Briarwood Presbyterian Church

Last updated
Briarwood Presbyterian Church
Briarwood Presbyterian Church
33°25′00″N86°45′36″W / 33.416742°N 86.760106°W / 33.416742; -86.760106
Location2200 Briarwood Way Birmingham, Alabama 35243
CountryUnited States
Denomination Presbyterian Church in America
Previous denomination Presbyterian Church in the United States
Membership4,000
Website briarwood.org
History
FoundedSeptember 25,  1960 (1960-09-25)
Founder(s)Frank M. Barker, Jr.
Administration
Presbytery Evangel Presbytery

Briarwood Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America located in suburban Birmingham, Alabama.

Contents

History

It was formed in 1960 by the Rev. Frank M. Barker, Jr. and has been a conservative evangelical Protestant congregation since its inception. Begun as a Bible study in 1955, it was the very first church to be organized in a then-undeveloped, suburban area of Birmingham. On September 25, 1960, the church was officially organized, and in 1972 the Briarwood Theological Seminary was chartered. Briarwood’s first sanctuary was erected in 1957. A later sanctuary was completed in 1974; the fellowship hall was built in 1980.

Central Presbyterian Church in Birmingham closed after 99 years of service in 1993. Many of its members joined Briarwood Presbyterian and helped to grow Briarwood into an even larger congregation.. [1]

In 1988 the church moved to its current campus on Acton Road. Its original campus became the home of Southeastern Bible College and then Mountain Brook Community Church.

In 1999, Barker retired after serving as the senior pastor for 40 years, and was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. Harry L. Reeder III. [2] Reeder served until he died in a traffic accident on May 18, 2023. [3] Founded in a storefront, it later grew to have what was reported to be the largest church budget in Alabama, and opened a $32 million campus in 1988. [4] In 2011 the expansion of youth project was begun. In 2013 the Children's Auditorium was completed, to allow more space to the growing children's ministries. [5]

Originally a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (a predecessor to the present Presbyterian Church (USA)), Briarwood was among some 250 PCUS congregations that became charter members of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in December 1973; the organizational meeting was conducted in Briarwood's sanctuary. [2] The first General Assembly of the PCA was held in Briarwood’s church building on December 4, 1973. The Birmingham area is a strong pocket of influence for the PCA, with some 15 other PCA congregations located in Jefferson and Shelby counties in addition to Briarwood.

Recent status

Briarwood has a membership of approximately 4,000 and has been responsible for helping form ministries such as Campus Outreach, Christian Medical Ministry, Birmingham Theological Seminary, [6] and Young Business Leaders, [7] as well as planting numerous churches around the world. In 2006, The worship of the church is characterized by a greater formality than in many other evangelical congregations in its area. [8] it was listed as being the 35th-most-influential non-Roman Catholic church in America by "The Church Report". [9]

The church organized Briarwood Christian School in 1965. [2] The school now has an enrollment of over 1,800 on two campuses [10] and is recognized as being one of the foremost Christian schools in the world.[ citation needed ]

The Worship Center and church campus is located at I-459 and Acton Road. [11]

In order to provide protection for over 1,000 students on two campuses at Briarwood Christian School, the church has requested the state government to allow it to set up its own police department, modeled after existing police departments within Alabama colleges and universities. [12] This permission was granted by a law signed by Governor Kay Ivey in June 2019. [13]

Beliefs

Briarwood adheres to the historic Presbyterian confessions:

Partners

Briarwood is a founding congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America.

The Christian Reformed Church in South Africa has national contact with the Briarwood Church. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Church in America</span> Conservative Reformed Christian denomination in the United States and Canada

The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presbyterian in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)</span> Protestant Reformed Evangelical church body

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) is an American church body holding to presbyterian governance and Reformed theology. It is a conservative Calvinist denomination. It is most distinctive for its approach to the way it balances certain liberties across congregations on "non-essential" doctrines, such as egalitarianism in marriage or the ordination of women, alongside an affirmation of core "essential" doctrinal standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Reformed Church (North America)</span>

The Presbyterian Reformed Church (PRC) is a North American Christian denomination which was founded in Ontario, Canada on November 17, 1965, when two existing congregations, with similar Scottish Presbyterian roots, came together under a Basis of Union drafted by Prof. John Murray of Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, PA.

