THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE
REFORMED CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES
PART IV.
DOCTRINE AND WORSHIP
SECTION 1. Doctrine
ARTICLE 176. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which are called canonical, being recognized as genuine and inspired, are received as the true and proper Word of God, infallible and inerrant, and the ultimate rule and measure of the whole Christian faith and doctrine.
ARTICLE 177. The Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession of Faith, and the Canons of Dort are received as authoritative expressions of the truths taught in the Holy Scriptures, and are acknowledged to be the subordinate standards of doctrine in the Reformed Church in the United States.
SECTION 2. Worship
ARTICLE 178. The essential parts of public worship are a call to worship, salutation, invocation, singing, prayer, reading of the Word, preaching a sermon, giving the offerings, the benediction, and the doxology. These elements of worship approved or recommended by the Synod shall be used in the regular Lord's Day service.
ARTICLE 179. Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost -- and all days appointed by ecclesiastical or civil authority for fasting or thanksgiving -- may be duly respected and observed by congregations and families by attending public worship in their churches.
ARTICLE 180. The Lord's Day (Sunday) shall be kept a holy day, devoted to the public worship of the Lord, to reading the Holy Scriptures, to private devotions, and to works of love and mercy. Week-day meetings for prayer and daily family worship are also commended as important religious services.
SECTION 3. The Sacraments
ARTICLE 181. The sacraments of the Church instituted by Christ are two: Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
ARTICLE 182. Children are received into the Church by baptism and are subject to its care and discipline. As soon as they are old enough to learn the Catechism and to be benefitted by the pastor's instruction, they shall become members of the catechetical class.
ARTICLE 183. A child shall be baptized if one of its parents is a member of the Church.
ARTICLE 184. The previous article shall not be so construed as to prevent persons who adopt orphans or other children into their families from bringing them to God for baptism and giving them the sign and seal of the covenant of grace.
ARTICLE 185. Adults shall be baptized if a minister has ascertained that they possess correct views of Christian doctrine, give evidence of true repentance and faith, and are willing to yield obedience to the requirements of Christ. But if in these respects the minister discovers deficiencies, he shall direct them to attend the usual catechetical instruction, and shall afterward proceed in relation to them as with other catechumens. If this, however, is impractical, he shall instruct them in some other suitable way.
ARTICLE 186. Baptism shall be administered publicly in the church, if possible. The forms provided in the liturgy of the Reformed Church in the United States shall be used.
ARTICLE 187. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper shall be observed publicly in every congregation at least twice a year, and the celebration conducted according to the established order of the Reformed Church in the United States.
ARTICLE 188. Every sermon based upon Scripture must necessarily conform to the spiritual meaning of the Lord's Supper; and unless the Spiritual Council has taken official disciplinary measures against a communicant member, he shall not be denied the privileges of attending the Lord's Table. In the congregational records the dates on which the holy communion has been administered and the names of the members who have communed shall be noted.
ARTICLE 189. Members, in good standing, of other congregations of the Reformed Church, and of other denominations holding the essential doctrines of the Gospel, should be invited to participate in the observance of this sacrament.
ARTICLE 190. The Lord's Supper shall be administered to the sick and infirm communicants who are not able to come to the house of God and who express a desire to receive the sacrament.
SECTION 4. Rites
ARTICLE 191. Confirmation, ordination and marriage are sacred church rites, which shall be administered according to the order prescribed in the liturgy of the Church.
ARTICLE 192. Every pastor shall carefully prepare the youth in his pastoral charge for communicant membership in the Church by diligently instructing them in the doctrines and duties of the Christian religion. The period of instruction shall, if possible, be so extended that the pupils memorize and are able to recite the entire Heidelberg Catechism before confirmation. The course of instruction shall include catechetical explanation and memorization, Bible history, Bible readings and memorizations, and the study of the books and contents of the Bible, the Belgic Confession of Faith, the Canons of Dort, church history, also the singing and memorization of Psalms, hymns, and Scripture songs.
ARTICLE 193. Before admitting applicants for confirmation into full communion with the Church, the Spiritual Council shall be satisfied that the candidates understand the fundamental truths of the Christian religion and are governed by them in their walk and conversation.
ARTICLE 194. In the act of ordination, whether of a minister, an elder, or a deacon, only ordained ministers and elders of the church shall participate in the laying on of hands. A person once ordained whether as a minister of the Gospel, an elder, or a deacon, is set apart to that particular office for life, unless for sufficient reason the ordination has been revoked.
ARTICLE 195. Marriage is an ordinance of God and should be solemnized in accordance with the laws of the Church as well as the State.
ARTICLE 196. Members of the Church, having died in the faith and hope of the Gospel, shall receive a Christian burial; the burial service may be conducted according to the order prescribed by the Church.
AMENDMENTS
ARTICLE 197. This Constitution may be amended or altered in any article by a two-thirds vote of the Synod, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the Classes.