Who We Are

Our Story

Reformed - To be Reformed is to stand within that stream of historic Christianity that sought, during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, to bring the faith and practice of the Church into greater conformity with the Word of God. It speaks of a whole understanding of the Christian faith: the sovereignty of God in creation and redemption, salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, the supreme authority and sufficiency of Scripture, the covenantal unity of God’s dealings with His people, and the ordering of the Church according to biblical principles. Historically, reformed churches have expressed these convictions through confessional standards, especially utilizing the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, amid other offerings such as the Canons of Dort, the 39 Articles, etc. At its heart, then, being Reformed is not about novelty or merely belonging to a theological camp; it is the heartfelt conviction that the Church must continually submit herself to the Word of God, trusting in Christ alone and seeking above all things the glory of God.

Evangelistic - To be evangelistic is to possess an earnest desire that sinners should hear the good news of Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, believe upon Him, and be gathered into His Church. Because salvation belongs to the Lord, the Church may preach Christ freely and sincerely to all, trusting God to give the increase according to His sovereign grace. This work belongs especially to the ministry of the Word, yet every Christian ought to be ready to speak of the hope that is in him and to commend Christ to his neighbor. True evangelism does not end with a profession of faith, but desires to see men and women brought into the visible Church, baptized if they have not already been so, instructed in sound doctrine, and established under the ordinary means of grace. Thus, to be evangelistic is simply to love the Gospel enough to desire its faithful proclamation to every creature, while trusting neither in our methods nor our eloquence, but in the power of God to save sinners through the preaching of Christ crucified.

Fellowship - Our team members are not a collection of projects, or simply ministerial efforts, nor a bank account, nor just an entity to themselves; the Fellowship in REF is that we are a family. To be a fellowship is to recognize that the Christian life was never intended to be lived in isolation, nor missions/missionaries/evangelists/evangelistic workers to be their own island. Christ gathers His people into a body, and within that body believers are called to bear one another’s burdens, encourage one another in the faith, pray for one another, and labor together for the advancement of the Gospel. True Christian fellowship is therefore more than an association of like-minded individuals; it is a willing partnership among brethren who share a common confession, a common concern for the peace and purity of the Church, and a common desire to see Christ’s kingdom advanced. We labor together because we belong to the same Lord, confess the same faith, and recognize that much good may be accomplished when brethren dwell and work together in unity.