Westminster Seminary California is a Reformed and Presbyterian Christian seminary in Escondido, California. It was initially a branch campus of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia until 1982 when it became fully independent. It has thirteen full-time faculty members and enrolls approximately 155 full-time students.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States was a small Presbyterian denomination based in the United States that merged into the Vanguard Presbytery. The RPCUS was established in 1983, subscribes to the unrevised Westminster Confession and upholds biblical inerrancy. The denomination self-identified as theonomic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant Theological Seminary</span> Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America

Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewhere, especially as pastors, missionaries, and counselors. It does not require all students to be members of the PCA, but it is bound to promote the teachings of its denomination. Faculty must subscribe to the system of biblical doctrine outlined in the Westminster Standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ligon Duncan</span> American pastor and scholar

Jennings Ligon Duncan III is an American Presbyterian scholar and pastor.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod was a Reformed and Presbyterian denomination in the United States and Canada between 1965 and 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Augusta, Georgia)</span> Historic church in Georgia, United States

First Presbyterian Church is an historic Presbyterian church located at 642 Telfair Street in Augusta, Georgia in the United States.

Briarwood Christian School is a private school in Birmingham, Alabama. It was founded by Briarwood Presbyterian Church in 1965. In 1970, when integration of the public schools was mandated by the federal government, the IRS began revoking the tax exempt status of segregation academies. During this time the school added a non-discrimination policy, although no black students were admitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Church of Brazil</span> Evangelical Protestant Christian denomination in Brazil

The Presbyterian Church of Brazil is an Evangelical Protestant Christian denomination in Brazil. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country, having an estimate 702,949 members, 4,915 ordained ministers and 5,420 churches and parishes. It is also the only Presbyterian denomination in Brazil present in all 26 States and the Federal District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Presbyterian Church in Mexico</span> Protestant denomination in Mexico

The National Presbyterian Church in Mexico is the second-largest Protestant church, and the largest Reformed denomination in Mexico. It is present throughout the country, and is particularly strong in the states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan, Nuevo León, Aguascalientes and Mexico City.

The Presbyterian Church of the Philippines (PCP), officially The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the Philippines, is a growing evangelical, Bible-based Reformed church in the Philippines. It was officially founded in 1987 and the General Assembly was organized in September 1996.

Christian Reformed Church in South Africa is a confessional Calvinist denomination in South Africa. The Church is a denominational member of World Reformed Fellowship. The moderator is Rev. Sakkie Weber, the Vice Moderator is Rev. Johnnie Tromp.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was officially established in 1971 when the First Presbytery was formed as a result of the union of various conservative Presbyterian and Continental Reformed congregations planted by various missionary groups. Its origin could be traced back to the 1950s when the very first missionaries of those Presbyterian and Continental Reformed missionaries arrived in Taiwan.

The Presbyterian Church in Japan is a conservative Reformed denomination in Japan, founded by American missionaries in the mid-1900s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Presbyterian Church (Nashville, Tennessee)</span> Church in Tennessee, United States

The Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, is a Presbyterian Church in America multi-site church with three campuses with approximately 2,000 total weekly attenders as of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Presbyterian Church (Montgomery, Alabama)</span> Church in Alabama, United States

Trinity Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama is a flagship and founding congregation within the Presbyterian Church in America, PCA. Trinity has about 1,300 members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)</span> Church in Mississippi, United States

First Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian congregation in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, founded in 1882 by Rev. A. B. Coit. It was the first church in the town and predated Hattiesburg's own incorporation by two years. In 1973 it left the Presbyterian Church in the United States to become a charter member of the more theologically conservative Presbyterian Church in America.

The Kosin Presbyterian Church in Korea, also called Korea-pa, is an Evangelical Reformed and Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of South Korea. Although, congregations have spread all over North America and in many other countries.

References

  1. ↑ "World Churches: Mega Churches - Briarwood Presbyterian Church,Birmingham, Alabama". churchbox.blogspot.hu. December 25, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Our Heritage". Briarwood Presbyterian Church. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
  3. ↑ Robinson, Carol (May 18, 2023). "Rev. Harry Reeder, Briarwood senior pastor, killed in Shelby County crash". AL.com. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  4. ↑ Greg Garrison, "The Church's Bottom Line", The Washington Post , November 11, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Our Heritage". briarwood.org. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Birmingham Theological Seminary". Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
  7. ↑ Young Business Leaders
  8. ↑ May, Grant (April 29, 2023). "Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Sunday Worship". Magic City Religion. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ Kent Shaffer. "The Church Report's 50 Most Influential Churches - churchrelevance.com". churchrelevance.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Private School Survey". NCES. Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Visitor FAQs". briarwood.org. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  12. ↑ Greg Garrison (February 17, 2017). "Briarwood Presbyterian Church asks for its own police department". AL.com. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  13. ↑ Jasmine Hyman and Brian Ries (June 21, 2019). "An Alabama megachurch will form its own police force after passage of controversial law". CNN. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Our Doctrine". briarwood.org. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Affiliations and Partners". crcsa.co.za. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.