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Why we call ourselves Reformed...
Our name identifies us as a church that has its roots in the great Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. We see ourselves as the spiritual descendants of reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox.

The Reformation was a powerful movement to bring the Church of Christ back to its biblical roots. Over against the frequently distorted and misleading teaching of the late Medieval church, the Reformational movement stressed that salvation is a free gift of God received by faith alone apart from any human contribution. Over and over, Reformed preachers and writers stressed that human beings are justified in the sight of God through faith in Christ and in no other way.

The Reformation also emphasized the primacy of the Bible over against the traditions of the church. Other unbiblical Roman Catholic teachings opposed by the Reformation included these: the primacy of the bishop of Rome (the pope) over the whole church; the idea that the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper becomes the body and blood of Christ by a process of transubstantiation; devotion to relics; prayer to Mary and other saints and the mandatory celibacy of the clergy.

The specific emphases of the Protestant Reformation has often been summarized with five Latin phrases.
Sola gratia: "By grace alone." In salvation, we are rescued from God's wrath and judgment by His grace alone. Salvation is not in any sense a human work.
Sola fide: "By faith alone." This phrase expresses the truth that God's people receive the salvation of Christ by faith and not by works. Our justification before God is by grace alone through faith alone on the basis of Christ alone. Faith means to put our trust for salvation not in ourselves or in any other created thing but in Christ alone.
Solus Christus: "Of Christ alone." Salvation has been accomplished by the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to God.
Sola Scriptura: "By Scripture alone." The Bible is the supreme authority in the church for all matters of faith and life.
Soli Deo gloria: "Glory to God alone." Because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory. We are called to live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for His glory alone.

The teaching of the Reformed Church was expressed in many sermons and books but also in several confessions. The Canadian Reformed Churches uphold the following Reformed confessions:
the Heidelberg Catechism
the Belgic Confession
the Canons of Dort
All of these are available online at our denominational website. We encourage you to read them carefully and compare their teaching to that of the Bible.

We belong to a federation of churches known as the Canadian Reformed Churches. Our denominational website gives a brief summary of our history. Our churches were founded by Dutch immigrants in the 1950's but have by now been thoroughly Canadianized. It is our desire to uphold in Canada the teaching of the Bible as rediscovered in the era of the Reformation. We believe that this teaching is the real hope for every citizen and for our nation as a whole.

In addition, we also belong to the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC) which brings together many Reformed and Presbyterian churches from around the world.
Free Church of Scotland
Free Reformed Churches of Australia
Free Reformed Churches of South Africa (FRCSA)
Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (Vrijgemaakt) - Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)
Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS)
United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA)