Here at Covenant Community Church, we focus on the good news of Jesus Christ who has come to forgive sin, usher in eternal life, save the world and grant us union with Himself through His life, death and resurrection. Though we have many distinctives, we consider ourselves a small part of Christ’s church across space and time. We take our stand with all those who believe in the fundamentals of the Christian faith: the existence of the triune God, the deity of Jesus, the virgin birth, and substitutionary and vicarious atonement of Christ, the physical resurrection of Christ and His people, the sure return of Christ, and the infallibility and divine authority of the Bible, which is the faithful and true guide for faith and practice. We joyfully affirm our unity with those from every tradition and denomination who hold to these fundamentals of the faith.

We believe these fundamentals of the Christian faith are best expressed through the early creeds of the church from the first 5 centuries.

We routinely incorporate the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed as part of our public worship services because these are the summaries of the faith that have united Christendom across borders, languages, cultures, continents and centuries. These creeds have defined orthodoxy for millennia and connect us to the universal church that was instituted by Christ, initiated through the apostles and then safeguarded through the church fathers.

Our particular heritage is that of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries which was a renewal movement of the Lord to reform the church through reclaiming the original gospel truths. We are the heirs of that tradition which flows from Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox and the other prominent reformers. We gladly affirm the 5 “Solas” of the Reformation:

Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone is the only infallible rule for faith and practice in the church.

Solus Christus: Christ alone is the only mediator between God and man and salvation is found only through Him.

Sola Fide: Justification is received through faith alone, not by works.

Sola Gratia: Salvation is by grace alone, a gift from God, not earned by human effort.

Soli Deo Gloria: All glory to God alone for salvation and all other aspects of life.

The word “Reformed” is used most commonly to refer to certain theological distinctives in the Calvinist tradition. These reformed distinctives include God’s sovereignty and grace in all of creation, salvation and redemption. We seek to hold our reformed convictions humbly, recognizing the sincerity and earnestness of godly men and women who have other positions.

This means that we have a written confession of faith which we believe to be a good and accurate summary of the Bible’s teaching. Our confession consists of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These documents were originally written in the 1640s and our church leaders subscribe to the doctrine therein. Additionally, we are guided by the PCA Book of Church Order (BCO) which regulates our practice in the church. While these documents are not considered infallible and can be changed through processes of the church courts, we nevertheless believe that they contain carefully worded and accurate summaries of the Bible’s content. All ruling and teaching elders in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) must vow that they hold to these standards and are required to indicate to their presbyteries or sessions where they take “exceptions”. It is important to note that every church has a confession, formal or informal, even those who claim they have “no confession but Christ” or “no creed but the Bible.” Every church summarizes its convictions in some form in order to distinguish its members from those who are not believers or from those who do not believe in their church’s distinctives.

This refers to our denomination and form of church governance. We believe that the most clear biblical pattern is for churches to be governed by presbyters (elders) who rule jointly in a tiered system of representative leadership. This structure utilizes church courts in ascending authority with sessions governing local congregations, presbyteries governing regions and the General Assembly governing the entire church. Specifically, our church is part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

We believe that the Bible is one cohesive story of redemption demonstrating how God has made a people for Himself. There is one covenant of grace that God has made with man which unfolds biblically across time. Through the various covenants made with the patriarchs (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David) and the New Covenant through Jesus, we see God drawing nearer to His people. Each subsequent installation brings those former promises and concepts to a fuller stage of development. The covenants are one continuous story that moves forward as more truth is revealed across time. Highlighting this unity in the covenants means that there is only one way to salvation in both the Old and New Testaments - faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe that the Kingdom of God is not only a future hope, but also a present reality. We believe that the ascension of Jesus Christ means that He is presently reigning from Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father where He will reign until all His enemies have been made a footstool under his feet. We are therefore called to honor and obey Him in every area of our personal lives and to plant the banner of Christ’s Kingdom in every sphere of human endeavor. Christ’s present heavenly reign is at the heart of His gospel and our mission.

In many ways, we are a church from Appalachia and for Appalachia. Many of our members hail from Appalachian counties and our goal has always been to eventually plant churches there. Richmond is a strategic hub for the eastern portion of our state. From our inception, Covenant has focused its ministry on the downtown area of Richmond and sought the wellbeing of our city. We have emphasized and intentionally given ourselves to its people and neighborhoods, including EKU which sits adjacent to downtown and receives and sends many Appalachians every year. Our permanent location is the former Richmond Register building on Big Hill

Avenue, across the train tracks both literally and figuratively. We’ve aimed to serve these places in order to see their flourishing and God’s glory. This attention to place comes from our conviction that God is Lord of Heaven and Earth, the spiritual and the physical. We want God’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” and for His Kingdom to come to real, tangible, actual places and people. We believe God cares more about Eastern KY, and Richmond specifically, than we do. There will be a new Heaven and new Earth when Christ returns, and our prayer is that the good from downtown Richmond, EKU and Appalachia will be one small part of that reality.

We believe these distinctives to be good, profitable and life-giving for our church. Nevertheless, acceptance of all these distinctives is not required for membership in our church. One can join and be a participating, full member of our church without holding anything other than the gospel, the fundamentals and a desire for unity. The doors of our church are as wide as the gates of Heaven.