About Us

Who We Are

A Short Introduction
Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church is a gathering of Christian believers. Our members come from all walks of life. As a church in Singapore, we reflect the multi-racial character of our society. We have people of all races worshipping with us. That which binds us together is our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The name of our church indicates what we believe.

Evangelical
We are a Gospel church. We confess that Jesus Christ is the only way of Salvation. Whoever confesses his sins to God and turns to Jesus Christ by a true faith will be saved. We publish this saving gospel to the lost world in preaching and in active evangelism.

Reformed
We stand in the heritage of the Reformation of the 16th century. We confess the truth of sovereign and particular grace, meaning that it is God's grace alone that powerfully converts a sinner, enabling him to repent and believe. What we believe is summarised in three historical Reformed creeds. These creeds have been the confession of Reformed churches all over the world since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Among these confessions are the Confession of Faith or Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), and the Canons of Dordrecht (1618-1619). These three, often referred to as the Three Forms of Unity, constitute the doctrinal standards of CERC.

Three Forms of Unity

The Heidelberg Catechism

The Heidelberg Catechism received its name from the place of its origin, Heidelberg, the capital of the German Electorate of the Palatinate. There, in order that the Reformed faith might be maintained in his domain, Elector Frederick III commissioned Zacharias Ursinus, professor at Heidelberg University, and Caspar Olevianus, the court preacher, to prepare a manual for catechetical instruction. Out of this initiative came the Catechism, which was approved by the Elector himself and by the Synod of Heidelberg and first published in 1563.

The Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism (Chinese Version)

The Belgic Confession

This is historically the first of our "Three Forms of Unity" (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession of Faith, and the Canons of Dordt), having been composed in 1561. It is often called the Belgic Confession because it was written in the southern Lowlands, now known as Belgium. Its chief author was Guido de Bres, on of the several itinerant preachers during those days of persecution, who died a martyr's death.

The Belgic Confession The Belgic Confession (Chinese Version)

The Canons of Dordt

The Canons of Dordrecht are unique among our confessions in more than one respect. They are the only one of our confessions which was actually composed by an ecclesiastical assembly, the great synod of 1618-’19. Born out of internal controversy in the Reformed churches of the Netherlands which was occasioned by the rise of the Arminian heresy, the Canons are the expression of the synod’s judgment concerning the Five Points of the Remonstrance. This also explains the fact that the Canons are divided into five chapters, maintaining the truths of sovereign predestination, particular atonement, total depravity, irresistible grace, and perseverance of saints. Because the Canons are an answer to the Five Points of the Remonstrance, they set forth only certain aspects of the truth rather than the whole body of the truth, as do our other confessions. For this reason also the Canons are referred to in our Formula of Subscription as “the explanation of some points” of the doctrine contained in the Heidelberg Catechism and the Confession of Faith.

The Canons of Dordt The Canons of Dordt (Chinese Version)

What We Believe In

God is Sovereign
Reformed Church, like any faithful Christian church, adheres to all the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. We believe in the Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus is very God and Very Man. We believe the Bible to be our sole authority, and that it is inspired by God and is therefore without errors. On top of this, a Reformed Church emphasizes the teaching of God's sovereignty. We teach that God is sovereign in all that He plans and does.

God is Sovereign in Creation and Providence
He spoke, and all things came into existence. By His power and wisdom, He continues to uphold and govern the world, and directs it according to His good purpose. He also rules over all creatures, including man, angels and the Devil so that all their activities serve the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

God is Sovereign in Salvation
The Bible teaches that man is dead spiritually. Because of this spiritual deadness, we have no power at all to exercise any faith in God. On the contrary, we constantly resist and oppose the things of God; we have no hope of eternal life. But instead of leaving the whole world to perish in sin, God has chosen a people from eternity to be saved through the death of Jesus Christ. He regenerates their hearts through the Holy Spirit and gives them faith to believe in His Son. God continues this saving work until they finally arrive in His presence in heaven. We confess therefore that our salvation from beginning to end is the work of God's sovereign grace. To God be the glory alone!

Our Worship

We gather for worship
We emphasize the need for private study and prayer. But we also take heed to the Biblical command that we should gather for public worship. Psalm 95:6 says "O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before God our Maker.” We believe that the bible teaches that the first day of the week (Sunday) is set aside for worship. On this day we gather together with the people of God for public worship.

We are God-Centered in our worship
As a Reformed church, we conduct our Church service with reverence, conscious that we are in the presence of the Almighty God. Central to our worship is the preaching of the Word of God. Through the preaching, God speaks to us, calling us to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Our singing also reflects our deep reverence for God. We are selective in our singing. We sing only songs that contain sound teachings and that are God-centered in its contents. And for this reason, we also sing the Old Testament Psalms in our worship. Reformed worship is beautiful. It does not need the excitement of sensual things. Rather, it possesses the beauty mentioned in Psalms 29:2, "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." The beauty of Reformed worship is found in the faithful preaching of the Word of God, in the simple administration of the sacraments, and in the God-centered praises offered in sincerity and truth.

Our Mission and Vision

Church Theme verse
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14

Our Mission
As salt and light in this world, we proclaim a sovereign, powerful, saving gospel to a fallen, sin-cursed and dying world, setting forth Jesus Christ crucified as the only hope for mankind, and the Bible alone as the basis, rule and foundation for all of life and faith.

Our Vision

  1. We aspire to be a vibrant and faithful Reformed Church, establishing ourselves as a pillar and ground of biblical truth as they are expressed in the 3 Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism and Canons of Dort).
  2. We seek to be salt and light in this world, setting forth the antithetical, Christian life as the only life worth living.
  3. We will build up the Church with the pure and lively preaching of the Word of God, submitting to the rule of our King Jesus Christ through His properly ordained office-bearers and cheerfully employing our gifts for the salvation of His people.