About Hillsdale OPC

What is the Orthodox Presbyterian Church?

We are Committed to God

Because we have been redeemed by Christ, we enjoy meeting together to worship our Creator and Redeemer. In worship, we adore our God, bring him thanks, ask for his help, and receive the blessing of his presence. Through the preaching of the gospel, God announces his saving acts and calls people to believing and obedient response to his Word.

Through faithful teaching, it is our prayer that we grow spiritually. We seek to obey God’s laws because such obedience pleases him. So we not only embrace the teaching of God’s Word, but also pray that it would bear fruit in our lives.

We care about people. We show concern for the poor and for victims of such catastrophes as famines and earthquakes. We’ll show you this love and concern as you involve yourself with us. Our goal and purpose can be summed up in the motto of one of our sister congregations, “Preaching all of God’s Word; sharing all of Christ’s love.”

We are Grounded in Scripture

Our modern age has witnessed the progressive rejection of authority. God’s Word, the Bible, has not been spared. However, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church believes that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, the only infallible rule for our faith and conduct.

We believe that the Bible alone gives us the correct knowledge of who God is and how we may please him. It teaches that God the Father gave up his Son Jesus Christ to death on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of his people. We want to share with you the joy that comes from a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

We are Presbyterian in Character

Belief. Our church is not new. We trace our historical roots to the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation and its seventeenth-century doctrinal statement, the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with its Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church understands the importance of defending and maintaining the truths of God’s Word. In fact, in 1936 the Orthodox Presbyterian Church was established as a testimony to the Bible when its authority was denied. Her ministers, elders, and deacons sincerely receive and adopt these Westminster standards as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures and known as the Reformed faith.

Government. From the time of Abraham in the Old Testament, God’s church has been led by wise elders, men gifted by God and called to govern his church. The word presbyterian comes from the New Testament Greek word presbyteros, meaning “elder.” The Orthodox Presbyterian Church has followed this biblical pattern for church government. Local church elders, along with the pastor, form a “session” to care for the spiritual welfare of our members. Matters of common concern for churches in a given region, such as establishing new congregations and ordaining ministers, are regulated by a body of ministers and elders called a “presbytery.” Annually, representatives of our sixteen presbyteries form a “general assembly” to give the whole Church direction and advice.

Why the Name “Orthodox”? Everyone knows that an orthodontist is concerned about straight teeth. The “ortho” in orthodontist comes from the Greek word for “straight.” The “dox” in orthodox comes from the Greek word for “thinking.” So, in an Orthodox Presbyterian church you will find straight teaching following the long-accepted pattern given in the Bible. We are a church that believes what the Bible says, and we try to put it into practice.

This is adapted from opc.org