To what Denomination do you belong? (LOOK BEFORE YOU CLICK)

To what Denomination do you belong (LOOK BEFORE YOU CLICK)

  • OCRC (Orthodox Christian Reformed Church)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • FRCNA (Free Reformed Church North America)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • RCA (Reformed Church United States)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    170
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I'm ordained by a presbytery of the PCA.

As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

I agree with you.

My wife and I receive the OPC's bi-monthly magazine, and a few months ago there was an awesome story about an OPC church plant that worshipped with a local PCA church. Because the folks all loved each other and the LORD so much, the PCA church ended up moving over to the OPC, and the OPC mission was dissolved and merged with the former-PCA/now OPC church.

I'm not arguing for an OPC/PCA merger (as other folks have done here and elsewhere), but in a situation where you have 2 really solid Reformed churches in one area that agree on the same issues, wouldn't their resources be better served together than apart? If anything, it would help with consistency.
 
I'm ordained by a presbytery of the PCA.

As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

NAPARC is a step in this direction I hope.
 
I'm ordained by a presbytery of the PCA.

As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

I agree with you.

My wife and I receive the OPC's bi-monthly magazine, and a few months ago there was an awesome story about an OPC church plant that worshipped with a local PCA church. Because the folks all loved each other and the LORD so much, the PCA church ended up moving over to the OPC, and the OPC mission was dissolved and merged with the former-PCA/now OPC church.

I'm not arguing for an OPC/PCA merger (as other folks have done here and elsewhere), but in a situation where you have 2 really solid Reformed churches in one area that agree on the same issues, wouldn't their resources be better served together than apart? If anything, it would help with consistency.

You can find the article here :)

LINK FIXED:
http://www.opc.org/nh.html?article_id=567
 
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I'm ordained by a presbytery of the PCA.

As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

I agree with you.

My wife and I receive the OPC's bi-monthly magazine, and a few months ago there was an awesome story about an OPC church plant that worshipped with a local PCA church. Because the folks all loved each other and the LORD so much, the PCA church ended up moving over to the OPC, and the OPC mission was dissolved and merged with the former-PCA/now OPC church.

I'm not arguing for an OPC/PCA merger (as other folks have done here and elsewhere), but in a situation where you have 2 really solid Reformed churches in one area that agree on the same issues, wouldn't their resources be better served together than apart? If anything, it would help with consistency.

A Reformed Dream
 
I voted URC, but I think I meant URCNA (I'm not a British liberal, I"m a Dutch conservative!)
 
I'm ordained by a presbytery of the PCA.

As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

I'm not arguing for an OPC/PCA merger (as other folks have done here and elsewhere), but in a situation where you have 2 really solid Reformed churches in one area that agree on the same issues, wouldn't their resources be better served together than apart? If anything, it would help with consistency.

A Reformed Dream

I would agree if they did agree but they don't agree and that is why they are separate. In fact they won't agree on what they should agree about to agree, so they could merge. They differ on that too.

In fact the OPC often claims to hold to the WC closer and they don't even allow exceptions, so instead they are loose subscriptionists and just let people have their exceptions and not record them or discipline them whereas the PCA say they are strict or full subscriptionists but you can take an exception, but at least they record them and are supposed to make sure that you don't teach it and don't hold to any others.

But discipline is so weak in the churches, we all want to be nice to each other and I think that is actually what causes division.

If we mandated total and strict subscription to a confession then we could all unite and submit to the Presbytery as we should instead of being independent and thinking we are smarter than the manifold wisdom of the presbytery. And we would have unity!! :)
Which might be more valuable than the freedom to have some distinctive deviating from the Newly Agreed Upon Confession.
But I think the ministers and elders are still humble enough to know they are not smart enough to go changing to WC much, but we think we are smart enough to disagree.

If they went to amend it to accommodate most exceptions, I guess they feel they wouldn't have much of a reformed confession left.
So its better to just hang the paper on the wall and agree to disagree about it. Maybe hoping one day we will all agree with it again?? :2cents:
Very Strange.

We don't even agree on the Sum of Saving Knowledge ( what the gospel is, what that minimal amount of doctrine is that one must profess to believe to actually be recognized as having been born again, having a credible profession of faith).
Nor agree on our understanding of the Covenant, so we are so far from knowing or agreeing on the essentials of the faith we just let these things be session controlled and don't bother to unite.

And then we have new ideas springing up like :worms: paedo communion as if Covenant Baptism wasn't enough for the kids, and all the while our lives are lives with such minimal sanctification we hardly have anyone in the world hating us or persecuting us.

