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Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States

May 03, 2024

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[1] Westminster Confession and upholds biblical inerrancy. The denomination self-identified as theonomic.[2]

Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationPresbyterian
TheologyChristian reconstructionist
FounderRev. Joe Morecraft
Origin1983
Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, north Atlanta, Georgia
Separated fromPresbyterian Church in America
SeparationsReformed Presbyterian Church – Hanover Presbytery and Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly, 1991
Merged intoVanguard Presbytery (2020)
Congregations3 (in 2020)
Official websitehttp://www.rpcus.com

History edit

The RPCUS began when Chalcedon Presbyterian Church in north Atlanta, Georgia left he Presbyterian Church in America in 1983. Chalcedon had set requirements that its elders adhere to both theonomy and postmillennialism; however, groups within the PCA's North Georgia Presbytery complained that the church was being too strict in its requirements and that it was "going beyond the Westminster Confession." While the complaint was dismissed, Chalcedon sought to become secure in its position. They inquired into the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, but found that they had not yet settled on how to handle theonomy, so they formed their own denomination.[3] Chalcedon had begun only nine years earlier under the leadership of Joe Morecraft. After Morecraft ran for Congress in Georgia' s 7th District in 1986, losing in the general election to incumbent Democrat George Darden, the denomination saw some growth in the Atlanta area. The church was joined in 1987 by Covenant Presbyterian Church, which grew out of a Reformed Bible study group held in Buford, Georgia. The study group had been partially under the headship of the Rev. Wayne Rogers; however, it would soon be led by Rev. Christopher B. Strevel.[4] The denomination eventually had four presbyteries: Covenant Presbytery (based in Atlanta), Hanover Presbytery, Western Presbytery, and Westminster Presbytery. One church split from the RPCUS in 1990 over concerns of the regulative principle of worship—believing only psalms were acceptable in worship.[5] The next year, Western and Westminster Presbyteries chose to depart and merge, forming the Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly and the Hanover Presbytery also left on its own to form the Reformed Presbyterian Church – Hanover Presbytery. The split was due, in part, to the RPCUS's failure to establish and maintain a system of church discipline and inability to finalize on a constitution.[6] Only Covenant Presbytery remained; however, it would continue to grow, particularly in the Southern US. By 2003, the presbytery had 6 churches and 2 mission churches.[7]

Morecraft, the denomination's founder, remained pastor of Chalcedon from 1974 until 2015. In 2015, Morecraft transferred his membership to Reformed Presbyterian Church – Hanover Presbytery as the result of judicial processes against him within the denomination.[8] He immediately founded Heritage Presbyterian Church affiliated with that denomination, also located in Cumming, Georgia.[9][10] Assistant Pastor Tim Price succeeded Morecraft as the Senior Pastor at Chalcedon, before leaving in January 2020.[11]

Before Morecraft's departure in 2015, the denomination had 8 churches, 1 domestic mission church, and 1 foreign mission.[12] At the beginning of 2020, only 3 churches remained: Chalcedon in Cumming, Georgia, Zion in Macon, Georgia with Pastor Jess Stanfield, and Trinity in Tazewell, Virginia with Pastor Henry Johnson.[13] Shortly after, only Chalcedon and Trinity would remain with Stanfield becoming pastor at Chalcedon.[14][15] In 2020, the RPCUS finally dissolved when the remaining 2 churches joined the Vanguard Presbytery.[16][17] In May 2022, the former RPCUS churches left the Vanguard Presbytery to form another new denomination: the Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church.[18][19]

Christ College and Christ Theological Seminary edit

The RPCUS was involved in the creation of Christ College in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1990, which was located at the former Jones Memorial Library. Chalcedon Presbyterian Church in Cumming hosted the Atlanta Metro campus.[20] The college hosted the Patrick Henry Institute, a Christian public policy think tank which sought "to apply biblical socio-political ethics to contemporary public problems and issues" using the "Biblical Law" approach.[21] The Center for Biblical Law and Economics was housed under the Patrick Henry Institute.[22] During the 2008 Financial Crisis, Christ College closed its Lynchburg campus maintaining only its Atlanta campus. At the same time, the denomination opened Christ Theological Seminary.[23] The college and seminary moved their base to Covenant Presbyterian Church in Buford, Georgia.[24] The courses were taught by RPCUS ministers.[25] The seminary's final term was winter of 2014 with a course module titled "Providence and History" in January.[26]

