ABOUT US

Who We Are

Our historical roots trace back to Scotland, where the Associate Presbytery was organized in 1733, followed by the Reformed Presbytery ten years later. These two groups eventually came to America and, in 1782, united to form the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP).

Today, the ARP is a proud member of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC), an organization composed of 13 denominations that confess Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Sovereign Lord over all of life. NAPARC churches are fully committed to the Bible as the Word of God, written without error in all its parts, and to its teachings as set forth in the historic Reformed standards (the Three Forms of Unity and the Westminster Standards). Other NAPARC member churches include the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), and the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA). For more details on our denomination’s beliefs, click here.

Salem Presbyterian Church was organized on June 19, 1836. With a rich history of faithful gospel ministry and church planting, the church has earned the moniker “mother of churches.” Today, 155 active members enjoy a stability that has characterized Salem throughout its history. Remarkably, in nearly 200 years, the church has had only nine pastors and nine treasurers. Through these blessings, God has enabled our church to continue joyfully glorifying and making known the name of His Son, Jesus.

The sanctuary is the fourth to be built on the premises, the first being a log church and the third having burned down in 1939. The dark wooden Gothic arches of the ceiling are complemented by beautiful stained-glass windows on both sides of the sanctuary and at the rear. A pipe organ accents the front of the church, situated directly behind the split chancel.

What We Believe

Salem Presbyterian Church is built on the foundation of the Word of God. We believe it is the inerrant Word of God, written by men of old as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, and that it was given to the people of God as their final authority concerning all things to be believed and done.

We are a member of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP), one of the oldest Reformed and Presbyterian denominations in America. As such, we affirm and confess that the Westminster Confession of Faith, together with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, is a faithful and historically tested summary of the Bible’s teachings.

The main headings of the Reformed Faith have traditionally been summarized under the “Five Solas”:

  • Salem is built on the foundation of the Word of God. We believe it is the inerrant and infallible Word of God, written by men of old as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, and that it was given to the people of God as their final authority concerning all things to be believed and done.

  • By nature, we are “dead in our sins and trespasses,” and rather than seeking God, we instead follow after the “spirit of disobedience” (Eph. 2:1-2; Rom. 3:9-18).

    But God, who is rich in mercy, seeks and saves the lost—not because of any merit found in them, but because of His own love. This grace, the unmerited favor of God, brings the spiritually dead to new life (Eph. 2:4-5).

  • One of the most precious gifts of God is faith. Unlike other traditions, we confess that faith is not a work of man’s free will but is instead a gift from God, resulting from the believer being made a “new creation” (Rom. 9:16; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:8-10).

  • Faith, in and of itself, does not save. It is the instrument used to cling to the One who does save—the Lord Jesus Christ. Martin Luther called this the “great exchange.”

    Upon the cross, Christ took the sins of His people upon Himself and satisfied the wrath of God by becoming a curse. In exchange for our sins, Christ freely gives His people His own perfect righteousness, which is “the righteousness of God.” As a result, the Christian is now accounted by God as both free from sin and perfect in righteousness. This is the gospel in which we believe (Isa. 52:13-53:12; Mark 10:45; Rom. 3:21-26; 2 Cor. 5:21).

  • Salvation is entirely the work of our triune God. The Father chose a people for His own possession and sent His Son to accomplish their redemption. The Son of God humbled Himself by taking on human nature, and as the perfect man, accomplished all that is required for the salvation of God’s people. The Spirit effectually applies the Son’s redemption to His bride, the church, enabling them to know and experience the benefits of Christ and to glorify God for His love toward sinners (Psa. 3:8; John 6:63; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Pet. 2:9).

Where We’re Going

The name Salem means “peace,” and our mission is to proclaim and model the gospel of peace in Christian love through our words, works, and especially our worship as we strive to make Christ known in our homes, across the street, and around the world.

How We’re Getting There

We endeavor to use the ordinary means of grace that Christ has given to His church to seek first His Kingdom and glory.

First and foremost, we make use of the grace of the Word. Jesus commanded His followers, saying, “Make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). These commandments and doctrines of our Lord are found in His Word and are received by His Church as it is read and preached. Salem offers its members and visitors numerous opportunities to come under the grace of the Word of God, including:

  • Expositional preaching through entire books of the Bible

  • An order of worship saturated with the Word of God

  • Sunday evening worship services emphasizing biblical doctrine

  • Sunday School classes for all ages

  • Catechism classes

  • Weekly and monthly Bible and book studies

  • Special worship services celebrating God’s past mercies (e.g., Easter Sunrise, Christmas Eve, Reformation Sunday)

Second, we make use of the grace of prayer. The Apostle Paul commands that prayers be made for all people (1 Tim. 2:1), and Salem endeavors to do just that.

  • Both our Sunday morning and evening services include times of communal prayer and confession.

  • A weekly prayer meeting is held every Wednesday night.

Third, we make use of the grace of the sacraments, through which Christ visibly communicates His grace to His people by the working of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the Word of God.

  • We celebrate baptism, which sets apart both believers and their children from the world (1 Cor. 7:14).

  • We also regularly celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, inviting all visitors who are believers in Christ to partake with us.

Associate Reformed Presbyterian History

Our historical roots go back to Scotland where in 1733 the Associate Presbytery was organized followed by the Reformed Presbytery ten years later. These two groups eventually came to this country and in 1782 they united to form the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Distance and travel limitations in the early 1800’s led to a separation of the northern and southern branches of the church, the northern branch having since merged with other Presbyterian bodies. The present ARP church, with over 200 churches, although no longer geographically limited to the American south, is the continuation of the southern branch.

We have a written history of our church published in 1986 (our sesquicentennial edition) and there is also a history of the denomination written in 1966 by Ray King who was then a professor at Erskine Seminary in Due West, South Carolina.  The title of this publication is “A History of the ARP Church”.