know god's love, show god's love, share god's love

OUR MISSION STATEMENT: 

We are called by God to be a hub of caring in the community. We want people to know and experience the reconciling love of Jesus Christ through our church as we gather and serve together.

our beliefs

Our Mission rests firmly on the Gospel of Jesus Christ known through the Bible, and as expressed through the historic creeds and confessions of the Reformed Church.

  • We believe in the Triune God ---- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge one God who eternally exists in these three persons. We believe that God created the universe. God is loving and compassionate, just and kind. His deepest desire is to live in an intimate relationship with all people.

  • We believe that because of his desire to live in relationship with us, God became a human being. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, born of a virgin, fully God and fully man. Through his sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, Jesus made it possible for all people to live in a relationship with God. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Through him and him alone can people enter into a relationship with God.

  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is God at work in us now. Through him we experience the love and power of God in our lives and in the church.  The Spirit gives gifts to all believers. We believe in all the biblical gifts of the Spirit and encourage people to discover and use their gifts properly for the benefit of his Kingdom.

  • We believe that the Bible is the living Word of God. Through the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments God reveals himself to us. The entire Bible is God-breathed and God-inspired. The Scriptures are the norm and basis upon which we build our faith and live our lives.

  • We believe in and practice the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. We believe that through baptism God expresses his grace as he welcomes us into the covenant family of faith. We believe that through the Lord’s Supper God’s Love and forgiveness are made clear as we are pointed to Jesus. It is both a reminder of Christ’s atoning death and an experience of his spiritual presence.

  • We acknowledge that humanity is separated from God because of sin. Sin exists as a break in the relationship with God that can only be mended by God’s action. We joyfully proclaim and receive the Good News that because of Jesus Christ forgiveness is possible. Salvation comes only by grace through faith in what God has done, not through good works or even good religion.

  • We believe in and anticipate the return of Jesus Christ. Though we don’t know the day or hour, we proclaim his soon return to inspire all people to turn to him and to make the most of life today.

  • We believe that empowered followers of Jesus Christ should continually seek to enhance their relationship with him by embracing these characteristics of a vital faith:

    • Regular participation in worship and corporate prayer
    • Daily devotion and personal prayer
    • Personal growth through Bible study and group learning activities
    • Obedience to Christ and the Scriptures in personal behavior
    • Commitment to others in the Body of Christ through caring for one another
    • Stewardship of God’s blessings, giving of our time and talents, and tithing of our treasures
    • Sharing God’s love in mission and service to others outside the church

  • We believe in sharing the love of Jesus Christ in relevant and creative ways with those not yet connected to Christ or the church. Because lost people matter to God we will make them the priority of our mission. We will continually seek to create an inviting climate of warmth and hospitality that welcomes all to come and hear about Jesus at their own pace.

  • We believe that in and through us God will continue to advance His kingdom, perform wonders and miraculous signs, and fulfill the Great Commission as we live and minister in the spirit of the Great Commandment. Jesus teaches us to go and make disciples and commands us to love the Lord with all our heart…love your neighbor as you love yourselves.

our history

The Presbyterian Church at Pluckemin is located in the small village of Pluckemin, which is part of Bedminster Township in the hills of Somerset County. The beginnings of the church in the Pluckemin area go back to about 1720, when early settlers started to arrive from Holland, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. 

  • The area was then known as Raritan in the Hills. An early log church was erected on the mountainside about a mile and a quarter east of the present site, but usually it was more convenient for the people to meet in each other's homes. In 1758, the first church was built on the present site in Pluckemin village. This church was a stone structure, called St. Paul's and barely survived through the American Revolution, which brought raids of British troops and Washington's Army to the area. By 1850, the population had grown to sufficient size to warrant formal approval from the Presbytery of Elizabethtown to form a local Presbyterian Church. The year 1851 is the official date the cornerstone was laid, and by 1856 the church membership was up to nearly 140 people. The present building is located within 70 yards of the original site, on the same street.   Membership is currently about 175.

  • Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings established the core of Reformed Theology which is at the heart of the Presbyterian Church.


    Calvin did much of his writing from Geneva, Switzerland. From there, the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe and the British Isles. Many of the early Presbyterians in America came from England, Scotland and Ireland. The first American Presbytery was organized at Philadelphia in 1706. The first General Assembly was held in the same city in 1789. The first Assembly was convened by the Rev. John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence.

  • Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways: they adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and a form of government that stresses the active, leadership of both pastors and church members.

  • The principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God’s purpose for humanity comes from the Bible. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God’s generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone’s job — ministers and lay people alike — to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike.