Are CRC Norfolk and CRC Chesapeake one church or separate churches?
Each CRC is an independent, autonomous church.
FAQs
What kind of church is CRCC? What do you believe?
We are a nondenominational, Evangelical church. We believe that:
(1) The Holy Scriptures, comprised of Old and New Testaments, are fully and verbally inspired by God and are therefore infallible in the original writings and completely trustworthy in all areas in which they speak. Their central salvation message and essential teachings are clear and accessible to all who follow the standard and self-evident rules of literary interpretation. They are therefore the supreme, unmediated, and final authority of faith and practice for every believer.
(2) There is only one eternal, almighty and perfect God. Within the Being of this one true God exist three eternally distinct and coequal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are the one true God.
(3) Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, who took upon Himself human flesh through the miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He who is true God became true man, uniting two natures in one person forever. Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into Heaven where He now serves as our High Priest, our only Mediator. He will return bodily and visibly to the earth as King of kings and will judge every human being who has ever lived.
(4) The Holy Spirit is the eternal Third Person of the Triune God, the Regenerator and Sanctifier of the redeemed, the Bestower of spiritual fruit and gifts, and the abiding Advocate who empowers believers for godly living and service.
(5) In Adam human beings were created in the image of God (i.e., they share in a finite way the communicable attributes of God, including personality, spirituality, rationality, and morality). Through the fall of Adam that image of God in humanity has been defiled, although not eradicated. Every human being is radically corrupt and estranged from God. Human beings are condemned by God because of their descent into sin, both through their relationship to Adam and through individual choice. The desperate need of humanity is forgiveness of sins and consequent restoration of fellowship with God; yet humans remain totally unable to atone for and restore themselves.
(6) Jesus' death on the cross provided a penal substitutiary atonement for the sins of humanity. In salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by His unmerited grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone.
(7) Those who have received the free gift of salvation will be raised from the dead or raptured (snatched up from their earthly lives) to meet Christ at His Second Coming, and their bodies will be transformed like unto His glorious, immortal body. They will live forever in the fellowship and Kingdom of God in a new heaven and a new earth. Eternal, conscious punishment apart from the fellowship and Kingdom of God (hell) is the ultimate destiny of unredeemed humanity, Satan, and his entire angelic host.
(8) The Christian church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Corporately and individually, its members strive to worship, serve, and glorify God through prayer and praise, diligent study and application of the Scriptures, evangelism, sanctified living, good works, and observance of the rites of baptism and the Lord's Supper. The ultimate mission of the church is the discipleship of all nations - not only the saving of souls (which is primary) but also the bringing of the gospel to bear on every aspect of life and thought - until the Lord returns.
Thanks to our friends at CRI for wording this so well!
What can I expect at a CRCC church service?
We are in the process of conisdering the Regulative principle of Worship. This simply means we are trying to align every part of our worship services towards Christ, ensuring He alone is being glorified. We currently use praise anthems and hymns for our normal services. We also pray as a congregation, read Scripture, and preach and teach the Word. The majority of our teaching is expository, or line by line.
Will I have to stand and say something when I visit?
Yes, you have to stand and quote a Scripture. Just kidding!! We will ask you to stand, but only so we can identify you and give you a gift. Did you say gift? Yes! Every first time visitor gets a gift bag with some goodies inside. You won’t have to say a word. We just want you to know how special you are to us and how much we appreciate you being with us.
How can I purchase your sermon materials?
You can give us a call or shoot us an email. Phone: (757) 216-4112. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Does CRCC have a children's or teen's ministry? What about a nursery?
After a long look at what the Bible says about church-based youth ministry (it says...well....nothing by the way), and the fact that the church in America is losing 70-88% of its youth after their freshman year of college (despite all of our programs), we decided to make some changes. We have come to the conclusion that the overall effectiveness of the church-based separate classroom model for youth evangelism and discipleship has not worked. Therefore, CRCC is in the process of ending age segregation on Sunday mornings, in our Care Groups, and in most of our ministries. Instead, we have shifted towards a more biblical model where parents are encouraged and expected to oversee what their children are learning, use pulpit messages as opportunities to teach their children at their level, and simply take full responsibility for discipling their own children (Deuteronomy 6; Ephesians 6). So yes we do have a youth ministry....Parents! Please review our detailed thoughts on this subject and what some of our parents had to say about it at the links below:
http://www.crcchesapeake.org/church/reaching/family-integration
http://www.crcchesapeake.org/church/pdfs/blog/60ArchvedBlog.pdf
Does CRCC specialize in any particular areas of ministry?
Yes we do. Although every biblical church should do a few things well (worship God, reach out to hurting people, minister to the community, disciple and train through excellent preaching and teaching, encourage fellowship), we do have what some would call "ministry distinctives" or "thrusts":
- Strengthening Families. We do quite a bit of teaching on marriage, the single life, and raising Godly children.
- Restoring Biblical Manhood. We have an excellent ministry to women as well, but we believe when Spirit-led men begin to lead and serve again, our communities and nation will change.
- Transforming Culture. We are not afraid to take on Hip Hop and popular culture and call them what they are. We are determined to lead our youth out of this nightmare.
- Developing Leaders. The world is in desperate need of leaders with integrity and courage. We teach these values and strive to model them as well.
- Demonstrating Stewardship. Most American families are living paycheck to paycheck and drowning in debt. Money problems are the number one cause of divorce in America. God has much to say about handling personal finances. We are committed to teaching those principles in a relevant way.
I've heard your church is for young people. Is there a place for older members?
Absolutely! Yes, we do have quite a few young families in our church, but there are also quite a few "more mature" saints as well. Our church is multi-generational and multi-ethnic. You are welcome regardless of age, race, or socio-economic status.
Do you have your own building?
We wish! We are renting and moving around as needed, but we hope one day to have our own and are waiting on God's timing. We are trusting Him to provide us with a facility in line with our core values and distinctives. In the mean time, what He has provided has been a blessing to our church family
How can I become a member of your church?
We have a Covenant Life Class once a year in September. The class is 12 weeks long and is your entry point into our family. The class covers basic doctrine, church vision and mission, and more. For more information about the class, contact our admin department. We'd love to have you become part of our family!