International Conference of Reformed Churches

Last updated
International Conference of Reformed Churches
International Conference of Reformed Churches logo.jpg
Type Fellowship
Classification Protestant
Orientation Confessionally Reformed
Origin1981;43 years ago (1981)
Members739,925
Official website www.icrconline.com

The International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC) is a federation of Reformed or Calvinist churches around the world. The ICRC convenes international meetings every four years.

Contents

The ICRC was founded in 1981 at Groningen in the Netherlands. [1]

The theology of the ICRC is more conservative than the larger World Communion of Reformed Churches and is similar to that of the World Reformed Fellowship. The participating churches endorse the four Reformed confessions: the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Canons of Dort, and Westminster Confession of Faith.

In 2023, the moderator of the ICRC is Reverend Dr Dick Moes. [2]

History

Precedents

Reformed Faith emerged in Europe, in the 16th Century. From then on, it spread through migration and missions throughout the world. Since the 19th century, Reformed Christians began to organize structures that allowed communion and the testimony of unity among Reformed people around the world.

In 1875, the Alliance of Reformed Churches that maintains the Presbyterian System (ARCPS) was organized in London. At the same time, in 1891, the International Congregational Council (ICC) was formed, which brought together churches of the Reformed Tradition that adopted system of congregational government.

In 1946, a more conservative group of Reformed churches organized the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC).

In 1970, ARCPS and ICC came together and formed the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). [3] [4]

In the following decades, the REC became increasingly closer to WARC, from the moment when several denominations participated simultaneously in both organizations. This approach would culminate in the merger between the two organizations in 2010, to form the current World Communion of Reformed Churches. [3]

Emergence

As the REC became increasingly liberal and closer to WARC, a group of conservative Reformed churches saw the need to form a new international organization of Reformed denominations. Thus, in 1982, the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC) was formed. The first meeting of the conference was held in 1985. At the time, the founders of the conference were the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated), Free Reformed Churches of Australia, Canadian and American Reformed Churches, Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Ireland) , Free Church of Scotland and Reformed Churches in Indonesia. [5] [6] [7]

In the following years, ICRC grew, bringing together conservative Reformed denominations from around the world. Even so, a large part of its members are simultaneously members of the World Reformed Fellowship and some are also members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

List of members

Countries with member denominations of the International Conference of Reformed Churches. Paises com denominacoes membros da Conferencia Internacional das Igrejas Reformadas.png
Countries with member denominations of the International Conference of Reformed Churches.

List of ICRC Members in 2023: [8] [9]

Countrydenominational subfamilyDenominationNumber of congregationsNumber of membersYear
AustraliaPresbyterian Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia 167192016 [10]
AustraliaContinental reformed Christian Reformed Churches of Australia 557,6112022 [10]
BrazilContinental reformed Reformed Churches in Brazil 181,0612022 [11]
CanadaContinental reformed Canadian and American Reformed Churches 7619,8662023 [11]
CanadaContinental reformed Heritage Reformed Congregations 102,1862022 [11]
Democratic Republic of the CongoContinental reformed United Reformed Church in Congo 18114,6572012 [12]
HungaryPresbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe 253702022 [10]
IndiaPresbyterian Presbyterian Free Church of Central India 187562021 [10]
IndiaPresbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of India 103,0002004 [13]
IndiaPresbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church North East India 10511,3762021 [10]
IndiaPresbyterianAnugraha Reformed Presbyterian Church of Bangalore---
IndiaContinental reformed Evangelical Reformed Church of India 84-2022 [14]
IndonesiaContinental reformed Calvinist Reformed Churches in Indonesia 11--
IndonesiaContinental reformed Reformed Churches in Indonesia ---
IrelandPresbyterian Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Ireland) 103962021 [10]
IrelandPresbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland 412,0652022 [10]
KenyaPresbyterian Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church 10022,000 [15]
NetherlandsContinental reformed Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands 18167,6292024 [16]
NetherlandsContinental reformed Reformed Churches (Netherlands) [17] 313,5002024 [18] [19]
New ZealandContinental reformed Reformed Churches of New Zealand 233,4612022 [10]
South AfricaPresbyterian Free Church in Southern Africa 634,0002004 [20]
South AfricaContinental reformed Free Reformed Churches of South Africa 131,8882022 [10]
South AfricaContinental reformed Reformed Churches in South Africa 38276,8122022 [10]
South KoreaPresbyterian Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin) 2,128385,1862023 [21]
South KoreaPresbyterian Independent Reformed Church in Korea 42082022 [10]
SpainContinental reformed Reformed Churches in Spain 3--
Sudan and South SudanContinental reformed Sudanese Reformed Churches 346,0002023 [22]
UgandaPresbyterian Presbyterian Church in Uganda 873,0472019 [10]
UgandaPresbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church in Africa (Uganda) ---
United KingdomPresbyterian Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales 241,0012021 [10]
United KingdomPresbyterian Free Church of Scotland 1125,4002016 [10]
United KingdomPresbyterian Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) 401,6912022 [11]
United States of AmericaPresbyterian Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church 26025,6922023 [11]
United States of AmericaPresbyterian Orthodox Presbyterian Church 33233,5202023 [23]
United States of AmericaContinental reformed United Reformed Churches in North America 13025,2962021 [24]
United States of AmericaContinental reformed Reformed Church in the United States 433,3402022 [11]
United States of AmericaContinental reformed Free Reformed Churches of North America 235,4202021 [10]
United States of AmericaPresbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America 1077,5812021 [10]
WorldTotalInternational Conference of Reformed Churches4,775739,9252004-2024

