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International Conference of Reformed Churches

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International Conference of Reformed Churches
TypeFellowship
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationConfessionally Reformed
Origin1981; 43 years ago (1981)
Members739,925
Official websitewww.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.

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

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Precedents

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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

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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

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Countries with member denominations of the International Conference of Reformed Churches.

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

Country denominational subfamily Denomination Number of congregations Number of members Year
Australia Presbyterian Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia 16 719 2016[10]
Australia Continental reformed Christian Reformed Churches of Australia 55 7,611 2022[10]
Brazil Continental reformed Reformed Churches in Brazil 18 1,061 2022[11]
Canada Continental reformed Canadian and American Reformed Churches 76 19,866 2023[11]
Canada Continental reformed Heritage Reformed Congregations 10 2,186 2022[11]
Democratic Republic of the Congo Continental reformed United Reformed Church in Congo 181 14,657 2012[12]
India Presbyterian Presbyterian Free Church of Central India 18 756 2021[10]
India Presbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of India 10 3,000 2004[13]
India Presbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church North East India 105 11,376 2021[10]
India Presbyterian Anugraha Reformed Presbyterian Church of Bangalore - - -
India Continental reformed Evangelical Reformed Church of India 84 - 2022[14]
Indonesia Continental reformed Calvinist Reformed Churches in Indonesia 11 - -
Indonesia Continental reformed Reformed Churches in Indonesia - - -
Ireland Presbyterian Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Ireland) 10 396 2021[10]
Ireland Presbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland 41 2,065 2022[10]
Kenya Presbyterian Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church 100 22,000 [15]
Netherlands Continental reformed Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands 181 67,629 2024[16]
Netherlands Continental reformed Reformed Churches (Netherlands)[17] 31 3,500 2024[18][19]
Romania, Ukraine and Hungary Presbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe 25 370 2022[10]
New Zealand Continental reformed Reformed Churches of New Zealand 23 3,461 2022[10]
South Africa Presbyterian Free Church in Southern Africa 63 4,000 2004[20]
South Africa Continental reformed Free Reformed Churches of South Africa 13 1,888 2022[10]
South Africa Continental reformed Reformed Churches in South Africa 382 76,812 2022[10]
South Korea Presbyterian Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin) 2,128 385,186 2023[21]
South Korea Presbyterian Independent Reformed Church in Korea 4 208 2022[10]
Spain Continental reformed Reformed Churches in Spain 3 - -
Sudan and South Sudan Continental reformed Sudanese Reformed Churches 34 6,000 2023[22]
Uganda Presbyterian Presbyterian Church in Uganda 87 3,047 2019[10]
Uganda Presbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church in Africa (Uganda) - - -
United Kingdom Presbyterian Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales 24 1,001 2021[10]
United Kingdom Presbyterian Free Church of Scotland 112 5,400 2016[10]
United Kingdom Presbyterian Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) 40 1,691 2022[11]
United States of America Presbyterian Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church 260 25,692 2023[11]
United States of America Presbyterian Orthodox Presbyterian Church 332 33,520 2023[23]
United States of America Continental reformed United Reformed Churches in North America 130 25,296 2021[24]
United States of America Continental reformed Reformed Church in the United States 43 3,340 2022[11]
United States of America Continental reformed Free Reformed Churches of North America 23 5,420 2021[10]
United States of America Presbyterian Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America 107 7,581 2021[10]
World Total International Conference of Reformed Churches 4,775 739,925 2004-2024

Member Profile

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  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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ Reformed Fellowship website
  2. ^ "Governance". www.icrconline.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  3. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "Member Churches". www.icrconline.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  9. ^ "International Conference of Reformed Churches 2021". Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Minute of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church" (PDF). June 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "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. ^ "The name of the religious association after the merger of DGK and GKN: Reformed Churches". Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  19. ^ "Synods of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Restored) negotiate merger". May 25, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 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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