Protestant Reformed Churches in America

Calvinism portal Protestant Reformed

Churches in America
The Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRC or
PRCA) is a Protestant denomination of 33 churches and over
8,000 members.[2][3]

History

Beginning and formation

Abbreviation PRC or
The PRC was founded in 1924 as a result of a controversy PRCA
regarding common grace in the Christian Reformed Church. At Classification Protestant
that time the Christian Reformed Church had adopted three Orientation Reformed
doctrinal points on the subject of common grace. Reverends
Herman Hoeksema, George Ophoff, and Henry Danhof rejected Polity Presbyterian
these three points and maintained them to be contrary to the Region USA and
Reformed confessions of faith.[4] Soon thereafter, when these men Canada
said they could not abide by these three points, they were
Founder Herman
disciplined through suspension, or deposition, from the ministry by
Hoeksema
their respective classes. The CRC maintained that the position of
these three men was inconsistent with the Bible's teachings. The Origin 1924–1925
men objected to this deposition also from a church political point United States
of view, arguing that only the consistory has the right to depose and Canada
their minister, not a classis. The CRC disagreed, and these
Separated from Christian
ministers, as well as their followers, were deposed by the CRC and
Reformed
organized into a new denomination, taking the name of Protesting
Christian Reformed Churches. The denomination later renamed Church in
itself the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. Rev North
Hoeksema become the pastor of the First Protestant Reformed America
Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[5] Separations Orthodox
Protestant
Schisms Reformed
Churches
The Protestant Reformed Churches grew rapidly in the following (1953)
years, but in the 1950s the denomination struggled because of Congregations 31
internal, doctrinal controversies in defense of the unconditionality
Members 8,716
of the Covenant of Grace. Hubert DeWolf, who had become the
pastor of the First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Primary schools 12
was influenced by the theology of the Reformed Churches in the Secondary schools 3[1]
Netherlands (Liberated), this included conditional theology.
DeWolf began to preach sermons which promoted conditional theology, because he saw the ever increasing
number of immigrants that were part of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) in the
Netherlands, and he believed that this could be an opportunity to grow the church.[6] Hoeksema saw this as
heresy and insisted that salvation is only for the elect, including the baptized children of believers, and that
those who were not elect could not receive salvation. DeWolf and his supporters were suspended in 1953.
That year 60% of the denomination membership, the so-called "DeWolf Group", formed the Orthodox
Protestant Reformed Church (OPRC). Before the schism the denomination had 6,063 members (1953)—
the PRC has passed this membership mark as of 1994. The remaining 40% continued as the Protestant
Reformed Church with 2,353 members. DeWolf worked for the reunion of the CRCNA. The union took
place in 1961 and as a result seven OPRC congregations were dissolved, with their members joining other
Christian Reformed congregations, and four became part of the CRCNA denomination-Hope CRC in Hull,
Iowa, Alamo Ave CRC in Kalamazoo, MI, Bethel CRC in Redlands, CA and Faith CRC in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.[7][8][9]

In 2021–2022, a number of pastors and elders, along with hundreds of members of the PRC left to establish
a new denomination named the "Reformed Protestant Church." The impacted congregations included
Byron Center, Michigan, Dyer, Indiana, Hull, Iowa, and Edmonton, Canada. Sister churches of the PRC in
the Philippines and Singapore were also effected, which led to a number of people leaving to form two
distinct church works in those countries. One of the seceding pastors, Rev. Andrew Lanning stated that "the
doctrinal issue itself is the ABC’s of the gospel and the 123’s of the covenant: Fellowship with God is by
grace and is unconditional."[10] A split also occurred in the PRC's unofficial publishing arm the "Reformed
Free Publishing Association." Shortly before the schism, several members left and joined a rival publishing
house called "Reformed Believers Publishing."

