New Hope v. Covenant Reformed

It is just two weeks until the new New Hope campus kicks off here in Ashland. This is the new cutting edge, contemporary church that's coming to town. I just thought I would point out some of the differences in our philosophies between us. I'll simply present it in the New Hope emphasis v. the CRF emphasis.

1. Sit back and relax v. Sit up and pay attention
New Hope openly stresses that their services are times to kick back and take in their services like you are sitting on your sofa watching the game on TV. In our services we require everyone to actively participate in the service. As God descends upon our meeting place and speaks through His Word, we expect you to give Him your utmost respect and undivided attention. (Funny how we Presbyterians are always the ones accused of "sit, soak, and sour.")

2. "Grab a cup of coffee" v. "Turn in your Bibles"
New Hope, on one of their web pages, tells the reader to make sure you stop by their Cafe and grab a cup of coffee at least twice. We don't have anything against coffee, but we do expect your hands to be free so that you can grab your Bible and start flipping to the right page.

3. Casual worship v. Respectful and Reverent worship
New Hope's motto is "come as you are" and stresses a sloven style of dress. The pastor is even known to preach in shorts and a T-shirt. While we know that we come to God as sinners in need of grace, we at CRF expect you to show respect for the Holy and Omnipotent King of Kings and your other brothers and sisters in Christ by wear the appropriate attire. No one in their right mind would come before the president of the US in their pajamas. If we would wear something that befits meeting the head of our country, why would we do anything less for the Head of the Church.

4. "Drop you kids over there" v. "We'll play Sharks and Minnows after the service"
New Hope continues to promote the parent-child divide by separating the burdensome children from their parents so that they will not lose any comfort during their worship experience. We expect parents to have their children sit with them in worship for as long as possible. Since these are the Lord's children and the Lord has ordained praise from the lips of children, we believe God wants to meet with them too. After the service we'll run around, but He deserves our all from the beginning to end of the service.