References edit

  1. ^ Morecraft, Joe. . Archived from the original on 2 April 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  2. ^ Otis, John. "RPCUS Distinctives and the Westminster Standards". Zion Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 19 December 2010.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "The Christian Reconstruction/ Theonomy movement | Christian Library". www.christianstudylibrary.org.
  4. ^ "A Church Blazing With Vision". Chalcedon. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  5. ^ "History of the Reformed Presbytery in North America (General Meeting)". www.reformedpresbytery.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  6. ^ Elliott, Edwin P. "Our History and Practices, The Reformed Presbyterian Church – Hanover Presbytery". The Reformed Presbyterian Church – Hanover Presbytery. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  7. ^ . RPCUS. 2004-12-16. Archived from the original on 2004-12-16. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  8. ^ Covenant Presbytery Assembled (2015-04-15). . RPCUS. Cumming, GA: Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States. Archived from the original on 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  9. ^ Mattis, Shawn (2015-09-01). "Joseph Morecraft removed from Presbytery while under discipline". Pastor Mathis. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  10. ^ "Leadership – Heritage Presbyterian Church". from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  11. ^ "Chalcedon Presbyterian Church". Chalcedon Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  12. ^ . 2015-01-09. Archived from the original on 2015-01-09.
  13. ^ . RPCUS. 2020-03-07. Archived from the original on 2020-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  14. ^ "About Chalcedon". Chalcedon Presbyterian Church | Cumming, Georgia. from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  15. ^ "Jess Stanfield Sermons". Chalcedon Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  16. ^ "Affiliations". Vanguard Presbytery. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  17. ^ "Home". chalcedon.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  18. ^ "Contact us – Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church". Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  19. ^ "Testimony and Covenant of the Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church". theaquilareport.com. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  20. ^ Clauson, Kevin (January 2001). "Introducing Christ's College". Chalcedon. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  21. ^ . Christ College. 2001-02-02. Archived from the original on 2001-02-02. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  22. ^ . Christ College. 2001-02-08. Archived from the original on 2001-02-08. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  23. ^ . Christ Theological Seminary – RPCUS. 2011-02-07. Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  24. ^ . Christ Theological Seminary. 2012-09-28. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  25. ^ . Christ Theological Seminary. 2009-01-06. Archived from the original on 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  26. ^ "Providence and History Module". Chalcedon Presbyterian Church. 2014-01-20. from the original on 2023-05-28.

External links edit

  • Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States 2004-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
  • Vanguard Presbytery


 

This article about a Christian denomination is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