Member Profile

   Presbyterians (67.74%)
   Continental Reformed (32.26%)

The Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin), alone, represents 51.14% of the individual members of the International Conference of Reformed Churches. Together, Presbyterians represent 67.74% of individual members. The continental Reformed represent 32.26%.

Candidates

In 2020, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Peru expressed interest in joining the ICRC, requesting support from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church to do so. [25]

In 2023, a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America requested that the denomination apply for ICRC membership; the General Assembly referred this overture to its permanent Interchurch Relations Committee. [26]

Former members

The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) and Free Reformed Churches of Australia were founding denominations of the ICRC. However, none of them are currently part of the CIIR. [6] [27] [8]

In 2017, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) began to allow women's ordination, which is completely rejected by the other members of the organization. Consequently, the ICRC suspended the denomination's membership rights, and urged it to reverse its decision. [28]

However, the Liberated Reformed Churches did not respond to the ICRC's request and continued to ordain women. Consequently, in 2022, the ICRC approved the definitive expulsion of the organization's denomination. [29]

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References

  1. ↑ Reformed Fellowship website
  2. ↑ "Governance". www.icrconline.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  3. 1 2 "World Communion of Reformed Churches". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ "History of the World Communion of Reformed Churches" . Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ J. Visscher (November 15, 1985). "Report of the International Conference of Reformed Churches" (PDF). Clarion Magazine. pp. 482–487. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Minute of the 86th General Assembly of the Church Orthodox Presbyterian, Pages 308-309" (PDF). Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Constitution of the International Conference of Reformed Churches" (PDF). Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Member Churches". www.icrconline.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  9. ↑ "International Conference of Reformed Churches 2021" . Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Minute of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church" (PDF). June 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Minutes of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church" (PDF). June 2024. pp. 332–347. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  12. ↑ "From a broadcast to a denomination 14,600 members". September 13, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Reformed Presbyterian Church of India". October 21, 2004. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Minutes of the Synod of the United Reformed Churches in North America". October 7, 2022. p. 43. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  15. ↑ "CRB: Evangelical Presbyterian Church Africa" . Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  16. ↑ Wim Houtman (April 9, 2024). "The Reformed Christian Churches continue to shrink:As if an entire congregation were leaving" . Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  17. ↑ "The Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (GKN) have been admitted as a member of the International Conference of Reformed Churches". October 18, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  18. ↑ "O nome da associação religiosa após a fusão da DGK e GKN: Igrejas Reformadas". Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  19. ↑ "Sínodos das Igrejas Reformadas na Holanda e Igrejas Reformadas na Holanda (Restauradas) negociam fusão". 25 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "Free Church in Southern Africa". Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Statistics of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin) in 2023". Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  22. ↑ "2023 Annual Report of Sudanese Reformed Churches". April 10, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Report of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church 2024" . Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Minutes of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Churches in North America". pp. 257–261. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  25. ↑ "2020 Orthodox Presbyterian Church General Assembly Report" (PDF). December 31, 2019. p. 284. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America 2023" (PDF). June 2023. pp. 24, 967. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  27. ↑ "International Conference of Reformed Churches" . Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  28. ↑ "International Conference of Reformed Churches suspends Liberated Reformed Churches from membership because the denomination admitted female ordination" . Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  29. ↑ "International Conference of Reformed Churches: Membership of Liberated Reformed Churches closed" . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
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