Even as a large church (4,000 members), Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church is known for its warmth, generosity, and dedication to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways:
- We adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed Theology and trace our history to the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him. Some of the principles articulated by Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs, such as:
- The sovereignty of God
- The centrality of Jesus Christ
- The authority of scripture
- Justification by grace through faith
- The priesthood of all believers
- Our knowledge of God and God's purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ.
- Our church government stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members.
- “According to Calvin’s theory of church government, the church is a community or body in which Christ only is head and all members are equal under Him. The ministry is given to the entire church and is distributed among many officers. All who hold office do so by election of the people whose representatives they are. The church is to be governed and directed by assemblies of officeholders, pastors, and elders chosen to provide just representation for the church as a whole.” (Source: Britannica.com)
Prayer for Every Member, Every Day
Our major policy decisions as well as our everyday lives are guided by prayer, MDPC’s Partner in Prayer ministry fulfills the commitment made by church founders that every member be prayed for every day. Hundreds of volunteers annually commit to pray for approximately 10 people on our rolls each day.
Dollar-For-Dollar Giving
In obedience to Christ's teaching, we are committed to radical generosity. Since MDPC’s inception in 1954, we have strived to balance money spent each year on church operations with money given to those in need. This works out to millions of dollars going directly to missionaries, mission agencies, and mission partners, both in our community and around the globe. These “Dollar-for-Dollar” funds are allocated by MDPC Outreach Ministries, which annually reviews funding requests, visits ministry locations, and provides physical and prayer support to the 140+ organizations we support.