Period of recent growth

The PRC has continued to grow since the schism of 1953. In 1994 the membership passed the 6,053
members it had at the time of the schism. The turmoil within the CRCNA resulted in a number of former
CRC members joining local Protestant Reformed Churches. No CRC congregations affiliated with the
PRC changed denomination, but one pastor, Rev. Audred Spriensma and a number of CRC families from
Alamosa, Colorado joined the Protestant Reformed Church in 1993.[8]

In 2004 a former Orthodox Christian Reformed congregation in Listowel, Ontario became part of the
Protestant Reformed Churches and, as of 2004, is known as Wingham PRC.[11]

Statistics
According to the Yearbook 2017 of the Protestant Reformed Churches the communicant (4,982) and non-
communicant (3,645) members; numbers 8,627. The PRCA has 2,118 family units and 33 churches in
Classis East and Classis West combined. The denomination has four missionaries and four professors.[12]

Distinctive doctrine
The PRC believes that the Bible is the infallible 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 approves of most of the Westminster Confession of Faith, it does
not endorse it. This is partly due to a different understanding of marriage and divorce and the covenant of
works.[13]

The PRC believes that marriage is a lifelong bond and that, although an individual may divorce 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. Those who do divorce and remarry while their
first spouse is still alive are considered adulterers, regardless of the circumstances of the divorce.[14]
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 works.

In public worship services, the PRC sing the Psalms with organ accompaniment. In contrast to exclusive
psalmody, it does permit the singing of certain hymns, but not in worship services. The PRC believes that
preaching is the most important part of a worship service. 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 the "May the Grace of Christ the Savior" doxology. Outside of the
official church service, members are free to sing hymns and carols. Also, the PRC uses the King James
Version of the Bible, although they do not endorse the King James Only movement and members are free
to use other Bible versions.[13]

The PRC holds to the truth of six literal day creation. They take the first chapter of Genesis to be a factual
account of the creation, taking the words "the morning and the evening of the first day" to show a normal,
twenty-four-hour day. Although micro evolution is accepted, macro evolution is seen as contrary to biblical
teachings. They believe that God created the world to be mature, so that the stars were created to be
millions of light years away, and the light to be already hitting the earth. Since the flood, micro evolution
has occurred bringing about differences between animals in a population.

Church government

The denomination holds to the presbyterian 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.[15][16]

As reflected in the denominations use of the plural "Churches" in its name, the PRC maintains 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" (Matt. 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 church officer 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.[17]

At the same time the PRC maintains the binding authority of the decisions of the broader assemblies.
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 who have made a public confession of faith and are in good standing may vote for
church officers or be ordained.

Churches and missions

The PRC has 33 member churches throughout the United States and in Canada. A majority of the churches
in the United States are in western Michigan but there are also churches in the midwestern and western
United States.
 List of Protestant Reformed churches

Members Members Members

Classis[18] Congregation[19] Location
2011[20] 2012[21] 2013[22]

Byron
Byron Center
East Center, 438 423 449
PRC
Michigan

Dyer,
East Cornerstone PRC 110 105 143
Indiana
Jenison,
East Faith PRC 550 567 579
Michigan

Grand
East First PRC Rapids, 239 236 239
Michigan

Holland,
East First PRC 241 250 237
Michigan
Hudsonville,
East Georgetown PRC 507 503 516
Michigan

Standale,
East Grace PRC 254 260 283
Michigan

Grandville,
East Grandville PRC 348 348 354
Michigan
Walker,
East Hope PRC 438 438 454
Michigan

Hudsonville,
East Hudsonville PRC 512 511 536
Michigan

Kalamazoo,
East Kalamazoo PRC 65 66 67
Michigan
Hudsonville,
East Providence PRC 144 154 166
Michigan

Grand
East Southeast PRC Rapids, 254 266 267
Michigan

Wyoming,
East Southwest PRC 366 367 358
Michigan
Hudsonville,
East Trinity PRC 382 408 425
Michigan

Wingham,
East Wingham PRC 61 63 70
Ontario

Roselle,
West Bethel PRC 58 62 60
Illinois
West Calvary PRC Hull, Iowa 222 240 240

Covenant of Spokane,
West 33 36 45
Grace PRC Washington

Crete,
West Crete PRC 496 494 462
Illinois
West Doon PRC Doon, Iowa 174 160 155

West Edgerton PRC Edgerton, 83 86 86

 Minnesota

Edmonton,
West First PRC 127 111 113
Alberta
Sioux Falls,
West Heritage PRC South 56 59 61
Dakota

Redlands,
West Hope PRC 245 246 250
California

West Hull PRC Hull, Iowa 477 484 499

Lacombe,
West Immanuel PRC 120 120 122
Alberta

Loveland,
West Loveland PRC 289 292 302
Colorado

Lynden,
West Lynden PRC 99 97 106
Washington
Lansing,
West Peace PRC 208 210 196
Illinois

Randolph,
West Randolph PRC 210 215 215
Wisconsin

Total 7806 7877 8055

The PRC has few formal relationships with most reformed denominations and organizations. The PRC
contributed greatly to the development of two churches in Singapore, the First Evangelical Reformed
Church in Singapore (no longer in relationship with the PRC since 2007) and Covenant Evangelical
Reformed Church. The PRC also has relationships with a small fellowship in New Zealand; the
Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Australia); a sister church in Northern Ireland, the Covenant Protestant
Reformed Church in Ballymena, and Limerick Reformed Fellowship was founded with the help of the
PRC and; the Protestant Reformed Churches in Myanmar.

