Our Church

The vision of our church is that the knowledge of the Triune God would fill the Earth and that we will teach people and the nations the fear and admonition of the Lord.

The mission of our church specifically in Hungary is that we may proclaim the gospel to our people the Hungarians and that we may teach our nation to love and worship God. We firmly believe that only after this will we have the hope that God will have mercy on us and that he will bless us abundantly on an individual, familial and national level.

We believe that God extends His kingdom through his people the Church: by the preaching of the Word, by the administration of the Sacraments and by the exercise of Church discipline. The faithfulness of the church is inseparable from saving faith, which is why we firmly believe that we as the Body of Christ should minister to those in need in our families first, and then in our community and our nation.

The CREC is a church that started in the US in 1998. However, the CREC operates under the name CREC-EU in Europe to emphasize that our church is not an “American import” but rather a church that is sensitive to the regional, cultural and historic variations of the community it serves all around the globe and specifically in Europe. You can find other CREC-EU member churches in Poland, Russia and Bulgaria. The mission in Hungary is directly under the supervision of the CREC-EU church in Wrocław, Poland.

CREC stands for the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches. Please take a few minutes to read and understand each of the elements of this name.

First and foremost, we are a Church of Jesus Christ, Lord of Creation and Ruler of the World. We are a strong Trinitarian Church and thus affirm that Father, Son and Holy Ghost are all in essence the same, undividable and inseparable God, who is one God, in three persons. The Father; the Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost are all equal members of the Trinity, who differ in their functions within the economy of one Godhead. We believe that God has founded the Church as the means of taking dominion over this world in knowledge of and obedience to Him. It is through the Church that God works in history and gathers his elect. We do realize that this Church is not perfect yet, and that in her History, she has brought disgrace to her Husband and Lord. We, however, believe that at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the Church as a collective body will be free of all wrinkle, spot or blemish. Our goal as one of the churches of the Historic Church of Christ is to work the will of God according to His will from Glory to Glory. We seek unity with other Churches and hope to cooperate them even if there are differences in some doctrinal issues. In reference to other Churches we strongly agree with St. Augustine that we as Christians should be united in all things that are important (Trinity, Christology and Soteriology), be tolerant and open for discussion in other doctrinal issues and above all, love one another as brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, we are Evangelicals. Unfortunately this phrase has been misused and misrepresented in our day and age. We are evangelicals in that we are a body that has been formed by the power of the Evangelium, the Good News, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This Gospel teaches that man was created by God to worship Him and to enjoy Him forever. However, mankind, in Adam, has rebelled against his gracious Creator. A result of this most evil rebellion was that mankind fell from the Grace of God and had to face the penalty for his rebellion: eternal death. God, however, was good to man in that despite Man’s evil ways and rebellion, He provided forgiveness for them and offered reconciliation with Him, by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment that man was to endure and thus justified all men who believe and trust in God for forgiveness.

Thirdly, we are Reformed. This means that our church agrees with the heritage and legacy of the fathers of the Reformation. We strongly affirm the five Solas of the Reformation.

The Sola Scriptura, that God’s inspired and inerrant Word, the Bible, is the ultimate authority of our faith and is the only standard by which the Church is to identify true and sound doctrine.

The Sola Fide. Only by faith will the righteous live. God’s truth and grace is received by faith, which is the belief and affirmation that God’s Word is truth and that he loves us and saves us.

We agree with the Sola Gratia, that it is only by the grace of God that we are made right in His eyes. We as humans could do nothing to earn God’s favor, it is by only his mercy and grace that we receive his blessings.

We agree with Solus Christus, which is that the only way to God and eternal life is through His eternal Son, Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, there is no way to God, no way to redemption, no way to eternal life.

Finally, we hold to the idea of Soli Deo Gloria, which is that everything we do is to glorify God. We strongly believe this means that all aspects of life must glorify Him and we as Christian should seek all the areas where the Glory of God is not yet proclaimed and transform these according to His Holy Word. Unfortunately, many Christians are satisfied with glorifying God in their personal walk and in the pews. We, however, think that God’s dominion extends far beyond this and that there is not one aspect of life where God’s Law is to be neglected, whether it be politics, marriage, economics or science; all of these should proclaim God’s authority.

Last, we are a Confederation. While this term is not deeply rooted in Hungary, it means that all member churches of the CREC are not just a conglomeration of independent congregations, but rather that we are congregations in a covenantal relationship with one another. While all individual congregations have a lot of autonomy in that most decisions are made on the level of the local session, other issues that pertain to the CREC as a whole are dealt with at the Presbytery or at the Church Council, in which local congregations are represented by their delegates. The decisions made here are applicable to all the local congregations who are members.

If you are interested in our ministry and would like to join us for covenant renewal worship or if you just have questions or would like godly counsel or advice, please contact us by phone, email or in person. You can find all contact information under the contact link.

In Christ,
Attila Hajdú
licensed pastor of the CREC

About Attila Hajdú

 Attila graduated from the University of Szeged and has majored in History and Linguistics in 1997-2002. In 2000-2004 he studied at the Seminary of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Debrecen. There, he wrote his thesis on church history.

He was a regular and active participant in the Hungarian Reformed Church in 2000-2001. He was introduced to Presbyterianism and Reformed thought while he was in the US in 2001. Since then, he was inspired to further his research into the continental and Calvinistic reformation and to make this a reality in Hungary.

In 2007, he was acquainted with the CREC during a conference in Poland and thus began the foundation of a CREC church in Hungary.

As of September 2008, Attila has been licensed to preach and to administer the Sacraments under the supervision of the elders in the Church in Wrocław.

Attila resides with his wife Kati and two children, Sára and Dávid in Diósd, Hungary.