About the Christian Reformed Church
The Christian Reformed Church is a denomination of about 300,000 members in 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada.

We call ourselves...
Christian because we belong to Jesus Christ and want to be His followers. We recognize as fellow Christians all people who accept the teachings of the Bible.
Reformed because we're part of that historic branch of the Christian church that follows the teachings of 16th-century reformer John Calvin, who struggled to return Christianity to its biblical roots.
Church because God has called us to be a fellowship of his people in the world. We often call ourselves "the CRC" for short.

The Christian Reformed Church emblem
The denominational emblem is the cross in a triangle. The triangle represents the Trinity, our belief in the one God we know as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The cross symbolizes our belief in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death for our salvation.

Beliefs and doctrine
The beliefs and doctrine of the Christian Reformed Church are based on the Holy Bible, God's infallible written Word contained in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.

  • We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that it is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks.The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the final authority in life and doctrine.
  • There is one God, eternally existing in three persons -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • God created man and woman perfect without sin, in His image.
  • Men and women rebelled (sinned) against God and broke their relationship with God, others, creation and self.
  • God in His boundless grace sent Jesus to restore these broken relationships and pay the price for sin.
  • Salvation is a free gift of God.
  • The death of Christ on the cross is the only sufficient payment for our sins.
  • This salvation is available for all who put their trust in Christ as Savior.
  • Those trusting Christ should repent of sin, confess their faith and be baptized and follow Jesus.
  • The church is the body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the task of reaching the lost and discipling the saved, helping them become fully devoted followers for Christ.
  • Christ will one day return to judge the living and the dead.
  • He will then reign with His people forever and ever.

Essentials we believe
As a Christian church, we hold to the historic ecumenical creedal statements of Christian teaching as found in the following three documents:

  • The Apostles Creed, 250 AD
  • The Nicene Creed, 350 AD
  • The Athanasian Creed, 400 AD

The above three creeds reflect the historic Christian faith, with particular emphasis on the Trinity.

As a Reformed Church, we also hold to the Reformed Confessions as found in the following four documents:

  • The Heidelberg Catechism, 1563
  • The Belgic Confession, 1561
  • The Canons of Dort, 1618
  • The Contemporary Testimony, 1986

The four confessions reflect the evangelical Christian faith with a broader emphasis on Bible teachings. We believe the best expression of the essentials of the Christian faith is the Apostle's Creed . We believe the best expression of what it means to be Reformed is found in the Contemporary Testimony.

Read more about the Christian Reformed Church and the above mentioned creeds and confessions.