Our Story

In 1964, a group of forty people began meeting on Sunday evenings in different homes for prayer, Bible study, and worship. The group soon learned of and became attracted to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian denomination because of its commitment to Scripture as God's infallible Word and its rich heritage.

The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church developed from the Church of Scotland. In 1733, the Associate Presbytery (a presbytery consists of five or more churches in a geographical area) was organized in Scotland to assure a more Protestant and democratic church. Ten years later, the Reformed Presbytery was organized by other Scots called Covenanters, so named for their support of the Scottish National Covenant of 1638, which asserted that Christ, not the national monarch, was head of the Church. These movements were part of the Protestant Reformation sweeping Europe.

Members of the two branches entered America in the middle 1700's and in 1782 merged to form the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, one of the oldest continuing Presbyterian Church bodies in the United States. Distance and travel limitations in the early 1800's led to separation of the northern and southern branches of the church, the northern branch having since merged with other Presbyterian bodies. The present Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, although no longer geographically limited to the southern U.S., is the continuation of the southern branch.  Today there are more than 280 churches ranging from Canada to Florida to California.

The First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of Burlington was organized in January 1965 with 35 people meeting in a home. The first worship service held that same month had 137 in attendance. On February 21, the congregation was formally received into the fellowship of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Bryan Gregory is the sixth senior pastor to serve the church.

For more information on the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, click here.