---
title: Our Congregation
canonical: "https://southfieldreformed.com/who-we-are/our-congregation/"
description: "Who attends Southfield RPC, what visitors can expect, and how this Reformed Presbyterian congregation is composed."
---

We are a congregation of Christ-followers hailing from a variety of ethnic, social, and
religious backgrounds. Our desire is to increasingly reflect the diversity of our
community and of God's saving love (Rev. 5:9), while maintaining the unity of His Word
and Spirit (Eph. 4:13).

As born-again believers, we are invisibly united to Jesus Christ and to each other
through faith in Him. As an organized Christian congregation, we also enjoy the visible
unity expressed in our
[Covenant of Communicant Membership](/who-we-are/our-congregation/covenant-of-communicant-membership/).

We make it a practice to publicly renew our covenant every January in connection with
the Lord's Supper. For a more thorough analysis of the nature and importance of church
membership, we recommend listening to our pastor's
[8-part sermon series](https://www.sermonaudio.com/series/48477) explaining our
membership vows from Scripture, along with some additional articles by Rev. Stephen
Pribble:
["Is Church Membership Optional?"](/who-we-are/our-congregation/is-church-membership-optional/)
and ["Choosing a Church"](/who-we-are/our-congregation/choosing-a-church/).

Following the pattern of Scripture, we regard the children of our adult members as part
of Christ's kingdom (Lk. 18:16) and worthy recipients of baptism as a visible sign and
seal of God's covenant of grace (Gen. 17:7; Acts 2:39).

While we do not presume our baptized children to be elect or regenerate, we do
acknowledge them as true members of Christ's visible church. As such, they are rightful
heirs to the oracles and promises of God (Rom. 3:1-2), which we pray will "lead them to
repentance" (Rom. 2:4), and "make them wise for salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15).

Whenever a covenant child is baptized, we also require his or her parents to renew their
membership vows and to affirm our
[Covenant of Baptism](/who-we-are/our-congregation/covenant-of-baptism/). In order for
baptized members to become communicant members (and so gain access to the Lord's Table),
we require them to make an outwardly credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ by
affirming our
[Covenant of Communicant Membership](/who-we-are/our-congregation/covenant-of-communicant-membership/).
To learn more about the status of children in the New Covenant,
[click here](/who-we-are/our-congregation/what-about-infant-baptism/).

We believe that every church member eventually has a role to play as "salt" and "light"
in this dark and decaying world. Fundamentally, this involves faithfulness to Christ in
our most basic duties in the home, the workplace, the classroom, the pew, and the public
square. In addition, God often provides unique opportunities to more actively promote
His glorious agenda in the world. Along these lines, we currently have members involved
in the following efforts:

- [Sports Fan Outreach International](https://www.sfoi.org)
- [Exclusive Psalmody Churches](https://exclusivepsalmodychurches.wordpress.com/)
- [The Teenage Life Club](https://www.liveaction.org/news/the-teenage-life-club-strikes-again-with-advice-for-teens)
- [RP Missions: Christian Mission Trips](https://www.rpglobalmissions.org/shortterm)