What United Reformed Christians believe, and how they worship
The United Reformed Churches in North America are a federation of about 130 congregations formed in 1996 by churches that left the Christian Reformed Church, holding to the Three Forms of Unity and a traditional Reformed liturgy.
United Reformed churches near Fergus
What United Reformed Christians believe
The United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) confess the Bible as the inspired and inerrant Word of God and summarize its teaching in the three ecumenical creeds and the Three Forms of Unity: the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort. The federation was formed by congregations that believed the Christian Reformed Church was drifting from those standards. Its own history says “doctrines were being taught that clearly contradicted the Three Forms of Unity,” above all in the 1995 decision to open the offices of minister and elder to women. In 1996 thirty-six churches formed the federation and held their first synod.
In doctrine the URCNA is deliberately conservative Reformed: salvation by grace alone through faith alone, God’s covenant with believers and their children, God’s sovereignty in election, and worship that includes only what God has commanded.
Worship: what a service is like
Most congregations hold two services on Sunday. The liturgy is traditional Reformed: votum and greeting, the law, confession and assurance, prayer, Scripture and a substantial expository sermon, offering and benediction, with the Heidelberg Catechism usually preached in the second service. Since 2018 the churches have sung from the Trinity Psalter Hymnal, produced with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, with all 150 Psalms and many hymns. Infants of believers are baptized, the Lord’s Supper is open to professing members of Reformed churches who speak with the elders beforehand, and children stay in the service.
How United Reformed churches are organized
Each church is governed by its consistory of elders and deacons with the minister. The federation has eight classes in Canada and the United States and a synod that meets at least every three years; its Church Order draws on the historic Reformed church orders and keeps authority with the local consistory. There is no denominational seminary; ministers train at several Reformed seminaries. The URCNA belongs to the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council and is in ecclesiastical fellowship with the Canadian Reformed Churches. About 130 congregations belong; the nearest to Fergus and Elora are in neighbouring counties, at Listowel for example.
Compared with Reformed churches
The URCNA and the Canadian Reformed Churches are the closest of the four Ontario federations: both confess the Three Forms, hold two services, preach the Catechism, baptize infants and restrict the offices to men, and the two have discussed union. The differences are of background and habit. Canadian Reformed churches sing only the Genevan psalms and Book of Praise hymns; United Reformed churches sing from a broader psalter and hymnal. United Reformed congregations come from CRC stock and often keep its buildings, customs and somewhat freer style. Beside the CRC, the URCNA looks much like the CRC of a generation ago, which is roughly what its founders intended.