Resources
Learn more through recommended reading and listening
Sacraments
Baptism is a blessed sacrament of the New Covenant instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ as a sign and seal of salvation and initiation into his new humanity. The sacramental washing with water in the name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, officially admits a person into the kingdom, temple, and covenant family of God. By the promise of the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit, baptism becomes an effectual means of salvation to believers. As a means of grace, baptism testifies of their identification with the Triune God of Scripture, union with Christ, regeneration, forgiveness of sin, consecration to walk in newness of life, and fellowship in the Body of Christ (Mt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 12:13; Col. 2:11-12; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3-5; Tit. 3:5; Mark 1:4). Baptism, as has been nearly universally held in the Church, is appropriately administered to the children of Christians in infancy, since to them, no less than to adults, are the promises of the kingdom.
Communion is a blessed sacrament of the New Covenant instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ as a sign and seal of His redemptive work, and as a means of offering and giving Himself and His benefits to His people through the elements of bread and wine. By eating the bread and drinking the cup in a worthy manner, as one family, believers Spiritually feed upon Christ, renew their union and communion with Him, memorialize His death before the Father, and Spiritually commune with other covenant members (Luke 22:20; Mat. 26:26-28; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 1 Cor. 10:14-21). The Eucharistic feast is the supreme climax of covenant renewal worship, as we celebrate peace with God and one another.
That is, we encourage all baptized Christians in good standing to celebrate the feast of the Eucharist and so commune with Christ in His body. In principle, we confess that the Eucharistic table belongs to all of God’s people, and invite all other Christians to join with us in feasting and celebrating the Lord’s presence and gifts in and through bread and wine. Baptized children also partake as soon as they are physically able.
The Baptized Body, Peter Leithart
Feed My Lambs, Tim Gallant
Covenant Theology & Infant Baptism, Michael Hansen
Covenant Communion, Michael Hansen
You and Your Son and Daughter: Christ’s Communion with Young Children, Mark Horne
https://paedocommunion.com/
Feed My Lambs, Tim Gallant
Covenant Theology & Infant Baptism, Michael Hansen
Covenant Communion, Michael Hansen
You and Your Son and Daughter: Christ’s Communion with Young Children, Mark Horne
https://paedocommunion.com/
Liturgy
The Lord’s Day (Sunday) worship service at Christ the King follows the Bible’s covenant renewal pattern of Calling, Confession/Cleansing, Consecration, Communion, and Commissioning. Every worship service should include a call to worship; singing to God; confession of sin and declaration of forgiveness; calling upon God’s name in prayer; reading and exposition of the Word; the collection of tithes and offerings; confession of our common faith; celebration of the Eucharistic feast with bread and wine; and a benediction.
Don't be put off by the fact that much of our service is scripted and repetitive. While there are certainly portions of the service that change from week to week or season to season, we intentionally have spoken and sung lines that remain unchanged. In fact, much of the service is repeated verbatim, week after week, year after year, decade after decade. We do this because God has given His people certain forms, words, and rituals to do again and again so they can have a shaping effect on us. We are not engaged in mindless repetition; rather, we are storing up the Word of the Lord in our hearts. Repeated worship forms are like a river running over stones, smoothing and shaping them over time. The rituals of the liturgy become so ingrained in us that they are woven into the very fiber of our identity. We have a fixed liturgy because we believe liturgical routine is an excellent form of pastoral care and is the most effective form of cradle-to-grave discipleship there is.
Don't be put off by the fact that much of our service is scripted and repetitive. While there are certainly portions of the service that change from week to week or season to season, we intentionally have spoken and sung lines that remain unchanged. In fact, much of the service is repeated verbatim, week after week, year after year, decade after decade. We do this because God has given His people certain forms, words, and rituals to do again and again so they can have a shaping effect on us. We are not engaged in mindless repetition; rather, we are storing up the Word of the Lord in our hearts. Repeated worship forms are like a river running over stones, smoothing and shaping them over time. The rituals of the liturgy become so ingrained in us that they are woven into the very fiber of our identity. We have a fixed liturgy because we believe liturgical routine is an excellent form of pastoral care and is the most effective form of cradle-to-grave discipleship there is.
The Lord's Service, Jeffrey J. Meyers
Worship Guide, Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, St. Louis MO
Covenant Renewal Worship, Michael Hansen
Worship Music Style, Michael Hansen
Worship Guide, Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, St. Louis MO
Covenant Renewal Worship, Michael Hansen
Worship Music Style, Michael Hansen
Catechism
The real heart of catechesis is to form in our children a covenantal identity, a sense of belonging to God and to the church. Our children need to be taught who they are in Christ so they can live faithfully in the church, family, and world. We must train our children in such a way that their whole lives will be a grand Amen to their baptisms.
Ecumenical Creeds
We confess, believe, and teach the Christian faith as it is summarized in the traditional creeds of the Church—the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds.
Church Calendar
The Apostle Paul tells us that "everything God has created is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:4). The church sanctifies time, specifically the yearly cycles of our life, with the word of God and prayer. We coordinate God's created, recurring seasonal cycles with Scripture readings and prayer to remember the life of Jesus Christ. It has only been since the French Revolution (AD 1789) that the calendar has been secularized in so many countries. No longer is it keyed primarily to the great redemptive historical events of Christ's life, death, resurrection and ascension. Instead of a de-Christianized and politicized calendar, we believe there is a better way to mark time that transcends nationalism and the veneration of political heroes.
The Church Calendar, An Interview with Covenant Radio, Gregg Strawbridge
Vestments & Church Calendar, Michael Hansen
Vestments & Church Calendar, Michael Hansen