Soli Deo Gloria
Ozark Doctrine
Proclaiming the historic Christian faith in the heart of the Ozarks.
Rooted in Scripture. Grounded in the Reformed confessions. For the glory of God alone.
“Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.”— Jeremiah 6:16
Why Doctrine Matters
We live in an age that prizes experience over truth, feeling over faith, and pragmatism over principle. Many churches have quietly abandoned doctrinal instruction in favor of what draws a crowd. But the Apostle Paul did not mince words when he wrote to Timothy:
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”— 1 Timothy 4:16
Doctrine is not an academic exercise for theologians in ivory towers. It is the lifeblood of the Church. What we believe about God shapes how we worship Him, how we raise our children, how we suffer, and how we hope. Without sound doctrine, the people of God are “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching” (Ephesians 4:14).
To neglect doctrine is to neglect God Himself, for doctrine is simply the careful study of what God has revealed about Himself in His Word. Every Christian is a theologian—the only question is whether we will be good ones or poor ones.
Sound doctrine protects the Church from error, nourishes believers in the faith, and equips the saints for the work of ministry. It is the foundation upon which genuine spiritual life is built. Without it, we are building on sand.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”— 2 Timothy 3:16–17
The Necessity of Theology
“No creed but Christ” sounds humble, but it is a creed in itself—and a dangerously thin one. Every time we say something about who God is, what salvation means, or how Christians ought to live, we are doing theology. The question is never whether we will have a theology, but whether our theology will be faithful to Scripture or shaped by the spirit of the age.
The Reformers understood this. When Martin Luther, John Calvin, and their successors labored to recover the gospel from centuries of corruption, they did so through rigorous, careful, prayerful study of God’s Word. Their theology was not innovation—it was recovery. They sought to return to what the Scriptures had always taught:
These Five Solas are not slogans. They are the distilled convictions of men who were willing to die rather than compromise the truth of the gospel. Theology that is faithful to these principles is theology worth holding—and worth passing on.
The Creeds & Confessions
The Church did not begin with us. For nearly two thousand years, faithful Christians have labored to articulate, defend, and hand down the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). The creeds and confessions of the Church are not additions to Scripture—they are the Church’s faithful summary of what Scripture teaches, forged in the fires of controversy and refined by centuries of faithful reflection.
The Ecumenical Creeds
These ancient statements unite all orthodox Christians across time and place:
The Apostles’ Creed
The most ancient summary of Christian belief, tracing its roots to the earliest centuries of the Church. A confession of the Triune God and the essential articles of the faith.
The Nicene Creed (325/381)
Born out of the Church’s fight against Arianism, this creed affirms the full deity of Christ—“God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father.”
The Athanasian Creed
The most thorough creedal statement on the doctrine of the Trinity and the two natures of Christ. Unapologetically precise because the truth demands precision.
The Reformed Confessions
These documents represent the mature theological reflection of the Reformed tradition—churches that sought to carry the Reformation to its scriptural conclusions:
The Westminster Standards
The Westminster Confession of Faith, together with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1646–1648), stands as the most comprehensive and precise confessional document in the Reformed tradition. Produced by the Westminster Assembly, these documents systematically set forth the doctrines of Scripture with unmatched clarity.
The Belgic Confession (1561)
Written by Guido de Brès at the cost of his own life, this confession articulates the Reformed faith as held by the churches of the Netherlands. Its 37 articles cover the full range of Christian doctrine with warmth, precision, and pastoral care.
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
Organized around the themes of guilt, grace, and gratitude, the Heidelberg Catechism is the most beloved of the Reformed confessions. Its first question and answer remains one of the most beautiful summaries of the Christian faith ever penned: “What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
The Canons of Dort (1618–1619)
The Synod of Dort’s response to the Arminian Remonstrance. These canons set forth the doctrines of grace—unconditional election, particular redemption, total depravity, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints—not as cold abstractions, but as the Church’s joyful confession of God’s sovereign, saving love.
These confessions are subordinate standards—they have authority only insofar as they faithfully summarize the teaching of Scripture. But they represent the collective wisdom of the Church, and to ignore them is to say that the Holy Spirit has taught us nothing in two thousand years. We confess with the Church of every age because we believe with the Church of every age.
Why the Ozarks?
The Ozark region is home to countless churches and deeply sincere people who love the Lord. We do not doubt that for a moment, and we thank God for every faithful believer in these hills and hollers. But sincerity alone is not enough. Many of us who grew up in Ozark churches were raised on a steady diet of altar calls, emotional revivals, and well-meaning but doctrinally shallow preaching.
Finding a church in the Ozarks that preaches the doctrines of grace, practices confessional worship, administers the sacraments faithfully, and exercises meaningful church membership and discipline is extraordinarily difficult. For many Reformed believers in this region, the nearest confessional church may be hours away.
Ozark Doctrine exists to serve those believers—and to introduce others to the richness of the Reformed faith. This is not a site born out of hostility toward other Christians or other traditions. It is born out of love: love for God’s truth, love for His Church, and love for this particular place.
We believe the Ozarks need what every place needs—churches and Christians who are deeply rooted in the Word of God, anchored by the historic confessions, and committed to the means of grace that Christ has given His Church: the faithful preaching of the Word, the right administration of the sacraments, and the proper exercise of church discipline.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”— Hosea 4:6
Our prayer is that this site might play some small part in changing that—one article, one confession, one conversation at a time.
Begin Your Journey
Whether you are new to the Reformed faith or have been walking this road for years, we welcome you. Explore the blog, read the confessions, and join the conversation.