Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church

Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church is a welcoming, inclusive Christian community of faith celebrating God’s love through worship, caring, learning, fellowship and mission.

Rev. Dr. Frank Yates has served as the interim/transitional pastor at Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church since October 2024. A native of Tyler, Texas, Frank has undergraduate degrees in English from Abilene Christian University and Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and has served the church since 1975 as a youth minister, campus minister, associate pastor and pastor. Retired in 2014 he has served four churches as an interim pastor. Frank is married to Sharon and they have four grown sons. Frank also teaches in the UNM Continuing Education program and the graduate theological program of St. Norbert College and lectures for Oasis.

RRPC is a vital congregation of about 210 members and growing, with 90 worshipping in person and 40 online. Our church includes multi-generational families, couples and singles. All people are welcome and invited to fully participate in the life and ministry of our church. If needed, child care is available during the worship service!

Our first 25 years is available to download: 1986-2011

The church was founded in 1986, making us one of the younger congregations in the Presbytery of Santa Fe. The Reverend Doctor Kay Huggins is our Pastor Emerita.

Throughout the years of growth and change, we have continued to serve Christ through worship, education, fellowship and mission. Worship is the center of our life together. Music has always been a significant part of our worship and currently we enjoy many persons with vocal and instrumental gifts, Chancel Choir, JuBELLation Ringers bell choir, and special musical performances by the children.

Mission has been a strong focus for this congregation from the very beginning. Storehouse West, the local food pantry and children’s clothes closet, was started in our building in 1990. We continue to have a strong involvement in its work. We support mission programs locally, regionally, nationally and internationally; many of them we have partnered with for a number of years.

An active fellowship program has drawn us together in other ways. Retreats and outings, Sunday morning hospitality, fellowship and study groups for both men and women are among the many activities that bring us together as a church family.

Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.

Calvin did much of his writing from Geneva, Switzerland. From there, the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe and the British Isles. Many of the early Presbyterians in America came from England, Scotland and Ireland. The first American Presbytery was organized at Philadelphia in 1706. The first General Assembly was held in the same city in 1789. The first Assembly was convened by the Rev. John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God’s purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God’s generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone’s job — ministers and lay people alike — to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike.

For more information, visit the Presbyterian Historical Society