office

People wear uniforms that fit their office and function. A judge wears a robe in court, a police person wears a uniform while on duty, and a mechanic wears oilly coveralls. Likewise, a pastor wears a robe to signify that when he is conducting the worship service, he is acting in an official capacity as a one called by Christ to proclaim his word to his people (Eph 4:11-12; 1 Thess 5:12-17). Pastor Chris serves as an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor 5:20). The robe reminds everyone that the pulpit and its message belong to Christ.


3. Wearing a Robe is historical

Protestant pastors have been wearing robes for centuries. The Old Testament covenant ministers wore robes, prophets wore robes, and the Ancient church pastors wore robes. We like this rich history. Only recently have pastors begun to look like used-car salespeople or a friendly guy next door. For more, click HERE