WHAT WE BELIEVE	OUR HISTORY	OUR MISSION	WHERE TO FIND US	CALENDAR

What we believe

The name of our church, Church of Reconciliation , speaks volumes about the ministry of our congregation. Generally speaking, we are a congregation that is committed to the reconciliation of humanity. In a broad sense, our congregation’s ministry supports acts that reconcile humanity with God. This may include the act of reconciling a person to oneself, the act of reuniting one person to another, or the act of nurturing unions among divided groups. Acceptance, inclusiveness, and hospitality are key theological issues espoused by our congregation.

Historically, this congregation began with a shared vision of racial reconciliation. The commitment to racial reconciliation remains a mark of our identity and continues to shape our image of who we are. Today, the theological issues of inclusiveness and hospitality are also reflected in our congregation’s position on the role of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons in the life of the Presbyterian Church and society. Our commitment to this position is reflected in our mission statement, which expressly includes all people in the ministry of our church regardless of sexual orientation. This important part of our ministry is also reflected in our congregation’s decision to declare ourselves a More Light congregation. Moreover, members of our own congregation were instrumental in creating the Triangle More Light Presbyterians chapter and have taken a very active leadership role in that organization. Click these links for more information on More Light Presbyterians and Progressive Churches

Another theological issue facing the church is the declining membership in the PCUSA. Contrary to the current trend, the Church of Reconciliation is growing by leaps and bounds. We are a "niche" church and meet a need that a broad spectrum of people have for active participation in a faith community – a faith community that is committed to peace, social justice, equality. One younger member of our congregation described our church as "a beacon to this generation." The theological issue of reconciliation -- implemented through faithful work for acceptance, inclusiveness, and hospitality – reflects our congregation’s invitation for all of God’s children to sit at God’s table.

At the Church of Reconciliation, we are currently thinking about the theological issue of worship, recognizing that the proclamation of God’s word is also an important part of who we are and are asking some old theological questions such as: What is worship? What is prayer? How do we pray? Do we cling to tried-and-true traditional forms of worship or take a more innovative approach? Do we retain conventional sacred music of past generations or embrace "blended music" and "blended worship styles"? Worship at the Church of Reconciliation has been described as "informal, yet liturgical." We follow a basic Presbyterian order of worship. Additionally, we make use of various forms of worship throughout that order including drumming, ringing of bells and meditation bowls, using acolytes, playing instrumental music (flute, trombone, dulcimer, guitar, harmonica), singing folk music, using chants from the Taize community of France, and reading prayers and liturgies from the Iona Abbey in Scotland.
The theological issue of the role of women in the church and society is also reflected in the ministry of our congregation. The issue of inclusive language in the church and the freedom to re-imagine God has held an important position in our church’s recent history. The following declaration on inclusive language appears in our Sunday bulletin and is honored in our worship services: