Ecclesiastical Emphasis
The HRC believes that a true church is recognized by faithful preaching of the Word of God, faithful and proper administration of the sacraments, and faithful exercise of Biblical discipline (Phil. 2:16; Acts 20:7; Matt. 18:15-17).
Church Mixture
The HRC believes that the local church should be viewed as it is in reality, namely, a covenant
congregation of the Lord consisting of a mixed group of people. This mixture includes strong and weak
believers, unbelievers and hypocrites, wheat and chaff. Preaching should reflect this reality by taking
into account the various spiritual conditions of the members of the congregation and appropriately
addressing them. The preacher must constantly set the promises and demands of the Word before church
members, reminding them that they must be radically renewed and grow in accord with those promises
and demands through the Holy Spirit. The church needs to continually know the presence, ministry, and
blessing of the Holy Spirit for sanctification, fellowship, worship, evangelism and government. The
real strength of a church does not lie in its size and wealth but in the spiritual renewal, growth and
vitality of its members.
Church Intercession
We believe that a healthy church is an intercessory church. The HRC stresses prayer from the pulpit, in private and in gathered meetings. Most churches have regular, formal prayer meetings as well as informal, smaller group prayer meetings in various homes.
We believe that intercessory prayer meetings are important to:
- Glorify and worship God together in the most intimate way possible,
- Employ the spiritual life of the church for the good of all the church’s ministries,
- Increase the Christ-centeredness and diminish the self-centeredness of believers,
- Unite believers together at God’s throne of grace,
- Use the spiritual life of the church for the good of all the church’s ministries,
- Exercise mutual sympathy among the members,
- Encourage each other to holiness,
- Edify each other through the communication of each other’s gifts,
- Assist mutual accountability and counseling of each other,
- Initiate or increase revival, by God’s grace,
- Augment commitment to Christ’s kingdom in evangelistic and mission work, at home and abroad,
- Provide a spiritual oasis of fellowship in the midst of a busy week in the world,
- Promote respect and appreciation for each other, and
- Demonstrate complete dependence on God for His indispensable blessing upon His ministries in the church.
Church Government
The HRC adheres to a Reformed form of church government in which each congregation is governed by a consistory consisting of minister(s), elders, and deacons. Twice each year, HRC churches meet together at its broadest assembly, called classis. At this meeting, the churches’ delegates discuss reports from various committees, consider and debate various points submitted by the churches, hear reports on the spiritual well-being of each congregation, and provide mutual advice, support and encouragement. Decisions made by classis are considered binding unless they can be shown to be in conflict with the Word of God. The 1914 redaction of the Church Order of Dort (a revision of the original 1618–19 Church Order) is used to guide the churches in their decision-making at both a classical and consistorial level.
Church Membership
The HRC believes that church membership is a Biblical directive and is essential to the true life and proper functioning of the church and the enjoyment of its fellowship (Matt. 18:17; Eph. 2:20–22, 4:11–12; Col. 2:5). Church membership is taken seriously by the HRC. Most churches ask prospective members to attend a “confession of faith” class for a year (usually taught by a minister) before committing to full membership.
Professing members receive numerous rights and responsibilities. Rights include the use of the sacraments, the guidance and prayers of the consistory as well as the opportunity to bring to them one’s personal convictions, family visitation by the church officers, pastoral visitation in illness, and the loving discipline of the elders and the practical assistance of the deacons, when needed. Rights also include the love and care of fellow members shown in fellowshipping and forgiving and forbearing each other, the opportunity to use gifts and talents in a variety of church ministries, and the participation in and voting at congregational meetings for male members. Responsibilities include supporting the congregation by maintaining Biblical truth, attending church faithfully, respecting and praying for the leaders and members and ministries of the church and cultivating brotherly unity and love toward other members. Responsibilities also include promoting mutual peace and Biblical counsel, living a Word-centered and godly life that flees worldliness, inviting the unchurched to attend, and warmly welcoming those who visit, seeking to use God-given gifts in church ministry, developing an attitude of servanthood, and exercising Biblical stewardship in giving financially to church ministries.
Church Sacraments
The HRC administers two sacraments: Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is given to all professing members and their children. The Lord’s Supper is administered four to six times a year for professing members in good standing who confess their sin and misery, hope in Christ alone for salvation, and yearn to live a life of gratitude and holiness before God. Since only those who are able to examine themselves maturely are allowed to partake of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:28), we reject inviting children to the Table.
Church Fellowship
The HRC seeks to enter into correspondence and fellowship with other churches and denominations who embrace similar convictions. Presently, the denomination is in correspondence and fellowship with the Free Reformed Churches of North America and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing). Efforts to dialogue with churches in Australia, South Africa, and the Netherlands are also ongoing.
Church Error
We cannot deny that serious error abounds on every hand in the worldwide church and the world. The HRC believes that we have a polemical task to speak out against unbelief, false teaching and the sins of the times. We must defend the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) and refuse to conform to worldly standards of political correctness. We must oppose all liberalism, ritualism, humanism and post-modern theology that abound in our culture. We must oppose all new doctrines such as the New Perspective on Paul and Federal Vision (which promotes hyper-covenantalism) that wage war against the truths of Scripture. We must oppose old but popular errors such as the Charismatic movement because it undermines the absolute sufficiency of Scripture, claims extra-biblical revelation through miraculous gifts, and teaches an unscriptural post-conversion experience that belittles the great work of regeneration. We must stand on the Lord’s side on issues related to women bearing office in the church, homosexuality in the church, and all forms of evolutionary theory, such as theistic evolution, day-age theory, and the framework hypothesis. We also condemn all errors that militate against God as the Divine Being of comprehensive providence, such as pantheism, deism, and open theism (Acts 14:14–18; 17:24–28; Heb. 1:3). We also oppose sins that abound on every hand in our post-modern society, such as homosexual marriage, terrorism, Sabbath-desecration, abortion, immorality, blasphemy, and the rejection of authority. We must be Biblical and contemporary in combating error.