I know many in here are members of and OPC church. What is your opinion of PCA churches and the organization as a whole? I ask this since there is a PCA church close to where my mother lives and I am trying to steer her to a solid bible teaching church.

Thanks.


[Edited on 11-26-2005 by BaptistInCrisis]

__________________
Bill Brown
Elder
Grace Baptist Church
Anne Arundel County, Maryland

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This is sort of an open-ended question.

The PCA is a member of the Nat'l Assoc of Pres and Ref'd Churches (NAPARC). It is confessionally Reformed. It is the largest of the (English-speaking at least) NAPARC denominations at about 300K (about 10x larger than the OPC and about 20x larger than the URC). As the largest it is also the most diverse.

According to some observers of the PCA it has multiple wings or factions or sections. E.g., It has a "southern Presbyterian" wing represented by Greenville Seminary (Joey Pipa and Morton Smith) and a progressive (relative to church planting and worship styles etc) wing represented by some folks in St Louis and Atlanta and lots of folk in between.

The PCA probably mirrors American evangelicalism more closely than most other NAPARC groups meaning that whatever trends arise in Evangelicalism will likely appear in the PCA before they appear in the OPC or the URC.

The short answer is yes, your relative should visit this congregation. Acc. to Belgic conf. 29 all Christians are obligated to join themselves to a true church (as defined by BC 29). The PCA is a true church. If it is the only such in the area then the matter is more or less settled, unless this particular congregation is beset by horribly disfiguring praxis or doctrine, but that seems unlikely.

rsc

__________________
R. Scott Clark, D.Phil
Professor of Church History and Historical Theology

"For Christ, His Gospel, and His Church"
Associate Pastor
Oceanside URC
The Heidelblog

Scott - thank you. I was hoping to hear some complimentary words regarding the PCA. Being a Baptist, I don't have much of an opinion on the PCA outside of what I hear. As far as my mother is concerned, I am not worried about Baptist distinctives. It is important (to me) that she join a church that teaches the whole counsel of God, in truth. Methodologies, so long as they do not stray from the intent of scripture, are not a critical area for me. I doubt that would for my mother.

Thanks for your input.

[Edited on 11-26-2005 by BaptistInCrisis]

I am a member of a PCA church and I love it. It's small but the doctrine is solid. We just recently went to singling only Psalms, before we also sang hymns from the Trinity Hym book as well. There was no uproar about the decision at all.

I can't recomend the PCA church enough. Anything specific you are wondering about?

__________________
Adam Leavelle
Westminster OPC
Roaring Spring Pa.

http://www.myspace.com/aleavelle
"Speak wisdom to a fool and he'll think you have no sense at all"

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If I had to choose:

RPCGA
OPC
RPCNA
PCA
Some congregational group that is Presbyterian in name
Particular Baptist
Stay at home.........

__________________
Scott Bushey
Husband to Tina, father to Nicole, Danielle and Zoe
Member First Presbyterian Church of Margate PCA