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| Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Continental German Reformed |
| Theology | ConfessionalReformed |
| Polity | Presbyterian |
| Associations | North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council,International Conference of Reformed Churches |
| Origin | 1725 |
| Branched from | German Reformed Church |
| Separations | 1933–34 majority merged with theEvangelical Synod of North America to form theEvangelical and Reformed Church (now part of theUnited Church of Christ) |
| Congregations | 47 |
| Members | 3340 |
| Official website | rcus |
| Minutes of the 277th RCUS Synod 2023[1] | |
TheReformed Church in the United States (RCUS) is aProtestantChristian denomination in theUnited States. The present RCUS is aconservative,Reformed denomination. It affirms the principles of theReformation:Sola scriptura (Scripture alone),Solus Christus (Christ alone),Sola gratia (Grace alone),Sola fide (Faith alone), andSoli Deo gloria (Glory to God alone). The RCUS has membership concentrated in theMidwest andCalifornia.
Originally known as the German Reformed Church, the RCUS was organized in 1725 thanks largely to the efforts ofJohn Philip Boehm, who immigrated in 1720. He organized the first congregation of German Reformed believers in 1725 nearPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, some of them descendants and German immigrants from the turn of the century. Some had immigrated from the Palatine area. He was later joined by other ministers such as George Weiss andMichael Schlatter.
Boehm was eventually ordained by the Classis of Amsterdam in 1729, which oversaw the American branch of theDutch Reformed Church (now theReformed Church in America). The German Reformed remained under Dutch Reformed oversight until 1793, when the German Reformed adopted their own constitution. In the 1740s,Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf, bishop of theMoravian Church, visited Pennsylvania, with the hopes of uniting the GermanLutherans and Reformed with the Moravians, which Boehm staunchly resisted.
During the 19th century the German Reformed Church debated issues such asrevivalism and especially theMercersburg Theology ofJohn Nevin andPhilip Schaff. In 1866 Samuel Miller, a member of the German Reformed Church, published a work entitledA Treatise on Mercersburg Theology: Mercersburg and Modern Theology Compared. Other controversies, such as debates overliturgy, also occurred in the 19th century. In the second half of the century, the congregations formed their first General Synod, held in 1863. In the 1870s and 1880s, there were attempts, albeit unsuccessful, to unite with the related Dutch Reformed Church.
During the twentieth century, the RCUS increasingly shifted towardecumenism andhigher criticism of theBible. More conservative clergy and members united to form theEureka Classis of the RCUS, in order to continue classical Reformed worship and polity.
In 1934, the RCUS merged with theEvangelical Synod of North America (ESNA) to form theEvangelical and Reformed Church. ESNA featured a mix of both Lutheran and Reformed theology, reflecting thePrussian Union of Churches.
The Eureka Classis, however, abjured that merger and decided to identify as the "continuing" Reformed Church in the United States. The classis objected to the ESNA's admixture ofLutheran teachings with Reformed practices; most of its churches and members had descended from late 19th-century immigration either from parts ofGermany where Reformedconfessionalism had taken hold,[2] or from theVolga River region ofRussia, where ethnic Germans had been isolated from liberalizing influences in the motherland.
By contrast, most RCUS churches, classes, and synods located in the eastern United States had significantly assimilated into generalized or what became known as mainline American Protestantism, and become more ecumenical.[3] The Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1957 merged with theCongregational Christian Churches (which had formed from earlierCongregational andRestorationist churches) to become theUnited Church of Christ. It has been known for its strongly liberal doctrine and moral stances.[4]
In 1986, the Eureka Classis transitioned to become a synod, currently composed of four classes. The present-day RCUS will celebrate its Tricentennial in 2025 at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota.
The polity of the RCUS ispresbyterian; local congregations electelders anddeacons for guidance. The pastor is the presiding officer of the church council orconsistory. The RCUS has around 43 congregations, with about 2,500 communicant members throughout the United States. The congregations are grouped together in fourclasses: Western Classis, Northern Plains Classis, South Central Classis, Covenant Eastern Classis. A classis is equivalent to apresbytery in Scots-Anglo-IrishPresbyterian denominations. A general, or national,synod convenes annually in mid-spring.
The old RCUS, as well as the continuing RCUS, originally held only to theHeidelberg Catechism[5] as its statement of faith. In 1995, the Synod officially adopted theBelgic Confession of Faith[6] and theCanons of Dort, which along with Heidelberg are known as theThree Forms of Unity which are commonly used together by Reformed churches (especially those coming out of theDutch branch of Reformed churches). By holding strictly to these standards, the RCUS maintains a strong affiliation with Calvinism and the 16th-century Reformation.
The RCUS believes inBiblical inerrancy, including a teaching thatGenesis 1:1—2:4 must be understood as a literal 24-hour, six-day creation account. The RCUS also does not allow women to hold special office (elders, deacons, pastor), a stance held by many conservative Reformed or Presbyterian bodies in the United States. In addition, the RCUS rejects some standard positions associated with Americanfundamentalism such aspremillennialism andtotal abstinence from alcoholic beverages, holding instead a focus on a European Calvinist orthodoxy rather than American-stylerevivalism.[7]
The Reformed Church in the United States is a member of theNorth American Presbyterian and Reformed Council as well as theInternational Conference of Reformed Churches.[8]
