Our Story and vision

Luke 10 records a day in which Jesus sent disciples to do ministry. They returned to Jesus amazed at the signs of God’s power they witnessed that day. Jesus encouraged them that they should rejoice even more in the fact that their names are written in heaven. That statement (among many  from scripture) along with careful consideration of history and creation ought to persuade everyone that all people are living in a much bigger story and that there is meaningful purpose and design to our world, a story being read with our names in it. 

The story has an author: Jesus; a beginning: creation; tension: fall and sin; resolution: Christ’s cross and resurrection and the gospel proclaimed and believed; and a conclusion: the new heaven and new earth (where it will be revealed that the names of God’s people have been eternally written in his book). The plan was always for God to extend his glory through creating, saving, and rescuing sinners and to show his glory by judging any person or thing which opposes Him.  

We are a church that tells that story which is made known in Genesis through Revelation. To those who receive this story, it is gospel, or good news and that story changes everyone who receives it. Our church exists because generations have believed that story and been led to Norman, Oklahoma to continue making the story of Jesus known. Norman, OK has many virtues, but it is a proud city that is perhaps the most ignorant of this story in all of Oklahoma. It is the church’s job to share this story with all of God’s people and all of their neighbors. 

In this story: 

We believe God, who is eternal, decreed to create everything that exists as good in order to display his glory. He is holy, distinct from creation. 

We believe God, who is eternal, also decreed to enter into a covenant of life with all people through the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, which he created in his image to be the first parents of all people. The scriptures teach that, due to their covenantal disobedience, our whole creation and all people born after them fell into an estate of sin and misery. 

We believe God who is only rightly known as Trinity (truly one God yet existing as three persons who are each truly God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), who is eternal, because He is Love decreed to establish a covenant of grace which would produce a church founded by God the Father’s gracious election, God the Son’s work as a prophet, priest, and king for the redemption of the elect, and God the Holy Spirit’s work in applying the work of redemption to the chosen people.

Because of this, lost sinners can be forgiven and declared to be righteous in God’s sight by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  

We believe that all followers of Jesus are called to be members of the church in order to worship God and grow in grace (sanctification) by following God’s word (the Bible). 

The visible church is set apart from the rest of the world as God’s holy people and is composed of all those who have been baptized and all of their children, as God ordinarily works through households/families. All those not called to be single by God will seek to be married (a covenant between one man and one woman) and to create a family which was designed to be God given picture of the covenant of grace. 

We believe that Jesus who came to redeem all his chosen people nearly 2000 years ago through his life, death, and resurrection. He will return again and consummate the new heaven and new earth which was established by His resurrection. 

We believe that God is completely and intimately involved in every component of life. This is known as God’s providence where he is in sometimes ordinary but in sometimes very mysterious ways working all things to bring all his chosen people to know Him in their appointed seasons for His own glory. 

We believe that all people due to their being made in God’s image and having to function in his world know some true things and accomplish great things, even if they deny the creator who made them. This is called “common grace.” Due to our fall into sin and misery, though we know God, none of us will seek him until we are “born again” by a work of God’s “saving grace.” 

We believe that Jesus will return suddenly to judge all people who have ever been created. On that day, all those who have died will be resurrected. Those who are righteous in Christ will participate in what Revelation calls the “wedding supper of the Lamb,” or the “new heaven and new earth,” in which they will enjoy unending and peaceful fellowship with God and with one another. All those who are not found to be righteous in Christ will be resurrected to face what Revelation describes as the “second death.” 

If anyone has ears to hear this story, let him or her hear, confess his or her sin, believe and turn to Jesus and follow Him, and he or she will be saved and never have to fear again. 

We know that knowing God produces love, peace, hope and pure joy. It is, therefore, the vision of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Norman (ARP) to declare this story and call everyone to receive it so that Norman will be a joyful place. 

Trinity Presbyterian church’s weekly worship services launched on February 12, 2017, and we desire to organize as the first Associate Reformed Presbyterian church in Oklahoma and begin to plant another church by Fall, 2020. 

We will be a “grow and go” church, as we faithfully minister to the nations and families from all over the earth who God brings to Norman, Oklahoma.