The Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRC) or (PRCA) is a Protestant denomination of 27 churches and over 7,000 members. Christian doctrine redirects here. ... The word schism (IPA: or ), from the Greek σχίσμα, skhísma (from σχίζω, skhízō, to tear, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization or a movement. ... For the architectural structure, see Church (building). ... The Presbyterian Reformed Church is an indigenous North American group of churches continuing historic Scottish Presbyterian orthodoxy in doctrine, worship, government and discipline, on the basis of a conviction that these principles and practices are founded upon and agreeable to the Word of God. ... Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... For other senses of this word, see denomination. ...

History

The PRC was founded in 1924 as a result of a controversy regarding common grace in the Christian Reformed Church. At that time the Christian Reformed Church adopted three doctrinal points on the subject of common grace. Reverends Herman Hoeksema, George Ophoff, and Henry Danhof, caused controversy when they said that these three points were contrary to the Reformed confessions of faith. Soon thereafter, when these men said they could not abide by these three points, they were disciplined through suspension or deposition from the ministry by their respective Classes. The CRC maintained that the position of these three men was inconsistent with the Bible's teachings. The men objected to this deposition also from a church political point of view, arguing that only the Consistory has the right to depose their minister, not a Classis. The CRC disagreed and these ministers, as well as their followers, left the CRC and organized into a new denomination. They took the name the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. Common Grace is a theological concept in Protestant Christianity, primarily in Reformed and Calvinistic circles, referring to the grace of God that is common to all humankind. ... The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA or CRC) is a Protestant Christian denomination which follows Reformed Calvinist theology. ... Herman Hoeksema was a Dutch Reformed theologian. ... The Reformed churches express their consensus of faith in various creeds. ...

The PRC today continues to reject common grace as Arminian and believes that God's grace is always given only to his chosen people. The rejection of common grace and the free offer of the gospel is often referred to as Hyper-Calvinism. Since the PRC hold these positions to be contrary to the Reformed Confessions, they also maintain that the rejection of these positions should not be referred to as Hyper-Calvinism. This interpretation of the PRC is rejected by the overwhelming majority of modern day reformed denominations and scholars. The PRC maintains that these denominations and scholars, although calling themselves reformed, are not actually holding to the Reformed confessions. Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought in Protestant Christian theology founded by the Dutch theologian Jacob Hermann, who was best known by the Latin form of his name, Jacobus Arminius. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In Christianity... Predestination (also linked with foreknowledge) is a religious concept, which involves the relationship between the beginning of things and their destinies. ... Common Grace is a theological concept in Protestant Christianity, primarily in Reformed and Calvinistic circles, referring to the grace of God that is common to all humankind. ... The free offer of the Gospel is a dispute in Calvinist circles concerning whether or not an evangelist can sincerely invite everyone to repent and believe the central message of the Christian faith (the Gospel). ... Hyper-Calvinism is a theological position that historically arose from within the Calvinist tradition among the early English Particular Baptists in the mid 1700s. ...

In the early 1950s, the churches endured a severe, internal, doctrinal controversy regarding the unconditionality of the covenant of grace. Membership in the church declined by over one half and half of the ministers left the PRC during this period. The denomination today continues to teach that God unconditionally establishes and maintains His covenant with His elect people alone. Covenant Theology is not to be confused with the Covenanters For Covenantal Theology in the Roman Catholic perspective, see Covenantal Theology (Roman Catholic). ...

Doctrine

The PRC believes that the Bible is the infallibly and inerrantly inspired word of God and that the message therein is well summarized in the Three Forms of Unity: the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dordt. While the PRC would approve of much of the Westminster Confession of Faith, it does not endorse it or permit those who agree with all of it to become members, because of differences regarding marriage & divorce, the covenant of works, and other matters. This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... Biblical infallibility is the theological term to describe the belief that the Bible is free from errors on issues of faith and practice. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Biblical... Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology concerned with the divine origin of the Bible and what the Bible teaches about itself. ... Historic creeds of the Reformed Churches developed during the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation. ... The Heidelberg Catechism is a document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine. ... The Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, following the seventeenth-century Latin designation Confessio Belgica. ... The Canons of Dort is one of the confessional standards of the Netherlands. ...

In addition to the denomination's position on common grace discussed above, the PRC's understanding of their confessions leads to some other distinctive positions.

The PRC holds that God's covenant is only with his elect and that it is unconditional (meaning that there are no conditions that people must fulfill to enter into the covenant or to stay in the covenant). The PRC rejects antinomianism, believing instead that God calls the people of the covenant to believe and obey and that he personally and entirely produces in them the required faith and deeds. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      This article... Antinomianism (from the Greek αντι, against + νομος, law), or lawlessness (in the Greek Bible: ανομια,[1] which is unlawful), in theology, is the idea that members of a particular religious group are under no obligation to obey the laws of ethics or morality as presented by religious authorities. ... For other uses, see Faith (disambiguation). ...

