PREACHING

In various churches today, "preaching" takes a variety of forms. In the Canadian Reformed churches, we strive to be faithful to the Biblical standard for preaching. Accordingly, the preaching in our churches does not consist of lectures (or conversations) about self-esteem, does not have entertainment as its goal, and does not use audio-visual aids. Canadian Reformed preaching follows the Biblical model: an authoritative proclamation of God's Word by a man ordained for that task,

The morning service normally has the minister preaching on a text of Scripture. Sometimes the text is longer, sometimes shorter. Equal attention is paid to both the Old and New Testaments, since both are equally part of God's revelation. The sermon usually has an introduction, a statement of theme and points, followed by the exposition of those points. Quite often, practical application of Scriptural truths are made throughout the sermon. Our ministers believe preaching to be the most important part of their work and the sermons show this.

In the afternoon or evening service, the pastor uses the Heidelberg Catechism as a summary of Christian doctrines taught in Scripture. This preaching is more of a teaching nature and is usually not based on one Scripture text as such. The use of the Cat echism in preaching ensures that no important aspect of Christian doctrine is neglected. Though the emphasis in Catechism preaching is on doctrine, we believe that doctrine affects life, so Catechism preaching is also often filled with practical applicat ion.

We believe that preaching is one of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, meaning that it is both a way of salvation for some (those who hear and believe) and a way of damnation for others (those who refuse to believe). Therefore, preaching receives a very strong emphasis in the Canadian Reformed churches. If you're searching for strong, God-centred, Biblical preaching, you're invited to join us!