Meet a Member of the Board

January 18, 2009

About Tenth Presbyterian Church, Dr. Philip G. Ryken, senior minister

Tenth lies in the very heart of Philadelphia. It has about 1,500 members and hosts about 1,400 people each week at its three Sunday services: 9:00 and 11:00 am. and 6:30 pm. Information about these services can be found in our weekly bulletin along with listings of our many additional activities throughout the week.
Theology

Tenth Presbyterian Church holds to the classic formulations of Presbyterian theology which came out of the reformation period: the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. In addition we govern ourselves by the Book of Church Order prepared by our denomination, Presbyterian Church in America.

The Presbyterian creeds contain many important affirmations, but among them are the following major teachings:

   1. The inspiration, inerrancy and authority of the Bible as the written Word of God.
   2. The sinfulness of all men and women and their resulting inability to seek out or please God by their own efforts.
   3. The death of the unique Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, as an atoning sacrifice for us. We believe that there is no salvation for anyone apart from faith in him.
   4. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.
   5. The person and work of the Holy Spirit, the third member of the divine Trinity, in drawing people to Christ, enabling them to believe on him, and strengthening them to live godly lives.
   6. The necessity for Christians to follow Jesus Christ in personal and often costly discipleship.
   7. The church as a fellowship of born again persons, committed to helping one another grow in their Christian lives.
   8. The privilege and power of prayer.
   9. The importance of Christians reaching into all the world to call people to faith in Christ and helping influence their world, both near and farther away, for good.
  10. The return of Jesus Christ to judge all persons and to take those who have trusted him to heaven.

History

Tenth Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which it joined in 1981. But we have a history going back many years before that. The church was founded in 1828, when the War of 1812 was still fresh in most people's minds and the rapidly expanding western population of the United States still lay largely along the great river valleys. The day of the railroads was still in the future. Andrew Jackson became president of the United States in November.

Philadelphia was then the second largest city in the country, but it was not large. The area surrounding the Schuylkill River, where the church is now located, was farmland, and the original Tenth Presbyterian Church was located in the old business area of the city, where services were first held in December 1829.

Today Philadelphia has a population well over one million. Tenth has grown, too, but our purpose has not changed. We praise God for the privilege of preaching his gospel, praising his name, and showing his mercy in the City of Brotherly Love.

We look forward to meeting you whenever you are able to come to Philadelphia. And may God bless you richly now and always.

Yours very warmly in the service of Christ,

Philip G. Ryken
Senior Minister