Who We Are

Meet Our Pastor

Dr. Jim Schirmer

I am Jim Schirmer, the pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church since 1993. I have been married to my wife Ann since 1991 and we have five adult sons. I received my theological and ministerial training at Columbia International University (Master of Divinity and Masters in Old Testament) and at Reformed Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry).

I enjoy teaching the Scriptures and interacting with people about its truths. Among the great delights in being a pastor is seeing people come to faith in Jesus Christ and grow in their love for Him!

What We Believe

Heritage Presbyterian Church’s Purpose:

To love God with all our hearts, and our neighbors as ourselves, to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and to be transformed into His likeness.

Heritage Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). If you are unfamiliar with the PCA, please click on the link below.

Find Out About the PCA

We hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith. If you want to read that confession of faith, please click here.

As a member congregation of the PCA, we follow the PCA’s Book of Church Order. You can find a copy of that here.

Our Distinctives

God-Centered Worship

The worship and praise of our glorious God is our highest calling. It will be our chief activity in heaven throughout eternity. Our highest enjoyment is to be in God Himself. Therefore, we will devote ourselves to God-centered worship which is inspiring and meaningful to people.

Reformed Theology

We rejoice in our heritage of the Reformed faith with its emphasis on the majesty and glory of God. Therefore, our discipleship and teaching ministries will include instruction in the basic doctrines of Reformed theology, drawn especially from the Westminster Standards.

Loving Relationships

God created us with a basic need for healthy relationships, and yet we live in a culture in which many have been damaged by unhealthy and dysfunctional relationships. Therefore, we will employ ministry strategies which will stimulate and encourage the building of Christ-like relationships both inside and outside of the church body.

The Authority and Exposition of the Scriptures

Jesus is Head of the Church, and He governs His Church through His Word which is the perfect revelation of His holy will. The Bible is our only infallible rule in matters of faith and practice. By means of the Scriptures we are born again and grow spiritually (1 Pet. 1:23; 2:2). Therefore, our purpose, values, vision, teaching, and every area of our lives are to be based on and in submission to the Word of God. The teaching of the Scriptures will be central to our ministries of evangelism and spiritual nurture (education).

The Transformation of Lives

God’s goal for the Christian is to grow in holiness (1 Thess. 4:3; Heb. 12:14) and to be conformed in character to the likeness of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). We are to grow in Christlike character as defined by the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Therefore, in our ministry we will focus on the transformation of a person’s character through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we in faith make diligent use of the means of grace: the Scripture, prayer, fellowship, obedience, etc.

Fruitful Evangelism

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and it does not please Him when lost souls perish but rather that they might come to repentance. Salvation is fallen man’s greatest need. God is burdened for the lost, and we should be too. Therefore, we will intentionally engage ourselves in evangelistic activities which are relevant to our culture, trusting in the Lord that through us He will “seek and save the lost.” Every ministry of our church will be prepared to have a potential evangelistic impact. We will also be intentionally involved in church planting in the U.S. and in foreign countries through prayer, financial support, and sending out laborers (short-term and long-term).

Every-Member Ministry

We believe that the work of the ministry belongs to the whole church, and that it is the role of leaders to equip the members of the body for the ministry (Eph. 4:11-13). Therefore, we will emphasize leadership development and the training of our members for various ministries. We will assist members in discovering their spiritual gifts and calling. We will not start a new ministry unless there are lay people to run it.

Gracious Service

Our Lord Jesus has served us by obtaining for us forgiveness of sin, redemption, justification, and eternal life ~ freely and without cost (Matt. 20:28)! Therefore, we will seek to develop a “culture of service” in our church by serving one another, caring for one another, and providing for each other’s needs as we have the means and the opportunity. We will extend this same gracious servie to those outside of our church in the hope that they will be tangibly impacted by the Gospel of Christ.

Believing Prayer

Prayer is an instrument God has given His people by means of which He sends blessings into their lives (Matt. 7:7-8; John 14:13-14), and it is also a primary spiritual weapon which utilizes God’s power to defeat His enemies and to extend His righteous Kingdom. Therefore, believing prayer will undergird all of our ministries and we will seek to increasingly become a church that “prays without ceasing.”

Building Strong Families

We live in an age in which cultural and spiritual forces are at work to destroy the nuclear family. God instituted the family to be the fundamental unit of human society. The destruction of the family would result in the destruction of society and of the Church on earth. Therefore, we will intentionally devise ministry strategies aimed at strengthening families in our church and also in the community.

Grace-Oriented Christian Lives

In the Christian life we face a constant gravitation toward legalism, self-righteousness, and independence from God. This greatly hinders our witness, impedes our spiritual growth, denies the Gospel, and grieves the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in our teaching and discipling ministries we will emphasize what God has done for us in saving us (the “grace statements” of Scripture) before we stress what God commands us to do (the “imperatives” of Scripture).