About St. Peter Presbyterian Abingdon

Saint Peter Presbyterian Church is a community of Christians seeking to live their lives to the glory of God, and the building of His Kingdom

Why the ‘Saint Peter’ Name?

It’s Saint Peter (without an ’s)

We call the church Saint Peter Presbyterian Church based on the Apostle Peter’s teaching on the nature of the church (see the 1 Peter passage here).

I Peter 2:9–10

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Our Mission

The general objectives of St. Peter Presbyterian Church (SPPC) are to make disciples of all nations; promote submission to God’s Word in all areas of human life and endeavor; nurture and educate believers and their households in the Christian faith; administer the sacraments and moral discipline within the church; and lead the congregation in united worship, encouragement, fellowship, and charitable service.

Community

The Church is a sacred community of families and individuals dedicated to the Lord and to one another. If you are looking for a group of people trying to accomplish this, for themselves and their children, then this is the place for you.

What We Believe

We are disciples of Jesus, seeking to hold fast to the Bible as His living Word, committed to faithful, liturgical worship on the Lord’s Day, given to hospitality, fellowship, and mercy, raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, seeking to carry on the Great Commission so that every knee may bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

With the Reformers we embrace the early church fathers and Christian creeds as our heritage, the medieval church as our family in Christ, and the recovery of the centrality and authority of Scripture as the only infallible rule for faith and practice. We are evangelical and Reformed with regard to our understanding of salvation and God’s grace to fallen sinners.

We are covenantal, believing God’s mercy extends to our children and their children after them to a thousand generations. We are presbyterian in church government, believing the local church is best served by a plurality of elders and accountable to other elders in the broader church.

We are optimistic about the power and success of the gospel in history and therefore ambitious about evangelism and missions. We love the rhythms of the Psalms and prayers and hymns of the historic Church, the Word proclaimed, the sacraments celebrated, exuberant living, filling the hungry, comforting the broken, and walking in the Light together.

In the tradition of the Protestant Reformers, we hold to the:

  • Five “solas” of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solo Christo, and Soli Deo Gloria
  • Westminster Standards
  • Preaching of the Word, the exercise of church discipline, and the right celebration of the sacraments.

These creeds, confessions, and theological statements represent the doctrinal standards and commitments of our leadership, but they do not supersede our commitment to Scripture nor do they limit our fellowship or membership.

I Corinthians 8:6

“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

Our Leadership

Our church is shepherded by a group of men who have been examined on their understanding of the Bible and have also proved themselves in faithfully living out the scriptures. These men are called “elders”.

Our Pastor

Husband to Kara, father to twelve, and “Pop-pop” to his grandchildren, Rev. Steve Murphy has served as pastor of the Saint Peter Presbyterian Church in Abingdon since 2009. Previously Steve served as an interim pastor and spent some time on the mission field. More recently the Murphys published Homeschooling Today magazine. Steve received his degree in Bible with a minor in Greek from Cedarville University in 1991. The Murphy family lives in the shadow of Little Mountain, and enjoys the rich community life of believers to which God has led them.

Our Affiliation: CREC

Saint Peter Presbyterian Church is a member of the Augustine Presbytery of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC).

The CREC is an international vibrant church community of evangelical believers shaped by the Reformation. We are deeply committed to the evangelical tenets of biblical authority and the free grace of God in Christ, and we believe that Jesus is King and Lord of heaven and earth. The one hundred or so churches and parishes of the CREC are spread across North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, and Eastern Asia.

To learn more about the CREC click here.