Visiting a Reformed church in Elora

Mennonites and Reformed Christians have been neighbours in this part of Ontario for two centuries, and their stories go back to the same Reformation. The emphasis on discipleship and on community will feel familiar.

• Discipleship Reformed churches expect faith to show in life; the whole third part of the Heidelberg Catechism is about gratitude lived out.
• Community Membership is real: elders visit every home, deacons look after needs, and Sunday is a whole day spent together.
• Where we differ Reformed churches baptize infants and hold that Christians may serve in government and the military. Both are explained without heat.

Reformed and Baptist churches agree on a great deal: the authority of Scripture, salvation by grace through faith, a serious view of membership. The visible difference is baptism, and it comes from a shared idea taken in two directions.

• Covenant and family Reformed churches baptize the children of believers because they understand God's promise to be for believers and their children (Acts 2:39). a Reformed church would be glad to explain that, not to argue it.
• Preaching and prayer Expect a substantial sermon, long congregational prayer, and singing that is mostly Psalms.
• Membership matters Like Baptist churches, Reformed churches take membership, elders and pastoral care seriously; every household is visited.

You may find more that is familiar at a Reformed church than you expect: a set liturgy, the creeds said together, the Lord's Prayer, and a reverence that takes worship seriously.

• Liturgy and creeds The service follows a fixed order, and the congregation confesses the Apostles' or Nicene Creed together every week.
• The sacraments Two rather than seven, and taken seriously: infants are baptized, and the Lord's Supper is celebrated with real preparation.
• Where we differ Reformed churches hold that Scripture alone is the final authority and that we are justified by faith alone. That is a conversation worth having in person rather than in a slogan.

Reformed churches grew from the same Reformation soil. If you value the creeds, a set order of service and a church that has held its confession steady since the 1500s, a Reformed church will feel familiar.

• Shared roots Presbyterian, Lutheran and Reformed churches share the Reformation's teaching on grace and Scripture; the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563 is preached alongside the creeds.
• Confessional stability The Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism and Canons of Dort have not been revised to follow the times. What the church confessed then, it confesses now.
• Familiar forms A set order of service, the Lord's Prayer, the creed, infant baptism, and a sermon at the centre.

Reformed churches share your conviction that the Bible has to be at the centre. What they add is a written confession that says exactly what the church believes, and a structure that keeps its leaders accountable.

• Expository preaching Sermons work through books of the Bible and through the Heidelberg Catechism, so over time you hear the whole of Scripture.
• A confession you can read The Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism put the church's beliefs in writing; nothing rests on one pastor's personality.
• Simpler than it sounds No robes and no incense: a plain building, a lot of singing, a long sermon, and coffee afterwards.

If you are looking into the faith of the historic creeds, the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, salvation by grace, a Reformed church is a place where any question is welcome.

• The creeds Reformed churches confess the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, the same statements the church has used since its early centuries.
• Questions welcome The pastor and elders expect questions and enjoy them. No one will be surprised by yours.
• Take your time Visit as often as you like without committing to anything.

Reformed Christians believe the Holy Spirit is at work in every part of the Christian life. They expect to meet him first of all through the Word preached and the sacraments, and they pray for him to act.

• Word and Spirit together The Spirit who inspired the Bible works through it, so the sermon is preached expecting God to do something.
• Heartfelt, not hushed The singing is loud and congregational, mostly Psalms with organ or piano, and the prayers are long and specific.
• Where we differ Reformed churches hold that the sign gifts belonged to the age of the apostles. That is a real difference, and one worth talking through in person.

If you come from a Christian Reformed, United Reformed or Free Reformed congregation, you will recognize nearly everything at a Reformed church: the same confessions, the same Psalms, much the same church order.

• The same confessions The Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort.
• Sister churches The Canadian Reformed churches have formal relations with the United Reformed and Free Reformed churches. A letter from your consistory is welcome, but you do not need one to visit.
• The differences Mostly matters of history and practice, set out honestly in our guide to the Reformed church names.