Visiting and Joining an RP Church

Your First Lord's Day

You can visit a Reformed Presbyterian congregation without knowing the order of worship or all the answers to a membership interview.

Find a congregation through the RPCNA congregation directory (opens in a new tab). Check the service times and introduce yourself to the pastor or an elder. Ask where to sit and whether the congregation meets again later in the day.

You should expect Scripture to be read and preached, public prayer, and the singing of inspired Psalms without instrumental accompaniment. Listen carefully to the sermon and follow the words of the Psalm being sung. The church's purpose is worshiping God, not providing a performance for guests.

If the Lord's Supper is administered, speak with an elder before approaching the Table. The session has responsibility for admitting communicants. A respectful conversation protects both the visitor and the congregation.

Which Standards Should You Read?

This website teaches the original 1647 Westminster Confession and Catechisms. The RPCNA has its own contemporary Constitution, including a Testimony and directories governing membership, discipline, and worship. The two sets of documents must be distinguished. The RPCNA's present procedures aren't quotations from the original 1647 Confession.

Read the original Westminster Standards study index. For the denomination's current requirements, consult its published Constitution (opens in a new tab). Ask the elders how the congregation subscribes to and applies those standards.

The Membership Conversation

Tell the session that you want to join. If you were baptized elsewhere, describe the baptism and the church where it occurred. Bring any membership transfer information you have. The session will examine your profession of faith and explain the covenant of communicant membership.

Expect to discuss the authority of Scripture, the Trinity, repentance, faith in Christ, baptism, the Lord's Day, and submission to the church's biblical government. You're not being asked to prove you know every detail of the Westminster Larger Catechism. You should understand the basic doctrine you're professing and the promises you're making.

The RPCNA's Directory for Church Government assigns admission to communicant membership to the session in an organized congregation. Its Official Vows include commitments concerning faith, Christian life, worship, service, and receiving correction. Read the actual documents rather than relying on a simplified summary. Official denominational source (opens in a new tab).

What About Your Spouse and Children?

If you've children, ask the elders about their place in the covenant community and their baptism. The original Westminster Confession teaches the baptism of children of believing parents (WCF 28.4 (opens in a new tab)). Parents are responsible to teach their children Scripture, lead them in prayer, and bring them into the church's worship.

Don't assume that your spouse's journey and yours will be identical. Speak openly about religious differences in the home. Seek pastoral counsel without treating the church as a weapon in a family dispute.

After You're Received

Get to know the congregation. Attend public worship, join its prayer and fellowship, and let the elders know when you need counsel. Learn the Psalms you sing. Prepare for the Lord's Table with self-examination and confidence in Christ, not confidence in your own worthiness.

Read Church Membership, Baptism, and The Lord's Supper. If you haven't been baptized, the session can arrange the sacrament according to the church's order.