May 03, 2024
reformed, presbyterian, church, united, states, small, presbyterian, denomination, based, united, states, that, merged, into, vanguard, presbytery, rpcus, established, 1983, subscribes, unrevised, westminster, confession, upholds, biblical, inerrancy, denomina. 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 1 Westminster Confession and upholds biblical inerrancy The denomination self identified as theonomic 2 Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United StatesClassificationProtestantOrientationPresbyterianTheologyChristian reconstructionistFounderRev Joe MorecraftOrigin1983 Chalcedon Presbyterian Church north Atlanta GeorgiaSeparated fromPresbyterian Church in AmericaSeparationsReformed Presbyterian Church Hanover Presbytery and Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly 1991Merged intoVanguard Presbytery 2020 Congregations3 in 2020 Official websitehttp www rpcus com Reformed Christianity portal Contents 1 History 1 1 Christ College and Christ Theological Seminary 2 References 3 External linksHistory editThe RPCUS began when Chalcedon Presbyterian Church in north Atlanta Georgia left he Presbyterian Church in America in 1983 Chalcedon had set requirements that its elders adhere to both theonomy and postmillennialism however groups within the PCA s North Georgia Presbytery complained that the church was being too strict in its requirements and that it was going beyond the Westminster Confession While the complaint was dismissed Chalcedon sought to become secure in its position They inquired into the Orthodox Presbyterian Church but found that they had not yet settled on how to handle theonomy so they formed their own denomination 3 Chalcedon had begun only nine years earlier under the leadership of Joe Morecraft After Morecraft ran for Congress in Georgia s 7th District in 1986 losing in the general election to incumbent Democrat George Darden the denomination saw some growth in the Atlanta area The church was joined in 1987 by Covenant Presbyterian Church which grew out of a Reformed Bible study group held in Buford Georgia The study group had been partially under the headship of the Rev Wayne Rogers however it would soon be led by Rev Christopher B Strevel 4 The denomination eventually had four presbyteries Covenant Presbytery based in Atlanta Hanover Presbytery Western Presbytery and Westminster Presbytery One church split from the RPCUS in 1990 over concerns of the regulative principle of worship believing only psalms were acceptable in worship 5 The next year Western and Westminster Presbyteries chose to depart and merge forming the Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly and the Hanover Presbytery also left on its own to form the Reformed Presbyterian Church Hanover Presbytery The split was due in part to the RPCUS s failure to establish and maintain a system of church discipline and inability to finalize on a constitution 6 Only Covenant Presbytery remained however it would continue to grow particularly in the Southern US By 2003 the presbytery had 6 churches and 2 mission churches 7 Morecraft the denomination s founder remained pastor of Chalcedon from 1974 until 2015 In 2015 Morecraft transferred his membership to Reformed Presbyterian Church Hanover Presbytery as the result of judicial processes against him within the denomination 8 He immediately founded Heritage Presbyterian Church affiliated with that denomination also located in Cumming Georgia 9 10 Assistant Pastor Tim Price succeeded Morecraft as the Senior Pastor at Chalcedon before leaving in January 2020 11 Before Morecraft s departure in 2015 the denomination had 8 churches 1 domestic mission church and 1 foreign mission 12 At the beginning of 2020 only 3 churches remained Chalcedon in Cumming Georgia Zion in Macon Georgia with Pastor Jess Stanfield and Trinity in Tazewell Virginia with Pastor Henry Johnson 13 Shortly after only Chalcedon and Trinity would remain with Stanfield becoming pastor at Chalcedon 14 15 In 2020 the RPCUS finally dissolved when the remaining 2 churches joined the Vanguard Presbytery 16 17 In May 2022 the former RPCUS churches left the Vanguard Presbytery to form another new denomination the Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church 18 19 Christ College and Christ Theological Seminary edit The RPCUS was involved in the creation of Christ College in Lynchburg Virginia in 1990 which was located at the former Jones Memorial Library Chalcedon Presbyterian Church in Cumming hosted the Atlanta Metro campus 20 The college hosted the Patrick Henry Institute a Christian public policy think tank which sought to apply biblical socio political ethics to contemporary public problems and issues using the Biblical Law approach 21 The Center for Biblical Law and Economics was housed under the Patrick Henry Institute 22 During the 2008 Financial Crisis Christ College closed its Lynchburg campus maintaining only its Atlanta campus At the same time the denomination opened Christ Theological Seminary 23 The college and seminary moved their base to Covenant Presbyterian Church in Buford Georgia 24 The courses were taught by RPCUS ministers 25 The seminary s final term was winter of 2014 with a course module titled Providence and History in January 26 References edit Morecraft Joe Why the RPCUS has the Original 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms Unrevised Archived from the original on 2 April 2011 Retrieved 18 December 2010 Otis John RPCUS Distinctives and the Westminster Standards Zion Presbyterian Church Retrieved 19 December 2010 permanent dead link The Christian Reconstruction Theonomy movement Christian Library www christianstudylibrary org A Church Blazing With Vision Chalcedon Retrieved 2021 03 17 History of the Reformed Presbytery in North America General Meeting www reformedpresbytery org Retrieved 2021 03 17 Elliott Edwin P Our History and Practices The Reformed Presbyterian Church Hanover Presbytery The Reformed Presbyterian Church Hanover Presbytery Retrieved 2021 03 17 RPCUS Home RPCUS 2004 12 16 Archived from the original on 2004 12 16 Retrieved 2021 03 17 Covenant Presbytery Assembled 2015 04 15 Public Statement on Joe Morecraft RPCUS Cumming GA Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States Archived from the original on 2017 04 21 Retrieved 2017 04 21 Mattis Shawn 2015 09 01 Joseph Morecraft removed from Presbytery while under discipline Pastor Mathis Retrieved 2021 03 17 Leadership Heritage Presbyterian Church Archived from the original on 2021 10 17 Retrieved 2021 10 17 Chalcedon Presbyterian Church Chalcedon Presbyterian Church Retrieved 2022 09 02 RPCUS Churches 2015 01 09 Archived from the original on 2015 01 09 Home RPCUS RPCUS 2020 03 07 Archived from the original on 2020 03 07 Retrieved 2021 03 17 About Chalcedon Chalcedon Presbyterian Church Cumming Georgia Archived from the original on 2020 09 26 Retrieved 2022 09 02 Jess Stanfield Sermons Chalcedon Presbyterian Church Retrieved 2022 09 02 Affiliations Vanguard Presbytery 2020 06 11 Retrieved 2021 03 17 Home chalcedon org Retrieved 2021 03 17 Contact us Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church Retrieved 2022 09 02 Testimony and Covenant of the Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church theaquilareport com Retrieved 2022 09 02 Clauson Kevin January 2001 Introducing Christ s College Chalcedon Retrieved 2023 05 28 The Patrick Henry Institute Christ College 2001 02 02 Archived from the original on 2001 02 02 Retrieved 2023 05 28 Center for Biblical Law and Economics Christ College 2001 02 08 Archived from the original on 2001 02 08 Retrieved 2023 05 28 Christ Theological Seminary Home Christ Theological Seminary RPCUS 2011 02 07 Archived from the original on 2011 02 07 Retrieved 2023 05 28 Welcome amp Overview Christ Theological Seminary 2012 09 28 Archived from the original on 2012 09 28 Retrieved 2023 05 28 CTS Master of Divinity Program Christ Theological Seminary 2009 01 06 Archived from the original on 2009 01 06 Retrieved 2023 05 28 Providence and History Module Chalcedon Presbyterian Church 2014 01 20 Archived from the original on 2023 05 28 External links editReformed Presbyterian Church in the United States Archived 2004 12 16 at the Wayback Machine Christ Theological Seminary seminary of the RPCUS Vanguard Presbytery nbsp This article about a Christian denomination is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States amp oldid 1218614797, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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