The PRC holds exclusively to young Earth creationism. Adam and Eve, the first human beings according to Genesis. ...

In public worship services, the PRC mostly sings the Psalms with organ accompaniment, but in contrast to exclusive psalmody, it does permit the singing of certain uninspired hymns of human composition. Article 69 of the church order adopted by the Synod of Dordt states that: "In the churches only the 150 Psalms of David, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Twelve Articles of Faith, the Songs of Mary, Zacharias, and Simeon, the Morning and Evening Hymns, and the Hymn of Prayer before the sermon shall be sung." It is a common practice within PRC services to open with the singing of the "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" doxology and some end the service with the singing of "May the Grace of Christ the Savior" doxology. Outside of the official church service, members are free to sing uninspired hymns and carols of human composition. Also, the PRC uses the King James Version of the Bible, although they do not endorse the King-James-Only Movement and members have personal liberty to use other Bible versions. Exclusive psalmody is the particular worship practice of some churches in using the Book of Psalms from the Bible as the only manual of songs that may be sung in their services. ... The Synod of Dort met in the city of Dordrecht in 1618-1619, as a national assembly of the Dutch Reformed Church, to which were invited representatives from the Reformed churches in eight foreign countries. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      The...

The PRC believes that marriage is a lifelong bond and that, although an individual may divorce or "put away" his or her spouse for continued infidelity, the marriage bond is not dissolved apart from death. Hence, neither party is permitted to remarry while the other person is still living. Matrimony redirects here. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation), Dead (disambiguation), or Death (band). ...

The PRC does not believe that headcoverings are required for women during worship service.

Church government

The denomination holds to the Reformed form of church government and is organized in two classes – Classis East and Classis West (the eastern border of Illinois is the boundary between the two) – which meet two or three times a year and in an annual Synod. Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ...

The name of the denomination is not the Protestant Reformed Church (singular) but the Protestant Reformed Churches (plural). The PRC maintain that a denomination is not a church but a federation of churches, and that each of these churches is self-governing by a body of elders chosen out of the congregation. The PRC holds that God has given the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Mat 16:18, which is understood as granting authority for the preaching the gospel, and the exercise of church discipline) to the instituted church, not the denomination. Thus in the PRC only an instituted church can place an individual or a special office-bearer under discipline. The PRC denies that a meeting of Classis or Synod has the authority to do this, though they may advise a congregation to do so. Elder (religious) redirects here. ...

At the same time the PRC maintains the binding authority of the decisions of the broader assemblies (namely, the Classis and Synod). Individuals and congregations must submit to these decisions if they are going to remain in the denomination, and if an individual congregation refuses to do so, the broader assembly has the authority to declare that congregation to be outside the federation of churches.

Only male members in good standing may vote for church office bearers or be ordained in the Protestant Reformed Churches.

Churches and missions

The PRC has a couple dozen member churches scattered throughout the United States and in Canada. They also have a sister church in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. A majority of the churches in the United States are located in western Michigan but there are also churches in the midwestern and western United States. The PRC has few formal relationships with most reformed denominations and organizations, although in recent years, the PRC has developed relationships or contacts with two churches in Singapore, a small fellowship in New Zealand, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Australia, a small sister church in Northern Ireland which was founded with the help of the PRC, the Protestant Reformed Churches in Myanmar, and some contacts in India. Currently, the PRC is engaged in missions in a few locations in the United States and in Canada, and they have recently organized a church in the Philippines. In 2005, the Synod of the PRC closed the denominations missionary field work in Ghana, due to a lack of membership, although there is still some contact with the people there. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: Ballymena Borough Council UK Parliament: North Antrim European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 Post Town: Ballymena Postal District(s): BT42-44 Population (2001) 28,717 Ballymena (from the Irish: An Baile Meánach meaning middle townland) is a... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article is about the Midwestern region in the United States. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... For other uses, see Missionary (disambiguation). ...

Organizations

• Protestant Reformed Theological School - the seminary of the PRC, located in Grandville, Michigan.
• Reformed Free Publishing Association - publisher of theological and other Christian books by PRC authors and of a semi-monthly magazine The Standard Bearer, located in Jenison, Michigan
• The Reformed Witness Hour - a radio broadcast sponspored by the PRC.

The Protestant Reformed Theological School is a small theological seminary based in Grandville, Michigan, established by the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. ... For the Ecuadorian artist, see Manuel Rendón Seminario. ... Grandville is a city located in Kent County, Michigan, United States. ... Jenison is an unincorporated community located in Ottawa County, Michigan. ...

References

• (2005) Acts of Synod & Yearbook of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. 
• (2000) Our Goodly Heritage Preserved. ISBN 0-916206-62-9. 
• Hanko, Herman (2000). For Thy Truth's Sake. Reformed Free Publishing Association. ISBN 0-916206-61-0. 

External links

• Unofficial homepage of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America
• Reformed Free Publishing Association