Vision and Mission of BPC
Our Vision:
To worship Christ, grow disciples, build community, serve our neighbors, reach the lost, and in all things Glorify God.
Our Mission:
To glorify God and enjoy Him forever by making disciples and faithfully serving Christ.
We are Committed to Worship – We believe that God’s Word is the center and heart of worship. We pray the Bible, preach the Bible, and sing the Bible. We long to see sinners converted and saints maturing in their faith. As a church, we also long to see the day that every believer is consistently present, with hearts engaged in worship. All other ministry and discipleship endeavors flow from worship.
We are Committed to Growing Disciples – We long for the Holy Spirit to be present in the hearts of those who gather at Brandon Presbyterian Church. Without the Holy Spirit at work, hearts will not be converted to Christ and believers will not grow in grace. We are committed to encouraging faithful, Christ-like growth in every believer and follower of Jesus Christ.
We are Committed to Building Community – We long for genuine communion of the saints that is marked by a depth of fellowship and shared Christian life flowing from our union with Christ. Fellowship is not merely something we create with each other out of shared common interests. We are committed to building community that is established in our church around the shared love of worshiping God, but that continues throughout eternity as the glorified body of Christ is united together in Heaven to praise and worship God.
We are Committed to Serving our Neighbors – In God’s providence, our church has resided on South College Street in Brandon since 1870. As such, we long to be kind, loving neighbors and faithful witnesses to the gospel to the neighborhoods and schools surrounding our campus.
We are Committed to Reaching the Lost – We long to see sinners repent and believe in the completed work of Jesus Christ through his life, death, and resurrection. As we seek to reach those around us who have not heard the good news of the Gospel of Christ, we seek to be faithful, humble, patient, loving, and winsome in the way we live our lives and share our faith.
We are Committed to Glorifying God and Enjoying Him Forever – We believe that our primary purpose is to glorify God specifically in worship through prayer and praise, and to enjoy God as He speaks to us through His word and sacraments. We long to see each believer delighting more in the worship of God in public, in private, and with their family. And we long to see the eternal benefits of communion with Him expressed through an ever-increasing love for His Word and delight in living a life of faithfulness to Christ at home and at work.
Brandon Presbyterian Church Distinctives
Brandon Presbyterian Church (est. in 1851) has been a steadfast witness to historic, Reformed, Christianity for over 170 years. Brandon Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
In 1973, there was a separation from the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) over opposition to long-developing theological liberalism which denied the deity of Jesus Christ and the inerrancy and authority of Scripture. Brandon Presbyterian Church rejected this aberrant liberal theology of the day, becoming a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in 1974. Brandon Presbyterian Church was present at the second General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America.
The following distinctives guide our worship and ministry at Brandon Presbyterian Church:
Faithful to the Scriptures
We are a Reformed church, meaning we are a Christian church that traces its roots back to the early Christian church. Like the early Christian church, we believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe in the authority (the Word of God is divinely inspired or “breathed out” by God) and the sufficiency of Scripture (the Bible gives us all things necessary for life and faith). We confess “sola Scriptura” (Scripture alone) as the basis and guide for our worship and the administration of the sacraments, as well as our guide for life, family, and ministry.
True to the Reformed Faith
We are also a Confessional church, meaning we are committed to the rich theology that was expressed and passed down in the early ecumenical creeds (such as the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed), and that were recovered during the Protestant Reformation. These beliefs are best summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith which we use as a secondary standard for faith and practice (the Bible itself being the only infallible rule of faith and practice). Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America take a vow to “sincerely receive and adopt” these confessional documents “as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.”
Obedient to the Great Commission
We are a church who is Obedient to the Great Commission, meaning we are focused on making disciples of Christ who have zeal and genuine love for God. We long to see sinners repent and become genuine followers of Christ. We are not merely interested in church growth or membership expansion. We are instead committed to discipleship. We are also committed to and support many missionaries at home and abroad.
What We Believe
Brandon Presbyterian Church is a reformed, confessional church, meaning we are committed to applying to our lives, the theology, piety, and practice of the historic Christian faith recovered at the Protestant Reformation, and best summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith.
The following is a brief summary of our beliefs:
The Bible
We believe that the Bible, which includes the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the written Word of God, divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is without error in its original manuscripts. We believe that the Bible gives us all things necessary for faith and practice..
The Trinity
We believe there is one God who is infinite, infallible, and unchanging, who exists eternally in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Man and Sin
We believe that all people are sinners by nature, are guilty in God’s sight, and are totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure. His free grace alone provides a way of salvation.
Election
We believe that this salvation is the work of God alone. He sovereignly chooses whom He will save. We believe that His choice is based solely on His grace, not on any merit found in his people, their foreseen faith, or their religious activity.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect obedience and sacrificial death as the representative and substitute of his people, atoned for the sins of all who would trust in Him alone for salvation.
Justification
We believe that the only way to acceptance with God is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
God’s Covenant Promises
We believe that God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to His covenant promises.
The Church
We believe that the church is the covenant community of God and the sphere within which the grace of God is available to all, through the preaching and teaching of the Bible, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Outside the church there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and enables them to trust Christ and follow Him. Faith is the gracious gift of God.
Perseverance of the Saints
We believe that having come to saving faith in Christ, believers can never be lost, but persevere to the end, being kept by the power of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This perseverance is both the responsibility of every believer, and the infallible promise of God to all his people.
The Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus will return at the last day, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself.
Living the Christian Life
We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ as we wait for the day of his glorious appearing.