| Formation | 1975 (1975) |
|---|---|
| Membership | 614,002 (2020-2024) |
Chairman | Rev. L. Anthony Curto[1] |
| Website | www |
TheNorth American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) is an association of severalPresbyterian andReformed churches in theUnited States andCanada.[2] The Council meets annually.
It listsbiblical inerrancy as its basis, along with the Six Forms of Unity: theWestminster Confession of Faith, theBelgic Confession, the WestminsterLarger andShorter Catechisms, theHeidelberg Catechism, and theCanons of Dordt.
The purpose of NAPARC is to "facilitate cross-denominational conversation and co-operation."[3]
The first NAPARC meeting was held in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in the fall of 1975, and had theOrthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), theChristian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA), thePresbyterian Church in America (PCA), theReformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and theReformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod as its founding members.[4] In time, NAPARC would grow to include 13 Continental Reformed and Presbyterian denominations.
In 1997, the membership of the Christian Reformed Church was suspended, largely on the basis of its 1995 decision to open the offices of elder and minister of word and sacrament to women.[5][6][7] Later, in 2001, the denomination was excluded from the organization.[8]
Since 1999, several proposals to transform the NAPARC into a synod that would unify the member denominations have been discussed.[9]
In 2011, the 37th meeting discussed the differences between the organization's member denominations, seeking unity. Discussion of a possible merger between the denominations was encouraged. This was called the Reformed Ecclesiastical Dialogue (RED). However, this project received criticism for giving too much freedom to groups integrated into this possible denomination.[10]
In 2012, another debate about unity among the denominations occurred.[11] Again the plan was criticized by some leaders, but encouraged by others. It has been proposed that the union of churches is ideal, but it may be that the current churches are not yet prepared for it.[12]
In 2019, a representative of theAssociate Reformed Presbyterian Church asked "What is the current stance within NAPARC on organic union?".[13]
In 2025 the official NAPARC press release stated,
"In observance of the 50th anniversary of NAPARC, an open discussion was held regarding the objective of organic union, evaluating past efforts and commenting on the prospects of organic union in the future.The discussion revealed that all were thankful for the many ways NAPARC has fostered cooperation with one another in many areas, but few were hopeful of organic union in the foreseeable future, as defined by NAPARC. Some commented that if such unions between Member Churches were to occur, they must come from the bottom up, not imposed from the top down, noting that some church union efforts in the broader church have been destructive of both the Gospel and church unity and have weakened theological foundations through compromise. Nevertheless, the assembly was encouraged to continue to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Since the Spirit has made us one, it is needful to strive, regardless of how difficult, to establish a bond of peace which is a bond of reconciliation – a bond that seeks to remove all sinful causes of division between Christians and churches"[14]
The Constitution of NAPARC states that the Basis of the Council is "Confessing Jesus Christ as only Savior and Sovereign Lord over all of life, we affirm the basis of the fellowship of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches to be full commitment to the Bible in its entirety as the Word of God written, without error in all its parts and to its teaching as set forth in the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dordt, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. That the adopted basis of fellowship be regarded as warrant for the establishment of a formal relationship of the nature of a council, that is, a fellowship that enables the constituent churches to advise, counsel, and cooperate in various matters with one another and hold out before each other the desirability and need for organic union of churches that are of like faith and practice."
The objectives of the organization are:
In 1977, thePresbyterian Church in America absorbed theReformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, one of the founding members of the NAPARC.[15] Since then, the NAPARC routinely debate on new proposals for the unification of denominations.[13]
In 2008,United Reformed Churches in North America absorbedOrthodox Christian Reformed Churches in North America.[16]
TheCanadian and American Reformed Churches and theUnited Reformed Churches in North America have been in dialogue about a possible merger since the 2010s. In 2016, the two denominations held simultaneous synods, in the same location.[17][18]
TheAssociate Reformed Presbyterian Church was formed by the union of two Presbyterian groups, which included most of the members of theReformed Presbyterian Church of North America, in 1803.[19]
After the establishment of the NAPARC, the two denominations established a relationship. In 2015 and 2019, the two denominations held simultaneous synods in the same location and some members questioned the possibility of a future merger.[20]
TheFree Reformed Churches of North America andHeritage Reformed Congregations have operated a seminary together since 1995 and are in dialogue about a possible merger. In 2017, they held simultaneous synods, in the same location.[21][22][23]
ThePresbyterian Church in America andOrthodox Presbyterian Church attempted, in 1956 and in 1972, denominational merger. However, in each of the attempts, the merger was not approved by the necessary quorum in the respective assemblies of one of the denominations.[15][24]
| Denomination[25] | Number of congregations | Number of members | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church | 260 | 25,692 | (2022)[26] |
| Canadian and American Reformed Churches | 76 | 20,079 | (2024)[26] |
| L'Église réformée du Québec (ERQ) ("Reformed Church of Quebec" (RCQ) in English) | 5 | 265 | (2024)[26] |
| Free Reformed Churches of North America | 23 | 5,505 | (2023)[26] |
| Heritage Reformed Congregations | 10 | 2,186 | (2022)[26] |
| Korean American Presbyterian Church | 650 | 80,000 | (2023)[27] |
| Korean Presbyterian Church in America (Kosin) | 135 | 10,300 | (2015)[28] |
| Orthodox Presbyterian Church | 341 | 33,566 | (2024)[29] |
| Presbyterian Church in America | 1,964 | 400,751 | (2024)[30] |
| Presbyterian Reformed Church | 7 | 226 | (2018)[31][32] |
| Reformed Church in the United States | 45 | 3,438 | (2025)[26] |
| Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America | 85 | 6,990 | (2023)[26] |
| United Reformed Churches in North America | 140 | 25,004 | (2023)[33] |
| Total | 3,741 | 614,002 | (2020-2024) |
| Denomination[13] | Number of congregations | Number of Members |
|---|---|---|
| Protestant Reformed Churches in America | 33 | 8,716[34] |
| Bible Presbyterian Church | 27[35] | 3,528[36] |
