About Us

As a church community we are grateful for our rich biblical heritage, a heritage that continues to define our theological beliefs, ministry partnerships, and leadership structure.

Beliefs

We are a Christian church which means that we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to salvation for sinners (John 14:6). As Christians we are followers and disciples of Jesus Christ, striving to live for Him every day. We affirm the importance of sharing the good news of Christ’s life, death and resurrection with our family, friends, neighbors, and the world.

We are a Biblical church which means that we hold the Bible to be the greatest treasure we can have. It is the inspired Word of God (the very words of God), infallible (incapable of error) and inerrant (without error), and authoritative for all of life.

We are a Reformed church which means we stand in the tradition of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation. We celebrate the Reformation emphasis on the authority of Scripture, the centrality of Jesus Christ, the marvel of grace, the wonder of worship, and the exaltation of God’s glory.

We are a Confessional church which means that we are part of a body of believers that is older than our own journey of faith. We believe the teaching of the Bible is accurately summarized in the ecumenical creeds: the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds.  We also subscribe to the interpretation of the Bible as expressed in the “Three Forms of Unity”: the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and Canons of Dordt.  These creeds and confessions can be found here: 

• Apostles’ creed

• Nicene creed

• Athanasian creed

• Belgic Confession

• Heidelberg Catechism

• Canons of Dordt

History

Covenant URC began in 1992 when several families from the greater Kalamazoo area came together looking to start a new Reformed church in the city. Our building was purchased from the Kalamazoo Assembly of God, as they had outgrown their facility and had built a campus in Portage, MI. We had our first worship service on January 3, 1993. Since then, we have seen God's hand clearly at work. God has blessed us with faithful pastors, strong leadership, committed members, and caring relationships.  We have grown in our love for the Lord and in our love for each other. To God be the glory!

Affiliation

Since we confess that we are members of one holy, catholic and apostolic church, we are thankful for fellowship and cooperation with fellow believers and Christian churches. We are a member church of the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA), a federation of 120+ churches throughout North America. We hold ourselves accountable to these churches through our confessions and common church order. We encourage you to visit our federation’s website at www.urcna.org for more information about the URCNA.

Leadership

Our church follows the Presbyterian system of church government. The elders oversee the spiritual life of the church, providing pastoral care and direction to our members. The deacons oversee works of Christian mercy for our church family as well as those in need in our community.

Our pastor is Chris Engelsma who serves us from week to week along with his family pictured here.