The Fellowship of Reformed Baptist Churches in New Zealand is a Reformed Baptist denomination in New Zealand. It holds to the early creeds the Apostles Creed, Athanasian Creed and Nicene Creed, and also to the Reformation distinctives, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Confession of Faith and also to the five solae. [1] The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith is the Reformed Baptist Confession. [2] [3]
The first Reformed Baptist congregations in New Zealand began in the 1970s. In that time no formal denominational ties were between this churches, though they worked together, to support themselves. In March, 2002 discussion begun to form an official association. This led in 2005 to the formation of the Fellowship of Reformed Baptist Churches in New Zealand. [4]
Currently there are ten congregations, located in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Timaru. [5]
A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets.
Reformed Baptists, Particular Baptists and Calvinistic Baptists, are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology. Depending on the denomination, Calvinistic Baptists adhere to varying degrees of Reformed theology, ranging from simply embracing the Five Points of Calvinism, to accepting a modified form of federalism; all Calvinistic Baptists reject the classical Reformed teaching on infant baptism as a sign and seal of the covenant of grace. The first Calvinistic Baptist church was formed in the 1630s. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith is a significant summary of the beliefs of Reformed Baptists. The name "Reformed Baptist" dates from the latter part of the 20th century to denote Baptists who retained Baptist ecclesiology, and reaffirmed more historic Baptist biblical theology, such as Covenant theology.
General Baptists are Baptists who hold the general or unlimited atonement view, the belief that Jesus Christ died for the entire world and not just for the chosen elect. General Baptists are theologically Arminian, which distinguishes them from Reformed Baptists.
The United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) is a theologically conservative federation of Reformed churches founded in 1996. Many churches joined the URCNA after splitting from the Christian Reformed Church in North America denomination.
The Confession of Faith (1689), also known as the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, or the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, is a Particular Baptist confession of faith. It was written by English Baptists who subscribed to a Calvinistic soteriology as well as to a covenantal systematic theology. Because it was adopted by the Philadelphia Association of Baptist Churches in the 18th century, it is also known as the Philadelphia Confession of Faith. The Philadelphia Confession, however, was a modification of the Second London Confession; it added an allowance for the singing of hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs in the Lord's Supper and made optional the laying on of hands in baptism.
The reformed confessions of faith are the confessional documents of various Calvinist churches. These express the doctrinal views of the churches adopting the confession. Confessions play a crucial part in the theological identity of reformed churches, either as standards to which ministers must subscribe, or more generally as accurate descriptions of their faith. Most confessions date to the 16th and 17th century.
Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand (GPCNZ) is a Presbyterian denomination in New Zealand which was formed in 2002. It currently consists of 21 churches and missions, which are in the process of becoming fully established churches.
The Protestant Reformed Churches in America is a Protestant denomination of 33 churches and over 8,000 members.
The Sudanese Reformed Presbyterian Churches (SRPC) are a unified body of Protestant Churches in Sudan.
L'Église réformée du Québec, or "Reformed Church of Quebec", is a small conservative French-speaking Reformed Christian denomination located in the Canadian province of Quebec.
The Reformed Churches in South Africa is a Christian denomination in South Africa that was formed in 1859 in Rustenburg. Members of the church are sometimes referred to as Doppers.
The Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka is the oldest Protestant church on the island.
The Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals(FIRE) is a Reformed Baptist network of churches founded in 2000. There are congregations in the United States and abroad. It provides a platform for fellowship, cooperation, and mission sending. All ministry, cooperation, missions, and meetings are at the initiative of member churches.
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of India is a historic confessional Presbyterian denomination in India, established in the 19th century by Scottish and Irish missionaries.
The Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church (AEPC) is a growing conservative Presbyterian and Reformed Church which adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith started in Kenya, later spread to the surrounding countries like Burundi, Tanzania, Congo and as far as Zimbabwe. The headquarters of the church is located in Nairobi, Kenya. The current Moderator is Rev. Dr Joseph Mutei installed on Sunday 26th June 2022.
The Africa Gospel Unity Church was founded in 1964 by an untrained pastor who left the National Holiness Mission. The Africa Gospel Unity Church adheres to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. Most congregations are in rural areas. The church's leadership is all-male. In 2004, there were 3,500 members in eighty congregations and eighty house fellowships.