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Our Denomination & Beliefs

Presbyterian Church in America

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The PCA denomination was founded in 1973 with the goal of being a denomination “faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission”. The PCA describes itself as an evangelical denomination, a reformed denomination, and a presbyterian denomination.

Evangelical: Good Shepherd is committed to faithfully proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the gospel and the gospel alone that is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. As a result, we long to share the good news of what Jesus Christ has done so that others may be led to trust in His saving work alone for salvation.

Reformed: Within the global church, we at Good Shepherd stand within the Reformed tradition. Our tradition is rooted in the principle of the church “reformed and always reforming” according to the Bible. The Bible, not church tradition, is our final authority for all our beliefs and practices. We emphasize the Five Solas of the Reformation, the importance of the Law of God, the centrality of the Church, and a system of theology known as "covenant theology". We believe that a good summary of Reformed theology can be found in the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism, to which our church holds.

Presbyterian: We are a Presbyterian church, which refers to the structure of our church's government. Each church is governed by a “Session” comprised of elders (from the Greek, "presbyteros"), who are nominated and then called by the local congregation. Each local congregation is governed by a regional body of churches called the presbytery, and each presbytery is then governed by the national body of churches called the General Assembly.

For more information about the PCA, check out the PCA’s Website, the theological beliefs of the PCA (the Westminster Standards), and the church government documents of the PCA (the Book of Church Order).

The Siouxlands Presbytery

Good Shepherd is a part of the Siouxlands Presbytery of the PCA, which covers the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Below is a listing of "sister" churches that are a part of our Presbytery.