The Three Offices Let all things be done decently and in order. —1 Cor. 14:40, NKJV Christ has instituted three offices in the church: minister of the Word, elder, and deacon (Article 1). The Idea of an Office The current Church Order of the United Reformed Churches in North America begins by identifying three ecclesiastical […]
The Idea of Church Polity The careful definition of terms is helpful in any consideration of a topic. “Polity” is defined as “a particular form or system of government,” and, when added to the noun “church,” gives a phrase meaning “the science of church government” or “church government.” Identifying principal truths of the Holy Scriptures, […]
The Idea of the Church Order One of the main instruments for the proper exercise of church polity is a Church Order, more precisely in our context, the Church Order of the United Reformed Churches in North America. This Church Order can be easily accessed at the United Reformed Churches in North America website, www.urcna.org, […]
Introduction In recent articles, we have surveyed briefly the offices of elder and of deacon. What then of the average person within the pew? What role and responsibility do they have in the life of the Christian community? The rediscovery of and recommitment to the biblical teaching regarding the offices of elder and deacon, as […]
The Word of God begins with profound simplicity: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1, English Standard Version). It states with the same profound simplicity, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). Yet, […]
It seems every church has them. They are a small minority; yet, they are there. They have either just freshly entered a congregation or are in the process of making their exit. Indeed, upon careful evaluation, areas containing numerous reformed churches often display a membership rotation that mirrors a revolving door. Usually motivated by some […]
The several men seated around the table have worked hard on the case in the past months. Prayers, ponderings, discussions, meetings, phone calls, and letters have all been agonizingly employed in an attempt to regain the erring brother or sister by means of Christian Discipline. The steps have not been taken lightly, nor has the […]
Introduction At times within the Christian community, a practice can become so common that one begins to lose sight of its basis. The danger of this is that as time passes individuals grow ignorant of why they do what they do. From this ignorant position, it is a small step to cease doing what one […]
Introduction Among the various summer activities the Lord decreed for the year of 2012, the United Reformed Churches of North America (URCNA) found themselves gathering together in Nyack, New York for their eighth synod. It was the author’s privileged responsibility to attend these meetings as a delegate. While a reproduction of the forthcoming Acts of […]