But Cheer up. I think its coming. God maybe going to prune or purify His church a bit because we have been so slack and not even spoken up enough to stop a 1% minority from taking God out of our schools an govt.

Remember the Constitution was to prevent the govt from interfering with the church. The church was always supposed to interfere with the govt. by telling them to obey and uphold God's law as individual people and as governors. The separation of church and state concept is un-Biblical and un-Constitutional.

Well there I have done my duty for church unity and political activism, so I can go back and read about the Reformers who sought unity through arguing in the Assembly and told the King to make sure he took a couple days off from his wars to make provision for safe travel for ministers to attend a General Assembly.
Boy, just thought of how messed up we are. We are so weak in the way we deal with our governors, we totally misunderstood and thought those foolish puritans were putting themselves under the thumb of the King and we removed that section from our American Version of the WC. But we were so wrong. They commanded him to make sure there was a time of peace for them to travel and do their work, but in submission to their King, they let him call the day he could make peace, stop any wars or take a break and assure their safe travel.

We've come along way Baby!! But I think in the wrong direction. :detective:
In His service,
 
I'm ordained by a presbytery of the PCA.

As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

I've been through that. Didn't like it.
 
As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

With their diverse understanding of confessional subscription and lack of uniformity in worship, it is amazing groups like the PCA and OPC continue as denominations. What is the function of a denomination when a family moving from one city to another may not find a congregation of the same affiliation teaching and worshipping by the recognizable forms of the one from which they are coming? For there to be unity, there must be a common confession, understanding of subscription, ordination vows, and discipline. It is not just a matter of merging organizational structures and denominational bureaucracies.

:ditto:
 
Looking at the poll results, we'd better gather our forces or else the PCA'ers will take over.

Fight the power! (no Tim, I didn't say fight the powder)

Theognome
 
I voted CBA though Baptist churches have no denomination. Every Baptist Church is independant. We will cooperate for evangelism, missions and some other things but are totaly free from one another. There is no legal hierarchy. With this said that is probably why Baptist seem so confused.
 
As someone said some time back, all these denoms are the Reformed equivalent of christian zionists trying to rebuild the temple. When we finally use up all possible combinations of the letters A, B, C, E, F, O, P, R, S, & U the return is nigh!

It's all echatological, dontcha know, and therefore necessary.
 
I don't BELONG in my denomination, but we are a few conservatives holding out so that the lunatics don't take over the asylum. American Batlletheliberals Club
 
Personifying
Christ-like
Attributes

-----Added 3/20/2009 at 04:02:10 EST-----

Purely
Calvinistic
Alliance

...Oh ya baby, look at him go!! :lol:
 
Other: None. Our church has no associations whatsoever. We host a bi-monthly preaching rally attended by folks from about 8 other local churches, but that's it.
 
Ok, I've looked up the UK's URC and if a mod will be so kind as to change me to URCNA, I would greatly appreciate it!!!!!
 
As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

With their diverse understanding of confessional subscription and lack of uniformity in worship, it is amazing groups like the PCA and OPC continue as denominations. What is the function of a denomination when a family moving from one city to another may not find a congregation of the same affiliation teaching and worshipping by the recognizable forms of the one from which they are coming? For there to be unity, there must be a common confession, understanding of subscription, ordination vows, and discipline. It is not just a matter of merging organizational structures and denominational bureaucracies.

:ditto::ditto::ditto:
 
I'm ordained by a presbytery of the PCA.

As I look at this list, I see a bunch of denominations that are virtually identical. I think the Kingdom of Christ would be better served by at least some of these denominations merging.

There is some truth in that, but what I have found in the years I've been in both PCA and OPC is that while it may do well to have some merge, I certainly would want to see some pruned before merger.

There is a wide scope of what is considered pure in PCA and OPC churches, and while many of the churches I've seen I would call excellent, I also know some that I would call "broadly evangelical" (which I would take as a derogatory label in my present church). I haven't seen any that didn't at least state the Bible is God's inerrant Word, I have seen plenty that I would not consider reformed. There are some which I would not join unless there was no other choice.

One of the biggest problems I see with such broad scope is that someone who has moved has no idea of the beliefs of a church based on the denominational affiliation. I for one would think it good for the Kingdom if the PCA was more unified in belief (some have deaconesses and others do not).

I haven't had as much experience with OPC churches ... I would rather not ever have to leave my present church prior to transferring membership to the church of those whose work is done ... so I don't know as much about variation within my own present denomination. But I do know variation exists.
 
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