Reformed churches are one of the 'old-school Protestant and Evangelical, Christian churches'.

Jesus taught people to learn about God and about how to live a good life from what today we call the Christian Bible. The Bible has two sets of books- the official ancient Hebrew sacred writings (the ‘Old Testament’) and what later was written by Jesus’ authorized representatives shortly after he died (the ‘New Testament’). The foundational ‘Reformed’ belief (one we have in common with some, but not all, churches) is that since the Bible alone is “breathed out by God,” it therefore has a supreme and unique, absolute authority. Its teaching is perfect and there is no writing or authority equal to the Bible.

Throughout history, churches have written summaries of the Bible’s teachings according to their own understandings. One reason they write these summaries is so that other churches who agree with them will join them, together formally adopting these summaries in a beautiful display of unity and love.

Reformed churches, along with the majority of Christian churches for almost the whole 2,000 years since Jesus’ time, have received and adopted the following three ancient creeds [‘creeds’ means statements of belief]. We use them today to show what we have in common with historic and worldwide churches. All our leaders have sworn and signed to preserve and promote what they say. You can read and explore them by clicking on their titles below.

The Apostles’ Creed is a short summary of the Christian religion used in this form perhaps as early as the 5th century, and itself is taken from older statements used in the ancient church. The Nicene Creed is a 4th century summary of the Christian faith written to express clearly what the Bible teaches about Jesus being God, and about his relationship to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. The Athanasian Creed is a 6th century, more detailed statement of the Bible’s teaching about these things, and it also says more about how Jesus is both God and man.

Some differences among churches are just a matter of culture or style. Other differences are just a matter of varying strengths or focus. There can be health in diversity. On the Oxnard Plain, God is using different kinds of churches to teach his truth and show his grace.

But some differences among churches are more consequential, which requires some reflection. The best way we can introduce Ventura Reformed’s differences is to talk about that label “Reformed”. The word itself refers to the “Protestant Reformation.” This was a movement of Christians in the 1500s who protested against some corruptions in beliefs and practices of the largest churches of that day. There was still a lot of good in those churches, but this movement sought to ‘reform’ the churches where they were ‘deforming’. Because we Christians are imperfect, corruption is always a threat, so we must alertly strive to ‘stay to form’ or ‘return to form,’ aligning with our only perfect guide, the Bible.

Here are three major Reformed convictions about what the Bible teaches. These are more like biblical themes that play out in many areas of life and church. You’d hear about all of these things regularly in our church, applied to different parts of life. Come explore them:

First, the good and loving things people do in life, and the good religious responsibilities they fulfill, all of these good works contribute absolutely nothing to God ultimately loving and accepting us. This is because all people, including Christians, are born corrupt, and still sin, and need a rescue that Jesus would do for them, entirely outside of them, in spite of what they truly deserve. Amazingly, by his perfect life, and by his death, Jesus has provided such a rescue! In history, Christian churches have sometimes confused the relationship of God's grace and good works. But understanding this relationship correctly, and preaching and teaching this correctly and clearly, this is an urgent matter. Otherwise, we unwittingly create pockets of self-righteous, pompous religious people, and, we leave in despair the truly humble people that God himself fully loves and forgives.

Second, God, for his own mysterious reasons, unilaterally chooses and acts to rescue some people from their sin and unbelief. Apart from God working by himself to make certain people spiritually alive, and also by himself ensuring those people will not forfeit this new life, there could not be one person “saved”. Another way to say this is, the people who choose Jesus and stay with him, the people who receive Jesus, they do so because God chose them to. [This idea is typically called “predestination” or “Calvinism,” although what goes by these names is sometimes mistaught or misrepresented]. Not only is God clear that he exercises his right and authority to determine who will receive his saving grace, but he demands reverence and worship consistent with this aspect of his character. He answers to no one, he does not share his glory, he alone saves from beginning to end.

Third, public church worship must be conducted in ways God demands and desires. Worship is for God first, not for us, and we must do what he told us to do, how he told us to do it. There will always be cultural and stylistic diversity in worship, which is great. But the basic form and content of what should happen in public worship services is given to us in the Scriptures. This even includes some things about what and how we sing in church, and why. It also includes the biblical and historic Protestant teaching about baptism and the Lord's Supper. All that Scripture teaches us about worship is not only pleasing to God, but better for us, and actually more satisfying, after we are weaned off triviality and other kinds of even well-meaning idolatry.

In addition to the three creeds mentioned above, we have also officially received and adopted the following three writings as faithful summaries of the Bible’s teaching. You could click on their titles and begin to explore them. Most of us here now were either not Christian at all, or we were Christians from other traditions before we learned about historic Protestant churches and Reformed theology. It would be our privilege to serve you by answering any questions you may have. This is what we do. We also will give you space if you would want to slow down and just take things in over time. It is true that our church cares a lot about "doctrine" and "theology". We want to have balance in our Christian life with sound practical living, and worship, and theology. We do not want to neglect doctrine.

The Belgic Confession was written in the Reformed churches in the southern Netherlands in the 1500s and is the most thorough overview of what Reformed churches believe. The Heidelberg Catechism was written in the Reformed churches in Germany in the 1500s in question-and-answer format. It is simple and useful for children, also profound and insightful for advanced learners. The Canons of Dort was written and agreed upon by church leaders from all over Europe in the 1600s to express in more detail what the Bible teaches about how God rescues people from the ruin of sin.