Who Are the Covenanters and What Do They Believe?

Updated

The Covenanters were 17th-century Scottish Presbyterians who bound themselves by public covenants to defend Reformed worship and the crown rights of Christ over the church. Their name comes from those covenants, and their descendants today include Reformed Presbyterian congregations and, in a related stream, Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) churches such as Covenanters ARP Church in Cambridge, Nova Scotia. If you are asking who the Covenanters are because you want to visit or join a congregation, the practical answer is: look for a church that holds the Westminster Confession, worships God alone through Christ, and welcomes visitors to its services.

Where the Name "Covenanter" Comes From

In Scotland, Presbyterians signed national covenants—most famously the National Covenant (1638) and the Solemn League and Covenant (1643)—pledging to preserve Reformed doctrine and church government against royal interference. Those who signed and stood by these documents became known as Covenanters. The term is historical first, denominational second: it describes a movement before it describes a single institution.

What Covenanters Believe

Covenanter churches stand in the Reformed tradition. The core convictions include:

  • Scripture as the final authority for faith and practice.
  • The Westminster Confession of Faith and its catechisms as confessional standards.
  • Worship directed to God alone—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—and not to angels, saints, or any other creature. As the Covenanters ARP Church site quotes from Chapter XXI, Section II of the Westminster Confession: since the fall, worship is not without a Mediator, "nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone."
  • Presbyterian government, with elders rather than bishops.
  • The Sabbath set apart for worship and rest.

What "ARP" Means

ARP stands for Associate Reformed Presbyterian. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church grew out of Scottish covenanting and secession traditions that were transplanted to North America. So an ARP congregation is not identical to the historic Covenanter church bodies, but it shares the same Reformed, Presbyterian, and confessional roots. A church named "Covenanters ARP" is signaling both its Covenanter heritage and its ARP denominational affiliation.

Visiting Covenanters ARP Church

If you are near Cambridge, Nova Scotia, the congregation meets at:

  • Address: 6185 Hwy #1, Cambridge, NS B0P 1G0
  • Services: Sundays at 10:00 am and 4:30 pm
  • Nursery: Provided for both services

Visitors are welcome at either service. The morning and afternoon pattern reflects a traditional Presbyterian practice of gathering twice on the Lord's Day.

How to Find or Join a Covenanter or Reformed Presbyterian Congregation

  1. Identify the tradition you want. Historic Covenanter bodies (Reformed Presbyterian) and ARP churches are related but distinct. Decide whether you are looking for a Reformed Presbyterian or an Associate Reformed Presbyterian congregation.
  2. Search by confession and location. Look for churches that name the Westminster Confession in their statement of faith, then filter by your area.
  3. Check the service schedule and visit. Most congregations publish times and addresses online, as Covenanters ARP does.
  4. Ask about membership. Attending is the first step; joining typically involves meeting with the session (the elders), professing faith, and being received into membership. Ask the pastor or an elder what the process looks like at that specific church.

If you cannot find a Covenanter or ARP church nearby, contact the nearest one and ask for a referral—these denominations are small and often know of sister congregations or like-minded churches in other regions.