reformed alliance inland northwest
Rooted in Truth. Formed Through Discipleship. Sent to Plant Churches.
The Reformed Alliance Inland Northwest exists to help faithful Reformed churches work together for the planting and strengthening of churches throughout the Inland Northwest.
We believe Christ builds His church through the ordinary means of grace—His Word, the Sacraments, prayer, and the shepherding care of His appointed officers. Therefore, we do not approach church planting as a marketing strategy, a rapid-launch model, or a ministry brand. We seek to plant churches by making disciples, forming households, training leaders, and walking patiently together in the truth.
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness on us.
Hosea 10:12
Why RAIN?
The Inland Northwest is filled with growing towns, rural communities, and families longing for rootedness, truth, and faithful Christian community. Yet many areas remain underserved by confessionally Reformed churches committed to the ordinary means of grace, covenantal discipleship, reverent worship, biblical shepherding, and long-term generational faithfulness.
RAIN exists to connect churches, leaders, families, and emerging works that share a burden to see faithful churches planted—not merely larger churches built.
Our desire is not to compete with existing faithful churches, but to strengthen them, encourage them, and help them reproduce. We believe healthy churches should, in due season, help plant other healthy churches.
What Kind of Alliance Is RAIN?
RAIN is an alliance, not a denomination.
It is designed to provide meaningful cooperation without unnecessary bureaucracy. Churches participating in RAIN remain locally governed according to their own church order, elders, confessional commitments, and lawful assemblies. At the same time, they voluntarily work together for shared mission, counsel, encouragement, accountability, leadership development, and church planting.
An alliance allows churches to remain agile and locally responsive while refusing isolation. It gives structure without hierarchy, cooperation without control, and shared mission without erasing local church identity.
core commitments
Confessional Standards
We hold to the Westminster Standards and the Three Forms of Unity, ensuring theological clarity and faithfulness.
Male Only Leadership
Church offices—elders and deacons—are reserved for qualified men, reflecting God’s design in Scripture (1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1-7).
Biblical Sexuality
We affirm marriage as a covenantal union between one man and one woman and reject LGBTQ+ ideologies as contrary to God’s design. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:11 that the gospel transforms, saying, “Such were some of you.”