Frequently Asked Questions

It might seem odd to have an FAQ for a church page. We're not some tech company here to answer your software problems, after all. But today, understanding what "church" is all about may seem more foreign than reprogramming your smart phone.

We come from an old tradition. Redeemer Presbyterian Church represents decades in Traverse City, centuries since the Reformation, and two thousand years since our mission was given. We understand that for many this is incredibly intimidating. We're here to try and help with that.

So please, explore our site, peruse the FAQ, and feel free to contact us with any questions you have.

500 years ago the Reformation was brewing in Western Europe. Martin Luther very publicly challenged the Roman Catholic Church (in which he served as priest) to answer some questions about the church's practices and beliefs which he did not believe to align with the teachings of scripture. This challenge to the establishment did not happen in a bubble. Around the same time the printing press was invented and the conversation spanned across communities and countries. People in other areas were soon asking the same questions of their local churches.

This was a time in which the church held significant influence in the state. The Roman Catholic Church was the de facto national religion. Luther's theology was beginning to gain a foothold, and others continued to challenge the doctrine of the Catholic Church. The largest wave is broadly referred to as reformed theology. Many nations replaced Catholicism with their own understanding of the Reformed faith. The Scottish version was known as Presbyterianism. The word came from the form of church government, but the understanding of the basic tenets of the reformed tradition were also central.

This Christian denomination eventually came to America and flourished, dividing into different traditions centered around unique characteristics. At Redeemer Presbyterian Church, we are part of the PCA - The Presbyterian Church in America.

For more about the PCA, click here. For more about what we believe, look in the top menu.

From the very beginning of Christianity, the disciples of Jesus Christ formed churches that met together regularly and “devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, and to the fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.” Gathering together for worship in this way with fellow believers was considered such an essential part of Christian life, that the author of Hebrews warned the church to “not neglect the meeting together, as is the habit of some.” Why is going to church so important for us? First, we experience God’s presence in a unique way. Although God is with us individually throughout our week, there is a special sense in which God is present to bless and encourage his people when they gather together for Worship. Even in the Old Testament, God had set apart a special location (the tabernacle/temple) where He was uniquely present for his people. Today, God’s special presence is no longer tied to a physical location, but is found in the corporate gathering of God’s people for worship. As Jesus promised, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.” Second, when we are gathered together for worship with others, we receive grace from above which strengthens our faith, hope, and love, to a higher degree than is possible by ourselves. As important as individual prayer and Bible reading are, it is only in corporate worship that the word of God is proclaimed to us, only in corporate worship that we can partake of the Lord’s Supper, and only in corporate worship that we enjoy the love, fellowship, and encouragement of other believers. Let’s be honest, saying a prayer by yourself on a Sunday morning is just not the same experience as being surrounded by other believers singing God’s praise, hearing the word, and encouraging each other. God has called each Christian to be part of a larger body, the church, and without regularly meeting together for worship we will not enter into the full benefits of our Salvation. Finally, corporate worship is the closest thing we have to heaven on earth. We don’t know much about what we will do in heaven, but we do know that it will be filled with all of God’ people together worshipping our God. “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.” If worshipping God with other Christians is what we will be doing in heaven, it ought to have a priority for us as we live the Christian life in this present age.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church stands in the tradition of Reformation faith and practice. The following few pages contain a brief summary of the historic doctrines, principles, and practices upon which Redeemer Presbyterian Church was founded.

The vision for Redeemer Presbyterian Church began with a small group of people who deeply desired a biblically and historically faithful church committed to the Reformed perspective. Through much prayer and perseverance, and under the care of Covenant Presbyterian Church of Holland, Michigan, our first Sunday morning worship service took place on July 4, 2004. On April 24, 2005, Redeemer Presbyterian Church officially became a “particular church” of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

The PCA is a denomination that was formed when some 260 churches withdrew from what is now known as the PCUSA in an effort to stand against the trend of compromising biblical truth to outside cultural pressures to conform. At the time of the PCA’s formation, many mainline Presbyterian churches were no longer standing firm on beliefs such as the inspiration and authority of Scripture. The PCA has maintained its original convictions and commitment to both Scripture and it’s doctrinal standards.

As a member church of the PCA, our church government or polity follows the Presbyterian model. Presbyterian, at the most basic level, simply means that our church is governed by a plurality of elders elected by the congregation. When the Apostle Paul was on his missionary journeys, he made it a point to establish a group of men called "elders" to govern the churches (Acts 14; Titus 1:5). Further, being part of a Presbyterian denomination means that our church is not independent of other churches. We believe Scripture teaches that there should be both partnership and mutual accountability among local churches (Acts 15).

The Presbyterian system of government has a system of mutual fellowship, support, and accountability built into it that we believe is not only biblical, but healthy and wise. By utilizing this biblical method for governing the affairs of the church, we are afforded a means for settling doctrinal and practical issues in an orderly and thorough manner.