Have you recently moved to Greenville, SC? Are you looking for a new church home? You have probably realized by now that there are hundreds of churches in Upstate South Carolina. The reality is, Faith Free Presbyterian Church is not for everybody. To be sure, we will welcome everyone. But the reality is that people are looking for different things in a church.
Here are five reasons why—despite hundreds of other churches—we believe Faith FPC has something to contribute to the kingdom of Christ in our local community, and possibly for you and your family.
1. Dogmatic on the Fundamentals
At Faith FPC, we believe that Scripture is the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and practice. We are convinced that at your first worship service with us you will sense how important God’s Word is to all elders, deacons, and members. The shifting ideas of our modern culture, political ideology, liberal agendas, and feminism have no place in the life of our church. We hold to the Westminster Standards, and sermons are grounded in careful exegesis of the Old and New Testaments, ensuring that the timeless truths of God’s Word are faithfully communicated and applied to life. Whether you are a seasoned believer or new to the faith, you will find our teaching both challenging and enriching.
2. Charitable Towards Acceptable Differences
One of the saddest aspects of Christianity is how quickly good Christians divide over matters where we ought to be able to accept a difference of opinion. From its inception in 1951, the Free Presbyterian Church has always taken a vocal and strong stand against apostate Christianity. Nevertheless, it has sought to unite with sincere Christians for the sake of the gospel even when we differ on some doctrines. Classic examples include the second coming of Jesus Christ and Christian baptism. Among leaders and members, you will find historic premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. In addition, among leaders and members you will find that some believe their children should be baptized, and others believe baptism should only occur after a profession of faith. In other words, Reformed Baptists are at home within Free Presbyterian congregations with no restriction on leadership roles. Because of how rare this position is, it sometimes offends those who hold tightly to their own convictions. But we thank God for the liberty around doctrines where good men have differed for centuries, and instead of dividing over them, we stand together to strengthen the witness of the Church.
3. Conservative in Public Worship
Upon your first visit to our church, you will realize we love joyful worship. The organ and piano lead in our congregational singing, but they are often supported by strings, brass, and wind instruments as the corporate body of the church lift their voices to sing psalms and hymns. The goal of our worship is not to have a band lead the congregation, but to support the congregation themselves in their expression of praise to the triune God. We do not believe everything new is bad, but many modern pieces are written for professional soloists and do not. As such, we tend to stick to pieces well-known and written with four-part harmonies for congregations to sing. Just as some Bible verses are more likely to be a Christian favorite because of the truth it contains, it is the same with tried and true psalms and hymns. The same applies regarding the Bible version we use in public worship. Many churches change Bible versions every couple of decades. Without getting into all the reasons, Faith FPC sticks to what our grandfathers used, the AV/KJV. No Bible version is as accurate as the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Old and New Testaments, which is why our pastor will often give alternative readings in his preaching. But the combination of accuracy, beauty, and memorability make the AV/KJV our preferred translation.
4. Practical in Personal Holiness
We believe that the call to be like Christ makes certain behavior off-limits for Christians. Obviously murder, lying, gossip, stealing, etc., are sinful and wrong. But we also believe the Bible’s call for us to be like Christ keeps us away from immersing ourselves and our children in a world where sin is promoted and glorified. At Faith FPC, we encourage individuals and families to be discerning regarding the media they consume. Both words and visuals are instruments of teaching, and all teaching is a form of catechesis. The question is, when you listen to that music or watch that movie, what are you being taught explicitly and implicitly? Would you feel comfortable watching and listening with Jesus in the room? Does it advance or hinder the kingdom of God in your life? So you will not find our sermons making positive references to pop culture. Instead, we encourage our people to remember the apostolic instruction, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8).
5. Enthusiastic in Prayer and Evangelism
Two aspects of corporate life that have fallen on hard times in reformed churches are prayer and evangelism. At Faith FPC, we believe our faith must be expressed together in corporate prayer meetings. As a result, we have times of prayer before our worship services, every Wednesday evening, as well as other occasions and days of prayer. As for evangelism, we encourage every Christian to be so amazed at God’s mercy to them in Christ that they must share their experience at every opportunity. However, we also have several ministries in our community, including a boy’s home, senior’s home, Hispanic ministry, street preaching, tract distribution, VBS, etc. If you want to share the gospel, we will take you with us and get you involved.
Finding a church home is an important decision, and we believe that Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC, offers a unique blend of faithful Bible teaching, Christ-centered worship, and genuine community. We are committed to helping you grow in your faith and to providing a place where you can belong. Come and see what God is doing at Faith FPC. We hope to see you soon!