Monroe

At Monroe Presbyterian Church, the worship of God takes its rightful place at the center of our lives.  We approach our heavenly Father in worship with reverence and joy according to His word, honoring Him with faith and love through the Mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Regulative Principle of Worship

The regulative principle of worship is a fundamental tenant of the Reformed faith. It simply means that we are not to worship God in any way not prescribed in Scripture. At Monroe Presbyterian Church, we are committed to purging our worship of all unbiblical elements and attitudes, in order that we may more clearly see the glory of our God and more respectfully approach His throne of grace.

The Spirituality of Worship

In the New Testament Scriptures, Jesus Christ strips the worship of God of all of the carnal excesses of the Old Testament law. In its place, He prescribes a form of worship that is simple and spiritual. New Covenant worship doesn’t look anything like a concert or a carnival. It is not for the entertainment of man, nor is it in any respect a feast for the flesh. It consists of the word of God read and preached, the sacraments administered, the prayers of God’s people offered in faith, and the praises of God expressed through singing.

At Monroe Presbyterian Church, we invite the people of God to come and worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. In the reverent simplicity of Reformed worship, there is a beauty and depth of experience that is both honoring to God and richly satisfying to the Christian soul. Though our worship is adorned with far less outward glory than many worship services today, nonetheless, we hold that in it, Jesus Christ is held forth in far greater spiritual glory.

The Lord’s Day

We embrace the observance of the Christian Sabbath as a biblical precept and a better way. For six days, we are to give ourselves to our vocations, our families, and our communities. We are to work hard as to the Lord, and there is plenty of work to be done in nurturing family relationships, managing a household, putting food on the table, and serving our neighbors. We encourage God’s people to cultivate Christian life in their homes during the week through the practice of private devotions, daily family worship, and small group gatherings in the name of Christ.

But come Sunday, life for the people of God changes. For one whole day out of seven, we are to lay aside our otherwise lawful endeavors and delight ourselves in the Lord through the observance of a holy rest. We believe that the Sabbath Day is to be "a market day for the soul," and as we assemble together for worship, fellowship, Bible study, and prayer each Lord’s Day, we seek both to honor our God in obedience, rest from our labors, and corporately strengthen and refresh ourselves in the things of eternity.

Children in Worship

It is our desire that covenant families experience the worship of God together. We encourage parents to approach the living God in corporate worship with their infants in their arms and their older children by their sides. We believe that the atmosphere of corporate worship communicates powerfully to children the nature of their God, and we believe that Christ blesses children when we bring them to Him in faith.