Unity ARP

UNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CORE VALUES

1. We are committed to glorifying God and acknowledging His sovereign lordship
over all that we do.

The only King and Head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all power in heaven and on earth has been given. From His throne of glory, He rules the Church through His Word and Spirit.

Christ, being …”ascended far above the heavens that He might fill all things, ” (Ephesians 4:20) gave gifts to His church, for us to use in glorifying Him.

2. We are committed to developing mature Christians through bold preaching &
teaching of the Scriptures.

The Word of God is the primary means of grace for the believer. The whole counsel of God must be proclaimed, in season and out of season. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. The Word must be explained and applied by those who teach. The Word must be loved, believed and obeyed by all. In order to promote the peace, purity and prosperity of the church it is sometimes necessary to exercise church discipline. The use of church discipline has as its design to reclaim the erring Christian and teach the fear of God to the whole body of Christ.

3. We are committed to Scriptural worship that practices the presence and power of
God.

Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) The greatest
commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) “The acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself, and
so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshiped …(in any) way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.” (WCF, Chap. 21, I.) God has set aside one day in seven to be kept holy unto Him. The first day of the week,
called the “Lord’s Day”, is the Christian Sabbath.

4. We are committed to acknowledging and expressing our dependence upon God
through earnest prayer in the church, in the family and by the individual Christian.

God is glorified in man’s dependence upon Him. Since He is the source of all blessing, then it is to Him that we must
look for receiving the things we need. Jesus said, “Your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him.
Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” (Matthew 6:8, 7:7)
Prayer is the chief way in which we express our dependence upon God, therefore prayer should be practiced without
ceasing.

5. We are committed to promoting the biblical model of the family and ministering
God’s grace to broken families.

God design for families is always in the context of faithful, monogamous marriage. The biblical model
presents the man as the leader and head of the home. Wives are to submit to their husbands, and children are to obey
their parents. Husbands are to love and instruct their wives. Fathers are to love, discipline, train and instruct their children. The Christian home should be well ordered, obedient to the Word of God, and full of the fragrance of Jesus Christ. Since we live in a sinful world, many families today have been damaged. Single mothers, single fathers and their children face challenges that require much of the grace of God and assistance from the body of Christ. While not condoning sinful behavior and wrongful divorce, the church ought to get involved to help bring healing and hope to those who need it.

6. We are committed to the development of godly leaders who meet the
qualifications of Scripture and who lead according to the standards of Scripture.

The church of Jesus Christ is the family of God. God has commanded men to be the head of their homes and Scripture
also requires male leadership in the church. In both Old and New Testaments, the great importance of strong spiritual
leadership is taught and modeled. In the New Testament epistles especially, qualifications are given for the office of
elder and deacon, which we must take seriously. Men who become elders must be men who know the Scriptures, who can
teach the Scriptures, and who will apply the Scriptures in church discipline.

7. We are committed to being witnesses of Jesus Christ in word and deed, locally
and globally, depending on the Holy Spirit to bring people to saving faith.

Acts 1:8 says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto
me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Our risen Lord, just
before He ascended into heaven, gave the apostles and the Church the Great Commission to proclaim the gospel to all
nations. We must begin in our own community, and seek to take the good news from there to ever widening geographical
and cultural circles. Our success in witnessing will always and only be the result of the Holy Spirit’s work, who calls
the elect to faith in Christ when and where He chooses.

8. We are committed to practicing godly love, seeking to meet the spiritual and
material needs of those within and without our local church.

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another.” (John 13:34) Godly love is the mark of the Christian. Without love, even if we are faithful to all of the above values, we are nothing. Everything we do must be done in love. Love does not seek its own, but always seeks the spiritual and physical welfare of others.