Our Vision & Values

Vision

Our vision is to be a church that experiences the transformative power of the gospel and responds in reliance upon the Holy Spirit by following Jesus Christ in his mission to make all things new at Central, in New York City, and throughout the world.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR

Inspiring worship. Engaging teaching. Life-changing community. Purposeful mission.

Welcome to Central Presbyterian Church of New York City. We’re glad you found us!

Central is a welcoming community of people from every age and stage of life. No matter what your background, beliefs, or life situation, we would like nothing more than for you to join us.

This means that Central is a great place for believers and skeptics alike. If you have never entered a church, or if it has been a long time since you attended a worship service, Central may be just right for you. Come as you are and expect to be warmly received regardless of your questions, struggles, or doubts.

Feel free to explore our site to learn more about who we are and how you can get involved. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with your questions as we would be thrilled to help you find your place within our community.

In Christ,

Pastor Jason Harris's Signature
Image of Jason Harris, the bell tower, and the sanctuary

OUR VALUES

THE GOSPEL

The word “gospel” (literally “good news”) was a technical term in the ancient world that signified news of life-changing significance. The gospel of Christianity, therefore, is not a program of religious instruction or moral development, but an announcement of what God has done for us by his grace. The gospel proclaims that God has come down to us despite our sin in the person of Jesus Christ to restore us in relationship to himself and to renew the whole world through the perfect, sinless life, the substitutionary, atoning death, and the powerful, bodily resurrection of Jesus. The gospel changes everything and therefore forms the center of all we are and all that we do as a church. +

The Gospel

We are committed to:

  • Creating an environment that encourages people regardless of their beliefs or doubts to investigate the claims of Jesus Christ without pressure or fear of judgment so that all people might have an opportunity to receive and experience the gospel.
  • Equipping and mobilizing our church community to share the gospel through our words and actions. If the gospel is good news (and it is), and if the gospel is true (and it is), then it must be shared. When we share the gospel with others in dependence upon the Holy Spirit we enable them to discover the true story of the world of which their lives are also a part.

PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION

The gospel must begin with us. Before sharing the gospel with others, we must first recognize our own desperate need for the continual personal transformation that Jesus brings to each and every one of us who receives its message. Those who do not yet know Christ must hear and receive the gospel in order to enter into a life-giving relationship with God. But even those of us who already identify ourselves as Christians must continually rediscover and apply the gospel to our lives. The engine that drives our ongoing Christian formation is not greater discipline or a program of discipleship, but the gospel. The gospel is the power of God not only for our salvation (Romans 1.16) but also for our continued growth (Colossians 1.5-6). +

Personal Transformation

We are committed to:

  • Applying the gospel to every aspect of our lives to promote maturity and growth in the Christian faith and to produce personal change through a richer experience of grace.
  • Fostering opportunities for spiritual formation that will enable all people to make the best use of practices such as worship, prayer, Scripture, fellowship, and sacrificial service, in order to mature and grow as Christians in dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
  • Crafting beautiful, dynamic worship experiences that will deepen our union with Christ and transform us more into the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • Providing for the spiritual nurture of our families through an excellent children’s ministry, recognizing that children are indispensable to the life of a vibrant church.

CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT

The church is called to be “salt” and “light” by preserving that which is good, true and beautiful from corruption and decay and by illuminating places of darkness and despair. As a result, the church should neither withdraw from the dominant culture out of pride, nor assimilate to it out of cowardice, nor attack it out of defensiveness. Rather the church is called to faithfully engage the dominant culture in humility, courage, and love. This means that we must remain true to our Christian convictions while seeking to expend ourselves for the sake of the world. +

Cultural Engagement

We are committed to:

  • Serving others in love, recognizing that our own faults and shortcomings require us to humbly rely on God’s work in and through us if we have any hope of making a positive difference in our world.
  • Maintaining our distinctive Christian beliefs and practices while engaging the city with integrity and faithfulness through our relationships, families, vocations, and respective spheres of influence.
  • Recognizing the integral relationship between our faith and our vocations so that we might pursue our unique callings with excellence and distinctiveness and contribute to public life through our involvement in the city.
  • Fostering the formation of robust Christian community and leadership development through mentoring, biblical and theological education, and collaborative efforts with other organizations that will lead to a transformative presence within the city.

CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

Central places a high priority on the relationships we enjoy with one another, and this is not without reason. Jesus not only calls us to follow him as individuals, but also gathers us into a community in which we learn to live out the implications of the gospel together. Authentic community, therefore, is vital to the Christian life. Amidst the frenzied pace and dizzying transience of New York City, Central provides a unique environment to forge meaningful relationships with others despite our many differences. Moreover, the depth of relationships we enjoy provides us with opportunities to sacrificially love and serve one another and to tend to the specific needs of our neighborhood with greater attentiveness and intentionality. +

Christian Community

We are committed to:

  • Cultivating an open and authentic community of people of different ages, cultures, and vocations by drawing people from a wide cross-section of New York who are united in our common commitment to Jesus despite our different backgrounds, personalities, and sensibilities.
  • Seeking reconciled and renewed relationships with people from whom we previously may have been estranged and learning from those who are different from us.
  • Practicing biblical hospitality and sacrificial friendship within our community and among the neighbors God has given us by opening up our homes, lives, and resources to others.

MISSION TO THE WORLD

The root of the word mission means “to send,” and we believe that God draws us into relationship with himself in order to send us out to engage the world. Jesus instructed his disciples that he would send his followers into the world as witnesses, ambassadors and agents of the loving and dynamic reign of God. The church is God’s primary instrument of mission in the world. We, therefore, understand ourselves to be people who have been sent into the city to pursue the common good and contribute to the flourishing of New York City by proclaiming the gospel through our words and actions. +

Mission to the World

We are committed to:

  • Sharing the gospel with our words, recognizing that the gospel is primarily a message of what Jesus has done to save us, and therefore it must be expressed through words and received in faith.
  • Expressing God’s care for the city through our actions by pursuing wholeness for the poor, justice for the oppressed, and responsible stewardship of the physical world.
  • Contributing to the renewal of other churches at critical points of inflection and planting new churches in New York City and beyond so that a growing number of people can hear and receive the gospel.
  • Enacting a vision of God’s promised future in our world today based on the conviction that one day Jesus will make all things new.

WEEKLY SERVICES

SUNDAY AT 10:00 AM

SUNDAY AT 11:30 AM

Sermons

EPC | OUR BELIEFS

Central is committed to building a strong community of faith in Jesus Christ that enables people from diverse backgrounds to experience the transformative power of the gospel through insightful biblical teaching, expressive worship, authentic prayer, and meaningful relationships. At the same time, we aim to provide a setting in which people who are undecided about their religious commitments may freely investigate the claims of Christianity. Together, we strive to serve the people of New York in humility and love so that we might have a positive impact on the world around us.

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PROPELLED BY THE PROFOUND

At Central Presbyterian Church, the gospel propels us in every direction—up, in, deep, and out—to be a part of Jesus’ mission to make all things new.