It is not uncommon for someone to go through an existential crisis at least once in their lives. Big life-changing questions arise: “What am I here for? Why was I created? What am I going to do for the rest of my life?” And, of course, the big one: “Who AM I?” On one level, these questions can provoke major changes—religious conversions, mid-life crises and vocational changes. There are specific times when these reflections are particularly relevant (end of schooling, turning 50 or 40 or 30!). On another level, these questions are always before us, and should be part of our everyday life and interactions with our Lord.
This is certainly the case for us as a church—the questions are similar: “Why do we exist? How do we function? Who ARE we?” These questions are not answered just once, but should continually be guiding and shaping our ministries, our worship and our service to God. But, at certain times, it is fitting to reflect on these ideas, and as we shift to our participation in The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), asking and answering those questions seems entirely appropriate.
Hebron has been, is currently and, God-willing, will always be a biblically-oriented, Christ-centered community of disciples. “Biblically-oriented” reminds us that we function under the authority of the Word of God, the Scriptures and that they are the infallible rule of faith and life for the believer. While other things provide insight and context, our faith rests firmly on the Word of God. “Christ-centered” is both a description of the core of the biblical witness—Jesus Christ—and the orientation of all our worship, our service and our maturity as His people. As is clear from the Scripture, no believer exists on their own, but we function as a “community of disciples,” committed to our Lord and to one another.
“To the Praise of His Glory” is my shorthand for articulating the ultimate purpose of existence, as a church and as individuals. There are many goals for a vigorous church— a caring, compassionate community, a passion for love, justice and holiness, and a healthy environment for our families—but those are secondary priorities, compared to our first and foremost desire which is to glorify God; that is our ultimate goal at Hebron Church.
I like to describe Hebron as: a Reformed, (classically) Evangelical Church in the Presbyterian tradition, worshipping, growing and serving Christ in the East Hills of Pittsburgh. We are “Reformed,” that is, we associate with the branch of Christianity that stresses the sovereignty of God, the depravity of sin, and the priority of grace in salvation. “Evangelical” is a historical term which, unfortunately, no longer means what it did 25 years ago. We’ll talk more about this, but historically (hence, my use of “classically”) evangelicals stressed the authority of Scripture, a personal relationship with Jesus, a focus on the cross, and an active concern for cultural engagement. Since its inception, Hebron Church has operated within “the Presbyterian tradition,” and we remain committed to do so—connecting to other like-minded churches and led by elders representing the congregation as a whole. “Worshipping, growing, and serving Christ” summarizes our approach to ministry—“Worship Plus Two”—how we hope to develop every member of our community in faith.
The EPC uses another term as well to define the nature of our existence, our purpose, and the direction of our ministries—missional. “Missional” describes a mentality, an orientation, a focus which should guide all our efforts: to glorify God by witnessing to the great salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ. Over the next weeks and months, we’ll be exploring these ideas, coming to “existential grips” with that central question: “Who are we?” And our answer? We are “to the praise of His glory!” — Henry