We are first and foremost Bible believers. Every part of the inspired and infallible word of God is the only foundation for all that we believe and teach. The word of God is to govern all that we confess doctrinally and how we conduct ourselves practically even when it is ridiculed by the world as unpopular or unacceptable. The Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 4:4 quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." 

We are what has been historically and generally termed "reformed" in our theology. Simply put, that means we believe the Bible teaches that God is absolutely sovereign in salvation and that salvation has always been by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, and to the glory of the triune God alone. Our full statement of faith is a slightly amended version of the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. We believe that Protestant and historic confession of faith accurately reflects what the Bible teaches. A summary of what we believe can be found elsewhere on this site.

Practically, we are Free Presbyterians. People often ask about the word "Free" in our name. We are a local church that is a part of denomination that seeks to be free from corrupting the gospel. As Free Presbyterians we believe, as Christ said, "the truth will make you free" John 8:32. Through trusting in the glorious truth of the gospel and experiencing the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth, sinners are made legally free from sin and separated unto The Lord Jesus Christ for service in His kingdom (John 3:3; 8:32; Romans 1:1; 7:24-8:4; 12:1). 

We believe that the Bible teaches that the genuine possession of this spiritual freedom will express itself in a continuous, though imperfect, pursuit of holiness and purity in doctrine and practice (Philippians 1:6; 2:12; 3:13-14). This Biblical pursuit will, of course, lead believers to abstain from certain activities in the world (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 5:1-11, etc.). It will also lead to abstaining from knowingly affiliating with false churches and/or false Christians who do not actually believe the Biblical gospel and/or severely compromise on the essential truths of Biblical Christianity (Galatians 1:6-10; Ephesians 5:11). 

This is the rationale behind identifying as "Free" Presbyterian. It is an effort to identify as a local church/denomination that is a part of Biblical Christianity, to summarize our practice as a congregation of believers, and to exclude any openness to compromise on the essential truths of the Christian faith. 

We were established as Orlando Free Presbyterian Church in January of 1989 and, though it has not always been easy, the Lord has graciously sustained the work since then.

The work had its beginning in a hotel room in October 1988. On that occasion, Dr. Alan Cairns, who, at the time, was the Pastor of Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina, and Rev. John Wagner, traveled to Orlando to explore the possibility of starting an extension work in the area. 

There were approximately five families who had expressed an interest in starting a Free Presbyterian congregation in the area. On the Lord's Day evening, Dr. Cairns preached to the families on 1 Samuel 17:29, "Is there not a cause?" And it was that very text the Lord used to call Rev. Wagner to Orlando to take up his first ministry, which he did in January of 1989. 

A vacant storefront was the congregation's first official meeting place. Several months passed, but the Lord eventually provided the opportunity to purchase a church building and a house on the same property in the summer of 1990. This is the same property where the church remains today. Rev. John Wagner continued as the pastor of Orlando FPC from 1989 until 2002 when he received a call to plant another Free Presbyterian Church in Lexington, South Carolina. 

The congregation then called the Rev. Derrick Erwin to be its new pastor. Rev. Erwin had been active in pastoral ministry for several years in Ulster, Northern Ireland before coming to the United States. He came with his wife in 2003 and faithfully served as the congregation's pastor until 2017. 

Orlando FPC was without a pastor for several years after the Erwins left but eventually called Rev. Logan Elder in October 2022 to be the new pastor. Rev. Elder and his family came in January of 2023 and he has been serving as the pastor since that time. 

A significant aspect of the history of Orlando FPC is its membership in the Free Presbyterian Church of North America, which is a sister denomination of The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. That is where the history of our local church and denomination began. If you would like to know more then please visit FPCNA.org. or click here https://fpcna.org/. Below is a documentary that highlights some of the key aspects of the history of our denomination.