About IRECT

IRECT was founded by a group of Indonesian immigrants in Canada in 2001. Since the beginning, IRECT has been a place of worship for both Indonesians and non-Indonesians across the Greater Toronto area. We seek to be a church that welcomes people from different backgrounds, and gladly welcome and receive visitors of different ethnicities, languages, and cultures at our church. We long to reflect the vision of the Church in Revelation 7:9 where “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” worshipping Him in unity.

Reformed

The Reformed tradition stands as one of the important branches in the history of the universal Christian Church in general, and the Protestant churches in particular. We follow the teaching of John Calvin, a 16th-century reformer who labored to return Christianity to its biblical roots. We hold to the confessional standards of the Three Forms of Unity, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism.

Evangelical

The term Evangelical comes from the Greek word euangelion, meaning “gospel” or “good news.” We seek to follow the example of historic evangelical figures such as Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) and George Whitefield (1715–1770), who led the Christians of their day to experience a spiritual revival that is marked by repentance and holy living. It is this enthusiasm, fervor, and zeal for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we pray and hope will continually burn in the hearts of our congregation.

Mission

We are a missional church that gathers to worship the Triune God, to hear and study the Word of God, to live out the Word of God in loving fellowship, to bring renewal of vision and life, to proclaim the Word of God faithfully and fully, to develop God-fearing and loving Christian communities, and to seek shalom in every area of life.

Vision

“Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

We long to see the words of Jesus Christ, Lord over all things, fulfilled — namely, the renewal of every aspect of life: the individual, the family, the Church, society, the city, and the whole of God’s creation.

Our Basis

The Bible

The foundation of Indonesian Reformed Evangelical Church in Toronto (IRECT) is the Bible, consisting of the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, as recognized in the Reformed confessions.

Confessional Standards

IRECT holds to the following Reformed confessions:

The Three Forms of Unity:

  • The Belgic Confession (1561)
  • The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
  • The Canons of Dort (1619)

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)

The Larger Catechism (1647)

The Shorter Catechism (1647)

Ecumenical Creeds

IRECT holds to the following ecumenical creeds:

The Apostles’ Creed

The Athanasian Creed

The Nicene Creed

The Characteristics of IRECT

The Primacy of the Word of God in Worship

The Word of God is central in IRECT’s worship, both in the preaching and in the sacraments. Living in a society that is increasingly secular, consumeristic, and materialistic, our church is called to proclaim and teach the Word of Truth faithfully and fully (2 Tim. 2:15).

Biblically Faithful Songs

For us, the Word of God is primary and central in worship — the songs and hymns we sing in worship must be in direct accordance with the Bible.

System of Church Government: Presbyterian

In other words, IRECT is shepherded and governed by elders. The primary tasks of elders is to shepherd the congregation (Acts 20:28), lead and govern the congregation (Titus 1:7), and guard the purity of the church’s doctrine (1 Tim. 5:17). According to their duties, there are ruling elders and teaching elders at IRECT. Both ruling elders and teaching elders are ordained and lead the church as the Church Council (Consistory or Session). The teaching elder, or Pastor, is responsible for teaching, worship, and the administration of the sacraments. The ruling elders are responsible for discipline, growth, and the mission of the church. The elders hold council meetings to consider, discuss, and decide the overall direction and ministry of IRECT.

The Family as an Important Unit

We worship together as families and believe that the Church is the family of God. We are committed to caring for, nurturing, and strengthening Christian families so that they may grow in the grace of the Lord, bear fruit for Him, and become a blessing in the communities where they live.

Children are important to us. Therefore, in the sacrament of baptism, we as Christian parents bring our children to the Lord. We believe that our children are an integral part of God’s covenant family. At the time of the baptism of our children, we promise to raise them in the faith, and we also know that we are not alone. Other members of the church professes the same commitment before the Lord to help teach our children in the Christian faith and support their growth as believers.

The Priesthood of All Believers

All Christians are servants of the Lord in all places where the Lord has placed them. Whether our occupations are in schools, factories, fields, or in the church, and whether we are at work or at home, we use the gifts for ministry that the Lord has given us for the good of His Kingdom (1 Pet. 2:9).

A Strong Commitment to Christian Formation

Our church’s programs are designed to help the congregation grow into mature Christians. We long for every member of our church to become a Christian who knows what they believe wholeheartedly, understands the Bible deeply, and lives according to its teachings obediently.