Distinctives

In the realm of professing Christianity, there are a wide variety of churches, each with its own views and positions on various issues.  Since its inception, the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster has sought to maintain a number of distinctives in a variety of areas of belief, believing that these distinctives are essential in days that bring deepening apostasy from the faith that was once delivered to the saints.  By the grace of God, the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster is:

• Reformed in Doctrine, believing in the divine authority and verbal inspiration of the Bible and the great fundamental doctrines of grace it contains.  In keeping with the position of the reformed confessions, the Free Presbyterian Church holds that the Scriptures alone are the supreme authority in matters of faith and practice.  Believing it to be the most reliable translation, the Free Presbyterian Church uses only the Authorized Version (KJV) of the Bible. The Free Presbyterian Church subscribes the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Articles of Faith.

• Protestant in Conviction, gladly taking its stand alongside the great Christian leaders of the Reformation in their militant witness against the antichristian system of the Papacy. The twin pillars of Protestantism, namely, a positive witness for Christ and a protest against all spiritual error, are cherished and defended.

• Separatist in Practice, believing in the Biblical doctrine of separation in the area of ecclesiastical and personal fellowship. In accordance with this, the Free Presbyterian Church has no association with the modern Ecumenical or Charismatic movements, nor will it fellowship with any church which has departed from the fundamental doctrines of the Word of God.

• Presbyterian in Government, being overseen by elders and deacons chosen by each congregation from its communicant membership. The Free Presbyterian Church stands for a born-again membership and seeks for men genuinely born-again by the Spirit of God and dedicated to the extension of the Kingdom of Christ, to be its ministers, elders, and deacons.

• Biblical in Worship, believing that worship must be reverent, God-glorifying and Christ-exalting.  Therefore, we repudiate the modern trends towards minimizing the preaching of the Word, the incorporation of contemporary worship and song, dress that is immodest and inappropriate, and rejection of the head covering for women.

• Sanctified in Behaviour, requiring its members to lead godly lives in obedience to the Scriptures which call on God’s people to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.  Testimonies of holiness and righteousness are vital to the life and witness of Christ’s Church in a world increasingly plagued by the pleasure crazes of this generation, such as drinking, dancing, and gambling.

• Evangelistic in Outreach, in obedience to the great commission of Christ to “go ye into all the world and preach the gospel”.  A vigorous programme of evangelistic preaching, missionary endeavour, and media ministry is actively pursued with the great objective of leading sinners to an experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.