There’s plenty of gospel-preaching churches in our community that are not necessarily Reformed. We’re not seeking to disparage those churches. However, we understand and appreciate that there may be some Christians in Winter Garden and the western Orlando regions that want to connect to a church that is more explicitly Reformed.

What is a “Reformed” church? Reformed churches are those local churches that tend to embrace and emphasize ideas like the Five Solas of the Reformation, the sovereignty of God in all things, covenant theology, elements of traditional liturgy in worship services, expository preaching, Christ-centered hermeneutics, and plurality of eldership.

Which churches in our community hold to these types of Reformed ideas? Here’s a list of Reformed churches in the Winter Garden, west Orlando, and southwest Orlando regions.

 

Celebration Community Church

Celebration Community Church (CCC) is a Converge (Baptist) church with Reformed doctrine, emphasis on Christian hedonism, and a robust small group ministry. CCC is located south of the Disney area. The mission of CCC is to make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ together by faithfully proclaiming God’s Word. The church leaders align with many of the ideas and doctrines of Desiring God and 9Marks. The music at CCC is a combination of traditional hymns and contemporary worship. Learn more.

 

Confessors of Christ Church

Confessors of Christ Church (C3) affirms is a classic Particular Baptist doctrine. C3 is located in the Four Corners region, southwest of the Disney area. The focus at C3 is quality Reformed Baptist teaching and emphasis upon “living life together.” C3 members believe that “whatever life is doing, that’s where we are doing it, together.” They are a part of the G3 network. The music at C3 is mostly classic hymns with some contemporary worship mixed in. Learn more.

 

Emmaus Church

Emmaus Church is not officially part of a Presbyterian denomination, but they (mostly) hold to classic Presbyterian theology. Like many Reformed churches, Emmaus Church is committed to expository preaching, but they tend to go through books of the Bible slower than the average church, intentionally seeking to get the most out of each chapter (e.g., they’ve been going through the book of Matthew for the past three years). Emmaus is also known for being a very loving congregation. For many years, they met at The Garden Theater in downtown Winter Garden, but now they meet in Oakland, FL, just a few minutes west of downtown Winter Garden. Their music style is soft contemporary music with traditional hymns mixed in. Learn more.

 

Esperanca Bible Presbyterian Church

Esperanca Bible Presbyterian Church is a Portuguese-speaking congregation in Orlando that holds to classic Presbyterian doctrine and is part of the Bible Presbyterian Church denomination. Esperanca is not in Winter Garden, they meet in central Orlando, and therefore maybe they should not have made this list. But they draw from all over the state of Florida. And, frankly, they are one of the few healthy Portuguese-speaking congregations in the entire Orlando metro, so we want to promote them whenever we can. They utilize classic Presbyterian liturgical elements and have heavy emphasis on family worship. They also have a reputation for having several dynamic teachers. Learn more.

 

Horizon City Church

Horizon City Church (that’s us) is a new church in our area. We’re a part of Pillar Network (a Reformed subnetwork within the Southern Baptist Convention). We hold to classic Reformed Baptist doctrine, we use a classic Protestant liturgy, and we place great emphasis on Christian hedonism. We meet at Sunridge Elementary School in Winter Garden. Much like Celebration Community Church (mentioned above), we’ve been greatly influenced by both Desiring God and 9Marks. We sing mostly contemporary worship songs with a few traditional hymns mixed in, but we’ve got a simple unplugged style. Plan your visit.

 

Lake Sherwood Presbyterian Church

Lake Sherwood Presbyterian Church is excited to be a part of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), and they’re unapologetically conservative, Reformed, and evangelical. They hold to classic Presbyterian doctrine. They sing Psalms and classic hymns. They heavily emphasize Sunday school, Sunday evening worship, scripture memory, and small groups. They meet in the western end of Orlando, on the border of Ocoee and Orlando, just a few minutes east of the West Oaks Mall. Learn More.

 

New Life Church

New Life Church is part of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). They hold to classic Presbyterian doctrine, utilize traditional Presbyterian liturgy, and sing mostly hymns and Psalms. They heavily emphasize Sunday school and various family programming. They meet in Minneola, FL (apx. 22-25 minutes from downtown Winter Garden), but just a few minutes from the newest turnpike exit in our area, so it’s easy to get to. Learn more.

 

Pine Ridge Church

Pine Ridge Church is part of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). They hold to classic Presbyterian doctrine and utilize traditional Presbyterian liturgy. Pine Ridge has a reputation for being “old school” (in a good way). They also heavily emphasis resourcing their congregation and mobilizing community outreach. They meet in a western neighborhood of Orlando off of Hiawassee Road. Learn more.

 

Sunlight Community Church at Winter Garden

Sunlight Community Church at Winter Garden is a campus of Sunlight Community Church in Port Saint Lucie, FL. They hold to classic Reformed doctrine and practice, and they emphasize how their doctrine applies to the Great Commission and life-on-life ministry. They place great emphasis on Bible study and one-on-one discipleship. They have English and Portuguese services in Winter Garden (and Korean and Spanish services at other campuses); they believe that diversity brings out the beauty of Christ’s true church. Their building is located on Avalon Road in south Winter Garden. Learn more.

 

St. John’s Church

St. John’s Church is part of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). They hold to classic Presbyterian doctrine and utilize elements of traditional Presbyterian liturgy. They meet at West Orange High School. St. John’s focus is to “give our Maker and Redeemer all the praise He is due.” They sing classic hymns with some Psalms mixed in too, led by a worship team and accompanied by piano and flute. Learn more.

 

The Grove Church

The Grove Church is a Baptist church located in Clermont, FL, just a few blocks from the historic downtown district. The congregation has a reputation for being a strong caring community. The Grove Church elders hold to some Reformed doctrines, but such doctrines are not necessarily overtly emphasized. The church leaders have been greatly influenced by the ministry of 9Marks. The Grove Church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, but Sunday morning services do not feel like classic Southern Baptist church services. The music is a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary worship. Learn more.

 

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This isn’t an exhaustive list. There’s probably other Reformed churches in our region. These are the churches that we know about. If you think there’s a church that we ought to add, shoot an email to Pastor Kenny: kenneth[at]kennethortiz.com.

Interested in learning more about Reformed theology? Check out this podcast episode: “What is Reformed theology?“