| United Reformed Churches in North America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | URCNA, URC, or URCs |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | ContinentalDutch Reformed |
| Theology | ConfessionalReformed |
| Governance | Presbyterian |
| Full communion | |
| Associations | North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council,International Conference of Reformed Churches |
| Region | United States andCanada |
| Origin | 1996 Lynwood, Illinois |
| Separated from | Christian Reformed Church in North America |
| Absorbed | Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches (2008) |
| Congregations | 130 (2021)[1] |
| Members | 25,288 (2021)[1] |
| Ministers | 198 (2021)[1] |
| Official website | www |
TheUnited Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) is atheologicallyconservative federation ofReformed churches founded in 1996. Many churches joined the URCNA after splitting from theChristian Reformed Church in North America denomination.
The URCNA has grown from the earlierProtestant movements in Europe of the 16th and 17th century, and also from Reformed churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. Like other churches in the Reformed tradition, it traces its interpretation of Scripture back to the sixteenth-century reformer,John Calvin. Although Reformed theologytook root in many countries in Europe, it took especial hold in theNetherlands.Dutch immigrants to North America carried their beliefs with them over the subsequent centuries. Rather than joining existing churches of other denominations in North America, these Dutch immigrants started their own churches, churches that became known as the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). Over the twentieth century, the CRCNA grew progressively more liberal. Conservative Reformed believers were generally concerned that the CRCNA was departing from Scriptural teaching to accommodate modern social trends. Specific disagreements arose on issues likewomen's ordination,evolution cases, andbiblical inerrancy.
In 1996, the URCNA was founded as a federation ofReformed churches in 1996 atLynwood, Illinois CRC. Most of the members that founded the URCNA left the CRCNA, and some members of other Reformed denominations quickly joined the new federation. Some 36 churches with 7,600 members joined the federative unity, held their first Synod, and adopted the name United Reformed Churches in North America.
The URCNA subscribes to three confessions of faith: theCanons of Dordt, written in 1618 and 1619 by an international group of Reformed churches, theBelgic Confession, written byGuido de Bres in the mid-1500s, and theHeidelberg Catechism, formally attributed toZacharias Ursinus andCaspar Olevianus in the city ofHeidelberg, Germany. Collectively, these statements of faith are called the "Three Forms of Unity." In addition to these forms, the URCNA holds to the three ecumenical creeds: theApostles Creed, theNicene Creed, and theAthanasian Creed.[2]
The URCNA believe that "marriage is designed to be a lifelong, monogamous covenantal union between one man and one woman."[3]
The URCNA include adherents ofFederal Vision theology.[4]
The practices of the URCNA are governed by a church order derived from theSynod of Dordt of 1618-1619.[3] The URCNA church order outlines the duties of the three ecclesiastical offices of ministers, elders, and deacons within the denomination.
It also sets out the denomination's decentralizedpresbyteral form of church government as opposed to the hierarchical form of government found within theAnglican Church orRoman Catholic Church. Each congregation is governed by a consistory made up of theelders elected from the congregation and the minister of the congregation. Periodically, delegates from each consistory will attend a regional classis or a denomination-wide synod to discuss matters pertaining to the entire denomination. Both classes and synods are temporary bodies with no formal authority. Although they may provide advice on matters to local consistories that carry great weight, the final authority rests with the consistories of each local congregation.
The church articulates the many practices of the URCNA churches. URCNA churches hold two services every Sunday with the expectation that members attend both services. The morning service typically focuses on preaching based on a particular passage in the Bible, while the afternoon or evening service normally is dedicated to explaining one of the doctrines articulated in the Three Forms of Unity. Both psalms and hymns may be sung during the worship service, although psalms predominate. The URCNA practicesinfant baptism and requires a public profession of faith once members are spiritually mature (usually between the ages of 16-19). After members make this public profession of faith, they may partake of theLord's Supper and are eligible to vote within the church.
The URCNA church order also outlines the process of church discipline.
URCNA churches can be found in 22 U.S. states, mostly in the Upper Midwest (Iowa andMichigan) andCalifornia, and in sixCanadian Provinces, mostly inOntario,Alberta, andBritish Columbia. As of 2018, the churches have grown, mostly through additional members leaving the CRCNA in the late 1990s, to 130 congregations spread across the United States and Canada, with 25,288 members, 198 ministers, and 8Classes (Michigan, Central US, Eastern US, Southwest US, Pacific Northwest, Ontario East, Southwestern Ontario, Western Canada) in 2021.[1]
The URCNA supports many missions in the U.S. and around the world. Mission churches can be found inEcuador,Costa Rica, thePhilippines,Mexico, and otherdeveloping countries. Individual members and individual churches may support missions through parachurch mission organizations such as Word and Deed although the denomination also has its own URCNA Missions coordinator.[5] The URCNA monthly missions newsletters is calledThe Trumpet.[6]
The United Reformed Churches do not have a denominational seminary or college; rather, Candidates for Ministry are extensively examined by their Calling Church and Classis regardless of seminary prior to their ordination or installation. Most of the ministers of the URCNA have been trained atCalvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan),Mid-America Reformed Seminary (Dyer, Indiana), orWestminster Seminary in California (Escondido, California) but the number of other seminaries represented is growing.
TheOrthodox Christian Reformed Churches, another breakaway from the Christian Reformed Church, voted to join the URCNA in 2008 upon the latter's invitation.
The URCNA is in full ecumenical fellowship with theCanadian and American Reformed Churches,Orthodox Presbyterian Church,Reformed Church in the United States,Reformed Church of Quebec andReformed Presbyterian Church of North America.[7][8]
The URCNA also has dialogue with theReformed Churches of New Zealand,Korean American Presbyterian Church,Presbyterian Church in America and other confessional Reformed churches. It is a member of theInternational Conference of Reformed Churches[9] and theNorth American Presbyterian and Reformed Council.[10]
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