Hi. I'm new to the board and I apologize in advance if I don't do everything right or hit the wrong button. I'm in Nashville, TN, and I've been searching for a Calvinistic church that teaches predestination and traditional Reformation doctrine. I just found a new congregation affiliated with the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches. Can someone give me advise about whether this church might meet my expectations? Thanks so much for any information you can give me.

What is the name of the church?

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Ivan R. Schoen, B.A., M.A., M.L.I.S.
Pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church (SBC)
Poplar Grove, IL, USA
http://maranatha-sbc.org

Hi Jennie! Welcome to the PB! Two things to start you off:

1) You will want to fix your signature so that everyone can get to know you better. There's a link below (in my sig) that will tell you want the minimum requirements are.

2) The CREC is affiliated with Doug Wilson and other Federal Vision advocates. I'm not sure every church in the CREC is a Federal Vision church, but don't be surprised if they are. Also, they may practice such things as paedocommunion. I would definitely ask those questions of the church. If they have a website, please post the URL here; you (and we) can generally tell a lot about the church from what they post there.

If you're asking for recommendations, I would say avoid CREC churches. I don't like painting folks with too broad of a brush, but that's my .

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Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
My Facebook/My Avatar

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

Yep. If it's St. Mark Reformed Church (the only CREC church in Nashville from what I can find), they practice paedocommunion. From their "About Us" page:

I would not recommend attending this church.

The Nashville CREC is St. Mark's Reformed Church, and the pastor is Joe Thacker. The pastor's blog has links to AAPC, Leithart, Wilson, etc. Not much on there, but the church website seems to be fairly typical of the church-calendar following wing of the CREC. They trumpet their status as a "Covenant Renewal" congregation, and proudly proclaim that they celebrate "covenant communion", i.e. paedocommunion.

I wouldn't touch a CREC congregation with a ten-cubit pole. Any church that willingly aligns itself to the Wilson/Wilkins/Leithart kabal is in no way one I'd want to be affiliated with.

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://inprincipiodeus.solideogloria.com
http://puritanwisdom.blogspot.com

"As God did not at first choose you because you were high, He will not now forsake you because you are low."
John Flavel in Keeping the Heart



Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Well, there you go!

I think the consensus of the PB will be like that of Todd and myself -- avoid a CREC church. However, instead of everyone piling on, perhaps someone can recommend a good, solid Reformed church in Nashville to Jennie.

The ARP does not have a church in Nashville. What about the PCA or the OPC? Or perhaps there would a good Reformed Baptist church?

I don't know much about it but there is Good Shepherd PCA in Nashville, but I don't think there are any RPCNA or OPC there or nearby.

Here are the PCA churches in TN...scroll down and you'll find the Nashville churches.

https://processor.pcanet.org/ac/directory/directory.cfm

A brother passed along these links to me:

Jennie, are any of these near you?

If they aren't Louisville is less than 3 hours away. You're free to worship with us anytime!

Christ PCA might be a possibility too.

Over in Franklin there is a wonderful church, Parish Pres. George Grant is the pastor. (Remember, this a baptist pastor telling you about this.) I'm assuming you are looking for a Presbyterian fellowship since you were looking at a CREC congregation.

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We shall not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have done with it, by God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
Pastor - Providence Family Fellowship / Mobile, Alabama
1644/46 LBC
My Blog - Imprimis

(FYI, not all CREC churches are presbyterian. There are baptistic CREC churches as well.)

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Rae W. | Elder @ Grace Central Presbyterian Church | Columbus, OH
Online presence: blog | twitter | facebook

You know, I remembered that right after I hit the button. My mind just doesn't like to admit it, I guess.

Jennie, I would say, "Avoid the CREC like a plague because that is essentially what it is." And that is without going into any details, like some above have already.

These look like okay churches:

Covenant Presbyterian Church
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church - Home
Christ Presbyterian Church, PCA, Nashville, TN

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Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
Husband of Dena
Father of Oliver
Master of Bruce
Pastor of Tchula Presbyterian Church

What can I say, I like blogs!

There is also a PCA in Murfreesborough, right? (Lee Ferguson, I think?)

Yes, it seems like it.