About Us

Our Beliefs

Evergreen PCA believes in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scriptures. This means that we believe there are no errors and can be no errors in Scripture because they are the God-breathed words of the Lord (2 Tim. 3:16). We also believe the historic ecumenical creeds of the Christian Church to be faithful summaries of the teachings of Scripture. This includes the  Apostles Creed Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. We also subscribe to the Westminster Standards as an accurate summary of Scripture’s teaching.

Reformed

We are theologically Reformed, which means that while our theology is fundamentally drawn from the Bible, we find ourselves identifying most closely with the Augustinian doctrines of grace as well as the doctrines of grace continued in the teachings of the magisterial Reformers such as Calvin, Luther and Zwingli, but also continued later in the work of the Westminster Assembly. Reformed theology is most distinctive for its emphasis on God’s sovereign and gracious dealings with mankind by means of covenants.

Presbyterian

We are a Presbyterian Church, which means we believe the Bible teaches that all churches ought to be elder led (see Acts 14:23). We also believe that elders are meant to oversee their own as well as other churches. This means that we are connected to other churches in our denomination, and that we have accountability toward one another.

Our Liturgy

Every church uses a liturgy – a planned out order of service. Some churches are intentional and thoughtful about their liturgy, and some are perhaps not as much, but all churches use a liturgy. Evergreen uses a liturgy that is drawn from Scripture, but that also has its roots in church history. We see this worked out in a few ways:

Word-Centered

We believe it is important that every element of our liturgy be drawn from the Scriptures. If it cannot be found in Scripture, then that element should not be included. This leads to worship that is intentionally simple, Christ-centered, and is “Bible filled.”

  • The Word Read
  • The Word Preached
  • The Word Prayed
  • The Word Sung
  • The Word Seen

The Lord’s Worship

The most important calling for all Christians is the call to worship God. We are called to worship him individually, as families, and corporately as a church. In our corporate worship, Evergreen’s worship is guided by the regulative principle of worship, which says that the elements of worship in our services should be commanded by God. (For more information on the regulative principle, see the Sunday School lesson from our Pastor). Pastor Parker also preached an entire Sunday School series on the history of worship in the Christian church.

Music in Worship

Music is a gift and blessing from God. The Psalmists repeatedly extol the use of instruments in worship to God. Even so, while Scripture teaches that instruments are to be used in worship to God, we do not believe that God’s word gives specific commands governing which specific instruments should or should not necessarily be used in corporate worship. While we do occasionally have other instruments such as violins and flutes in our services, the general practice at Evergreen is for music that is primarily led by piano and organ as an aid to congregational singing. We sing Psalms as well as hymns bridging the period from the early church up until the Reformation, and even some songs from the present.

Christ's Sacraments

The Bible prescribes two sacraments for Jesus’ church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe it is biblical to baptize the children of believers. This means that we practice infant baptism, but we also practice believers-baptism. While all officers in the PCA are required to believe in infant baptism, one can be a member of our church without agreeing with the practice of infant baptism. For more information on this subject, our Pastor preached a series on this exact topic:

Our History

In September of 1992, Nathan, Glenda, and Hannah Lewis moved to Portland to start a new mission of the Presbyterian Church in America. Their friends, Bryan, Lisa and Sean Estelle, relocated to join the team. Phil Clark, Director of Mission to North America in the PCA, recommended Beaverton as the site.

In October of 1992, eight adults, along with some children, began to meet in the Lewis home on Sunday evenings to pray and to plan. This group chose the name Evergreen Presbyterian Church to capture the biblical image of the vibrant and growing Church watered by God.

In March of 1993, the group meeting in the Lewis home, about 30 people, began to worship on Sunday mornings at Rock Creek Elementary School. In these formative months a surprising number of people embraced the gospel they were hearing and began to follow Jesus.

In 1995 Evergreen moved to Westgate Plaza in Beaverton, at the north end of Hall Boulevard. They leased flex space from Erik Kingstad and office space from Lindi Biggi. At this site, Evergreen began to grow slowly and steadily.

In 1997, Evergreen organized as a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America. Guy Williams and Jim Hill were installed as ruling elders. Stan Kohlmeyer and Keith Hansen were installed as a deacons. Nathan Lewis was called to be Pastor of the new congregation. Charter members professed their faith and pledged to participate in the new congregation.

In 1999 Evergreen Presbyterian Church purchased the corner lot at Hall Boulevard and Hart Road.  They demolished a dilapidated house and began to develop a church site. The following year, Evergreen purchased the adjacent lot to the north. The members and friends of Evergreen constructed the building (especially Ron Williams, Gene Pong, Stephen Lewis, and Don and Richard Perkins).

Evergreen has helped to start eight PCA congregations in Oregon. Her members have self-sacrificially funded Oregon missions, and many have left Evergreen to join our new congregations.

Also, during these years, David and Carolyn Hopkins joined Evergreen. Evergreen called David to be Associate Pastor and Carolyn to be Music Coordinator. David’s call sets him aside to work for C.H.I.E.F., a mission agency discipling Native Americans to serve the Church. Over the years, David has served Evergreen significantly in teaching, counseling, and leadership. Carolyn has significantly expanded the music ministry of Evergreen.

In 2000, Evergreen founded St. Stephen’s Academy, a Christian classical school. The school opened with seven children and has grown significantly in the past decades. Charter Evergreen members, Cheryl Boden, Penny Spivey, Kirsten Wothe, and Glenda Portukalian Lewis, provided much of the first phase establishment of the school. Michael Kane served as the first Chairman of the Board. The first Principal of the school was Raelene Meeker, who served self-sacrificially for three years.

In 2008 John Breckenridge was appointed Headmaster, and in 2011 Erik Haralson was appointed the second Chairman of the Board.  John served faithfully for 10 years, and in 2018 Travis Koch took over the mantle of Headmaster from John and is guiding the school into their third decade of educational service to our communities families.

After serving Evergreen for 25 years, Nathan and Glenda Lewis were called by God to move away from their beloved Portland, and in August of 2020 Adam Parker was called be Senior Pastor of Evergreen.  Adam and his wife, Arryn have been married since 2001 and have four children. He attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS and is overjoyed to be able to now call Oregon home. He considers the responsibility of shepherding God’s people and preaching God’s inspired and inerrant Word to be his highest priority as a pastor.