Who We Are
Saved Sinners
We are a people saved by the grace of God. There is nothing in us that contributed to our salvation. Only by God’s mercy and grace provided for us in Jesus Christ do we live and does our church exist. This is the main thing. It is our first love and must be maintained.
This page is not so much about those primary core beliefs. It is more about our approach to church and life in general. If you are considering Ascension as a church home, we would love to connect with you and continue the discussion.
Presbyterian
Our church polity is Presbyterian, which means three things. First, we believe the Bible directs a plurality of elders.
Second, our church practices “elder rule.” The ruling body that carries this out is called the “session.” The session has responsibility and authority for church worship, service, teaching, resources, and other items about church life.
Third, the elders of all the churches across the nation form a “Presbytery.” This body of elders across the nation guides our collective churches. But there is still a good amount of freedom for the local Session to exercise.
Our denomination is the Covenant Presbyterian Church. You can find out more about our church’s polity, doctrine, and practice in our Book of Church Order.
Parish Church
Ascension Reformed Church is a “parish” church, which means our members live close to each other. This allows us to share body life. The Bible exhorts us to “encourage one another daily.” The parish model also allows us to connect with our community. When we live, work, shop, and play in the same geographical area, connections are made, and we are better able to share the gospel with our neighbors.
There is also a theological reason. God deals directly with individuals, families, and churches. All of these are well known today. But what is not well known today is that God deals with societies directly too. Whether a nation (or a state or county) is societally righteous before God will affect how blessed they are. This is an Old Testament concept that carries over into the New.
For these Biblical and practical reasons, we are a parish church, and we define our geographic area to be Montgomery County.
Sabbatarian
Ascension Reformed Church upholds the Sabbath, which simply means that we believe the 4th Commandment still applies. Jesus said He did not come to abolish the law of God, and He kept the Sabbath himself.
The Christian Sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday (we call it the Lord’s Day, Rev. 1:10). We see the early church gathering on these days, which makes sense because Sunday is the day He arose and the day He ascended.
The Bible says the Sabbath is not just for Christians. It is an ordinance that all of God’s creatures must keep. Even animals are to rest on the Lord’s Day. Lack of Sabbath-keeping by a society causes a curse (rather than a blessing) upon that society.
Being Sabbatarian is not a gloomy thing! It is a blessing! Rather than working, we feast and rest on the Lord’s Day. The Westminster Confession points to the Bible’s teaching on the Sabbath and says works of mercy and necessity are allowed. But working is not to be done by us, and we are not to cause others to work.
King James Version
Our worship service uses the King James Version, but we are not KJV-only. In simple terms, we use KJV because it: (1) communicates the full sense of Greek grammar, which modern translations are not able to do (2) helps us read the Puritans and their doctrine and understand old hymns and prayers, (3) was the last Bible translated by the Church as the Church versus Christians working for a corporation, (4) is respected by all, has a unifying effect, and is quite beautiful, (5) is arguably easier to memorize (opinions vary on this one), (6) has no copywrite.
We understand it can be difficult for young children to understand the KJV, but we think this can be overcome. In the end, we acknowledge there are advantages to other translations. Our families are free to choose their own translation as long as it is a well-known and respected one.
Optimistic
The study of end times, also known as “eschatology,” is sometimes met with a bit of cynicism. The cynicism comes from the idea: “If don’t know exactly when Jesus will return, why fuss about it.”
We agree there are unknowns–Jesus said no one knows the day except the Father. But there are enough general “knowns” that we approach life with an optimism that the gospel is going to change the whole world before Jesus comes back. It’s a long discussion, and there is a lot of Scripture to work through if you are interested. But in simple terms: Jesus is reigning now, so the Kingdom is now. He will continue to reign until He has put all his enemies under his feet, the last enemy being death itself (1 Cor. 15:25,26).
This optimistic outlook has been the historic position of the Protestant Church for most of the time since the Reformation. The great missionary movements predominantly held this view. The pessimistic eschatology we see today is something new (less than 200 years old), and we think it is not lined up with the Bible. But we still delight in fellowshipping with those Christians who have a different view on this.
Home Educators
We are home educators because education is discipleship, and Christians are commanded to bring up children “in the Lord.” We prefer the term “covenant education” because the Lord builds families covenantally. The father is the head of the family, and so he is head of the family’s Department of Education, so to speak. But moms and dads work together in leading their children and training them.
All of education is discipleship because it (1) teaches ethics and (2) draws from a world-view of beginning and authority. Neutrality is not possible in education. A lack of a Christian worldview in education is necessarily a presence of a humanistic worldview.
We prefer to look at education from a positive angle. God gives parents the delightful commandment to teach our children as we share life with them. We love this part of our culture! It allows us to share the aroma of Christ in our homes.
We are willing to help people start home education, even in difficult financial situations.
Law and Christian Liberty
Jesus told us to teach and do all of His commandments, even the least of them. We strive for personal righteousness while knowing that Jesus was the only sinless man…ever. Only the Triune God’s power can one day conform us to the image of His Son. But we should strive for righteousness and look to the moral law of God as our standard.
Alongside this high position of God’s law comes a certain freedom from man’s traditions. As an example, there is a law in the Bible not to get drunk. Getting drunk is a sin. But drinking alcohol or smoking an occasional pipe is not. God allows us to do this and even tells us that wine “maketh glad the heart of man.” Yes, it’s true. We believe Jesus turned water into wine for the wedding party, and it was real wine like we have today. If these things are taken in moderation, they are blessings from God and not sinful.
Complementarian
We affirm what the Bible says, that mankind was created male and female, each gender for separate reasons. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and that is why husband and wife complement each other. We believe biblical values must drive tradition, not the other way around.
So…our men lead, provide, and protect. They are covenantal heads of households that must graciously and gently lead (like Jesus). Our women manage the house and provide nurture, beauty, and wise counsel to their husbands and children. Fathers and mothers are both honored by children in the brilliant invention of the family. As to how this all works out, that varies a bit by household. But we delight in the family!
A Final Word
As we said in the beginning, this page shows some things about our life as a church. They are less important than the core beliefs of Christianity. But they are our applications of the Bible, and they show the direction we are going. Christian life is a bumpy, difficult, and glorious road. Clinging to Christ, confessing our sins, keeping our covenant vows, and carrying on in joy are things we strive for as a church body.