Good church in Albuquerque, New Mexico

[jtlaurence]

Hello,

My family and I may be moving to Albuquerque, NM at some point and would like to know if anyone can recommend a good, doctrinally sound church for us to look at?


Thanks!

 

[Jake]

I'm not sure what your doctrinal commitments are beyond the WCF, but the OPC is probably a good choice:

There is an OPC in Albuquerque: http://albuquerquereformed.org/
There is also another OPC in a suburb: http://rropc.org/

It looks like there are at least 4 PCA congregations in Albuquerque as well.

 

[Jack K]

It would help to know more about what you're looking for.

Of the two more established PCA churches in Albuquerque, I think it's fair to say that Providence PCA is more in the traditional, "doctrinal" wing of the denomination while City/Crossroads PCA probably leans more toward the "pious" or "missional" wing. I respect and like both churches. Both are alive and active, engaged in discipleship and outreach. City/Crossroads is especially active on the University campus.

I'm not familiar enough with the two newer PCA plants to review either of them.

In general, the Southwest Presbytery gets good marks from me for its active church planting. With a few exceptions, the region generally is not marked by PCAs that are hunkering down and separatist, but rather by PCA churches on the move for Christ's kingdom.

As for big players in Albuquerque, you'll want to be aware of Desert Springs Church. They are a broadly Reformed, Baptist megachurch that puts on frequent seminars with exceptional speakers. Every time I've dealt with them I've felt good about the experience.

But if you're moving to Albuquerque... well, you certainly will want to visit several churches for yourself.

 

[reaganmarsh]

A friend from seminary days, Trent Hunter, is one of the TE's at Desert Springs -- a godly brother indeed who is a tremendously gifted preacher. I should add, though, that he is being considered as pastor at another church (and this process is public knowledge.)

My dad served as one of the pastors at First Baptist when I was in middle school. Sweet folks, but definitely not reformed (and that was 20-25 years ago).

I'm not familiar with any other reformed churches in ABQ.

 

[jtlaurence]

Thanks everyone!

 

[jtlaurence]

Quick question though. What is the difference between OPC and PCA? I've heard that Presbyterians believe in baptizing babies. I guess I've never really studied this subject, but is that an issue that I should be concerned about? I would assume this is not a battle to die on the hill for.

Thank you.

 

[Jack K]

OPC and PCA are Bible-believing Presbyterian denominations. The OPC tends to be more traditional in style and more strict about sticking to Presbyterian distinctives. The PCA has a broader range of both styles and allowable distinctives although, being Presbyterian, you'll still find basic agreement between the various churches and concern for following the rules.

Yes, Presbyterians baptize their babies. They probably wouldn't pressure you to have a child baptized if doing so clearly would violate your conscience. But if you aren't sure you agree, you ought to study the issue and discuss it with the leadership before joining a Presbyterian church. Being a member while disagreeing with that practice might well be allowed, but it also might create difficulties you'd be better off avoiding. It's enough of an issue that it warrants careful study.

 

[Edward]

Quick question though. What is the difference between OPC and PCA? I've heard that Presbyterians believe in baptizing babies.

To expand on what Brother Jack has posted:

Both the PCA and OPC subscribe to infant baptism. The OPC is smaller, more homogeneous and less discernment is usually required in selecting an OPC church. The PCA is much larger, and ranges from almost fully reformed to almost fully evangelical, and discernment is recommended.

If a member obstinately refuses to baptize a child, that member should come under church discipline in a positive sense, starting with loving teaching on the subject, although I could not guarantee that that would happen in all PCA churches. If a member advocates against infant baptism, the discipline should probably be a bit more aggressive.

I don't know what the practices are in your part of the world; if you are not willing to learn about infant baptism, you probably should be asking for referrals to a reformed baptist church in your area.