Peters Creek is a Reformed Congregation
We trace our heritage to the Protestant Reformation which began in 1517. There are two broad streams of the Reformation, Lutheran and Reformed. The Reformed stream traces its roots to John Calvin and the Swiss Reformation centered in Geneva. From Geneva, a young Scottish minister named John Knox took Reformation concepts to Scotland, especially the Presbyterian form of church government. John Knox became the father of Scottish Presbyterianism and the Church of Scotland. From the Church of Scotland arose a number of Presbyterian movements. One of those is the Covenanter Movement, which started in 1638.
Many Scots signed what was called the National Covenant. It was declaration of sorts that opposed the Stuart King's interference with the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. A very important tenet of the Covenanter movement was the idea that
Scripture was the "only infallible rule of faith and life." As a result of their political stance, the Covenanters faced persecution, which forced them to flee from Scotland to Holland and Ireland. Beginning in 1717, there were a series of migrations from Ireland to America.
These migrations gave birth to the Associate Reformed Synod in America. Peters Creek was a congregation of the Reformed Synod of North America. In 1858 the Associate Synod changed its name to the United Presbyterian Church of North America. One hundred years later, the United Presbyterian Church of North America merged with the northern branch of the Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA).
In 2007, living up to our Covenanter heritage, Peters Creek left the Presbyterian Church (USA) and joined with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. In a series of steps Peters Creek reaffirmed the historic Creeds of the Christian Church and the Westminster Confession of Faith. This Confession of Faith teaches that the Bible is the only infallible rule for faith and life, that God is Sovereign in our Salvation, that salvation is by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, through Jesus Christ Alone, all to God's Glory Alone.
Click here for the History of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.