Reforming Truth Church

We have a structure liturgy that we use every week and have designed it so the the entire service functions as a proclamation of the Gospel. We love the consistency week to week of having the same structure. At the same time, we embrace the variation that we experience within the constraints of the liturgy. The expression of the Gospel each week is beautiful and engaging. Our service is grouped into 5 sections that summarize the Gospel: God, Guilt, Grace, Gratitude, Go.

God

We start with a proclamation of God: his character, his perfections, and his actions.

Call to Worship

The opening element of our service is the call to worship. Generally, a Scripture passage, it serves to highlight God and move us as congregants to the appropriate response: worship.

Song: Doxology

After the call to worship, we respond in worship with the classic Doxology, as so many Christians have done in the past. In this we are connected with the global and historical church who have used this song for ages.

Song

We follow the Doxology with another song that highlights God. From week to week, we will have a variety of song selections, from classic hymns to modern songs, always focused on songs with good theological content.

Reading of the Law

We finish the first section with a reading of the law. The law further illuminates the character of God. It also demonstrates our inability to live out God’s standards and thus serves as a transition to the next section.

Guilt

In light of the character of God and the requirements of the law, we recognize our sin, our unworthiness, and our desperate need for salvation.

Prayer of Confession

As a body, we together in prayer, confess our sin and unworthiness to God and in our need cast ourselves on his mercy.

Grace

By grace, God has not left us in our need. He has revealed himself to us and provided forgiveness of our sins, reconciliation to himself and new life.

Assurance of Pardon

Following our prayer of confession, we read from Scripture a passage that assures us of God’s pardon of our sins in Christ by grace.

Two Songs

We join in corporate song about God and his grace.

Creed, Confession, or Catechism

At this point, we use the historic creeds, confessions, or catechisms as instruction in the foundational doctrines of Christianity, grounding us in Scripture and in the historic church. Generally, this is a corporate recitation where the congregation participates.

Prayer

While our service will contain several extemporaneous prayers, we pause at this point to pray, focusing on thanksgiving, adoration, intercession, and illumination. This is generally a prepared prayer that the congregation can follow along with, through at times, we will include extemporaneous portions.

Preaching of the Word

We close the grace section with the preaching of the Word of God. We generally will be working through a book of the Bible, though we may at times have a singular message or a short topical series. The style of preaching is typically an expository proclamation of the text.

Gratitude

Remembering the glorious grace of God toward us, we respond with gratitude to him and desire to know even more of him.

Song

After spending the bulk of the service hearing the grace of God toward us proclaimed, we respond in grateful worship as we prepare to partake of the Lord’s Supper together.

Communion

In grateful obedience, we share in communion together, highlighting again and resting in what Christ has done for us in the past, is doing for us in the present, and will do for us in future.

Gloria Patri

After remembering the work of Christ on our behalf, we again respond in grateful worship of our Lord and Savior with the Gloria Patri, again in connection with the historic and global church.

Go

Our gratitude for what God has done for us urges us to go forth in obedience and rest, proclaiming that same Gospel we received.

Benediction

We close our service with a benediction, sending the people out in grace and peace of God, that they may go and be who they are in Christ.