Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church is a Christ-centered body of believers. We strive to provide a caring, encouraging atmosphere where people from all walks of life can explore and embrace Christianity. We believe in the authority and infallibility of the Bible, trusting it to reveal God's will and wisdom to all humanity.

We believe the Bible contains all of the guidelines necessary for living a joyful and purposeful life. It offers guidance in making important decisions. It tells us how to get along at home and work. It teaches us how to date, marry, raise children, and stay married. It shows hurting people how to put their lives back together. Most importantly, it tells us how to be at peace with God and gain eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

As part of a family of churches known as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, we desire to live out the spirit that is embodied in our denominational motto: "In Essentials, Unity; In Non-Essentials, Liberty; In All Things, Charity." Underneath this motto, the seal of our denomination adds, "Truth in Love."

Cornerstone . . . connecting our community with God, one another, and the world through the love of Christ

Our foundational truth is found in Question One of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, as follows:

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever!

Accordingly, WE ENVISION: A WORSHIP COMMUNITY 

meeting in regular gatherings to celebrate corporately the glory, grace, and goodness of our God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Led by the Holy Spirit, we are committed to worship characterized by Spirit-led joy and dignity appropriate for those coming into the presence of the Living God. We are joyously compelled to worship our God with music befitting the adoration of the King, the celebration of the sacraments, and the proclamation of the Word of God.  We humbly seek Him that our worship may be pleasing in His sight and devoid of man-centered excess and any activities drawing the celebrant away from the centrality and marvel of God Himself.

WE ENVISION: A LEARNING COMMUNITY

informed by the Bible, understood to be the Word of God and applicable in all matters to lead a productive and Christ-centered way of life. The Scriptures are to be proclaimed, taught, and applied in every ministry of the church to and for all age groups. Thus, we are dedicated to excellence in education throughout our church programs and in our Cornerstone Christian School, where Christ is exalted, and children will enjoy academic excellence.

WE ENVISION: A DISCIPLE-MAKING COMMUNITY 

in which all believers are continually encouraged and exhorted to avail themselves of opportunities to honor the Lord Jesus Christ and His command to “make disciples,” i.e., “students” of the Son of God. It is our certain conviction that the genuine church may only please Christ if it produces true disciples growing in grace and studiously examining and applying the Word of God in their daily lives. 

WE ENVISION: A SERVING COMMUNITY 

committed to meeting the needs of one another and the community whenever possible. Our desire is to promote an attitude of dying to self as evidenced by concern for one another, those who remain in a state of spiritual lostness, the suffering, the poor, and the marginalized in our society.

WE ENVISION: A MISSIONS-MINDED COMMUNITY 

passionately engaged in sharing the Gospel in our region, nation, and worldwide. By God’s grace, we will commit substantial funding to MISSIONS resting in the promise of our Lord that He will always look with favor upon such ministries as it was His command to take the Gospel to all nations.

FINALLY, WE ENVISION: A WELL-MANAGED CHURCH COMMUNITY 

whose ministries are overseen by Ruling and Teaching Elders and professional staff. The leadership of Cornerstone serves as trustees of God’s resources. Hence, we must embrace sound financial oversight, vigorous stewardship in the maintenance of our facilities and property, as well as for prayerful, active shepherding of the Cornerstone flock. May it please God that we never lose sight of His goodness to us as we enjoy His generous provisions of all that we have been given.

“SOLI DEO GLORIA” - “TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!”

Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church communicates God's profound love for all people by pointing to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Ours is the message of an amazing grace so powerful and pure that no sinner is beyond redemption.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

• We stand in the historic Christian church's Reformed tradition and subscribe to the doctrinal truths expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

• At Cornerstone, we believe that the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God and provide a complete and unified witness to God's redemptive activities on behalf of humanity. The sixty-six canonical books of the Bible, as originally written, were inspired of God, hence free from error. They constitute the only infallible guide in faith and practice. 

• We believe in one God, the Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, who exists eternally in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He is totally divine and totally human, united in one person forever. His death on the cross was the full and acceptable payment for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was bodily raised from the dead on the third day and ascended into Heaven, where He now is our High Priest and Mediator.

• The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers, and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth and seals us for the day of redemption.

• All humans are estranged from God and condemned by their sinfulness. Our salvation is wholly dependent on the work of God's free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. Only those born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ by faith become God's children and heirs of eternal life.

• The true Church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work, are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity, where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.

• Jesus will come again to the earth--personally, visibly, and bodily--to judge the living and the dead and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.

• The Lord Jesus commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and make disciples of all nations. He has called us to a life of self-denying love and service.

Our history has been an exciting one proclaiming God's faithfulness and determination to build His church. From small beginnings rooted in a Bible study in a Brighton family's living room to our present facilities on Hilton Road, God has been at work!

With a few like-minded visionaries drawn together under the late Dr. Bartlett L. Hess' guiding influence, Cornerstone was birthed in 1986 as a "daughter" of Ward Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Livonia (today located in Northville.) Meeting initially at Maltby Middle School, the church body moved into its newly constructed place of worship in September 1991. As our faith community continued to grow, God enabled the expansion of our facilities with six separate building phases, including a classroom wing and chapel, the addition of a Youth Wing to be home to our Middle & High School ministry, and Hess Hall, a multipurpose gym.

The vision for a Christian school to provide excellence in education with a Biblical worldview had long been on our hearts. Again, God was at work! Cornerstone Christian School opened in 1999 with students enrolled in Grades K-3, and in 2008 a full-day Kindergarten and Cornerstone Preschool were added. Today the school's program includes over 100 students through grade 8.

In every area of ministry, God has given growth and maturity. Yet, our initial vision remains the same: to know Christ and to make Him known. To that end, Cornerstone has a vigorous commitment to both domestic and international missions. As part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), Cornerstone stands in the Reformed protestant tradition of historic Christianity. We emphasize the authority and infallibility of the Bible, the sovereignty of God, and the teaching of Jesus that we must be born again.

As we look to Cornerstone's future, we recall the exciting words of the Apostle Paul:

"...as it is written:

'No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived what God has prepared

for those who love Him...' "