What kind of church is Wading River Congregational Church?
Three words describe our distinctives:

Reformed, Evangelical, and Congregational

What do they mean?

Reformed
This refers not only to the historic roots of all Protestant churches in the Reformation, but more particularly to a theological emphasis on the sovereign grace of God. By this we mean that God is the Creator and Sustainer of His whole creation, and that nothing in it lies outside His control. In His providence, the world and history proceed in ways that reflect His purposes and will ultimately bring Him glory.
Part of His will is that men and women will come to love, serve and glorify Him. But because by nature we are not so inclined, God graciously reaches out to draw us to Himself through the inner promptings of His Spirit and through His providential ordering of our lives. Moved by His grace, we are enabled to respond to His call upon our lives, and to hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Evangelical
The term emphasises the importance we place on the good news of God's grace, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having been brought to a recognition of our need for Him, by the inner work of the Holy Spirit we come to faith in Christ, trusting ourselves to Him for salvation on the basis of His work on the Cross. We are thus forgiven our sins, made righteous in God's sight, adopted into His family, and become citizens of His Kingdom. By the power and presence of His Spirit, we are enabled to live lives marked increasingly by virtue and holiness rather than by sin. We are moved to worship, to witness, and to service. Above all, we recognize that this new life comes to us as a gift from a gracious God.

The term Evangelical also refers to an emphasis on the Bible as our source of knowledge of God. We regard Scripture as God's Word in written form, and thus subject ourselves to its authority in matters of faith and practice. It has prime place in our public worship, in our private devotional lives, in our Sunday School and in our studies.

Congregational
The term refers not only to our historic roots in the Puritan movement of the early European settlers of this area in the 1600s, and in Congregationalism's development in the 1700s under the influence of the Great Awakening [see our History page], but also to our form of church government.

Believing that each local congregation is given the gifts it needs by the Holy Spirit, and that under the Lordship of Christ it can make such decisions as are needed through His guidance and without the direction of other church bodies or hierarchies, Congregational Churches have historically functioned as independent local bodies. Within such a group of believers united by a solemn Covenant under Christ to "walk together" in the faith, authority for decision making is held to rest in the Congregational Meeting, in which all members may take part. The belief is that through the discussions and votes of the congregation, the Lord of the Church can and does reveal His will.

This belief also emphasizes the need for membership of the church to be restricted to those who are able to make a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Consistent with this, Baptism, a mark of entry into the covenant community of the church, is administered only to those who profess such faith, and to their children. Historically it was also common for Communion to be restricted to church members, although this is rare today and has been replaced by the view that the Lord's Table is open to all who are His - a view we also adhere to.

Noting that there are reasons and occasions for local congregations to meet with and to work with others, Congregational churches have often formed local Associations charged with advancing the cause of Christ through cooperative efforts. These bodies were not held, however, to exercise any authority over the local churches.