The PRC has also developed contacts in India, Germany, Myanmar, Venezuela and in Singapore; there is a
sister Reformed Church in Singapore. Currently, the PRC is engaged in missions in a few locations in the
United States, and they have recently organized a church in the Philippines and several mission churches
were started. The Berean Reformed Church was organised in 2006, and the All of Grace Protestant
Reformed Fellowship in Gabaldon, the Philippines, recently a new work is underway, the Provident
Christian Church in Manila. The Georgetown PRC is involved in mission in India.[23] In 2005, the Synod
of the PRC closed the denomination's missionary field work in Ghana, due to a lack of membership.[2]

Christian education
The PRC holds that "it is necessary for them to maintain good, Christian schools in which their children are
educated".[24] To this end, Protestant Reformed parents maintain twelve primary and three high schools for
the education of approximately 1500 children.

Home schooling in the PRC is strongly discouraged when a Protestant Reformed school is available. The
2009 PRC Synod forbad office bearers from using home education for their children in most situations,
stating that an office bearer is "expected to send his children to those (PRC) schools unless there are special
circumstances judged by his consistory to be valid."[25] David Engelsma, Professor Emeritus of the
Protestant Reformed Seminary writes that "Even though home-schooling of their children might be possible
for a few, specially gifted parents whose circumstances provide the time that is needed, home-schooling is
still not an option".[26]

The denomination supports the Protestant Reformed Theological School in Grandville, Michigan.

Organizations
Also closely tied with the denomination, is the Reformed Free Publishing Association, a publisher of
theological and other Christian books by PRC authors and of a semi-monthly magazine The Standard
Bearer, located in Jenison, Michigan. The denomination is also closely connected with The Reformed
Witness Hour, a radio broadcast.

References
1. "Federation of Protestant Reformed School Societies" (http://www.prcs.org/). Prcs.org.
Retrieved 2014-03-07.
2. Acts of Synod & Yearbook of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. 2005.
3. "Listing of PRC Churches" (http://prca.org/current/Protestant_Reformed_Churches.htm).
Prca.org. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
4. "Historical Archives of the PRC" (http://prca.org/current/HistArchivesofPRCA.html). Prca.org.
Retrieved 2014-03-07.
5. "The Protestant Reformed Churches" (http://www.prca.org/prc.html#history). Prca.org.
Retrieved 2014-03-07.
6. "First PRC Home Page" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080515070636/http://www.firstprchu
rch.org/history.aspx). 15 May 2008. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008.
7. "Standard Bearer: May 1, 2003" (http://www.prca.org/standard_bearer/volume79/2003may0
1.html). www.prca.org.
8. "Protestant Reformed Reach Highest Membership in History" (http://www.iclnet.org/pub/reso
urces/text/reformed/archive94/nr94-044.txt).
9. "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions" (http://www.reformiert-online.net/
adressen/detail.php?id=12219&lg=eng). Reformiert-online.net. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
10. Sword And Shield Magazine, January, 2021, Reformed Believers Publishing, 325 84th St
SW, Suite 102, Byron Center, Michigan 49315
11. "The Standard Bearer: April 15, 2004" (http://www.prca.org/standard_bearer/volume80/2004
apr15.html#Feature+Article). www.prca.org.
12. "Home" (http://www.prca.org/Synod%20News/Info/Yearbook). Prca.org. Retrieved
2014-03-07.
13. "The Protestant Reformed Churches" (http://www.prca.org/prc.html#beliefs). Prca.org.
Retrieved 2014-03-07.
14. Gritters, Barry (1998). The Family: Foundations are Shaking. Hudsonville MI Protestant
Reformed Church.
15. "Classis East" (http://www.prca.org/about/church-government/classis-east). www.prca.org.
25 May 2023.
16. "Classis West" (http://www.prca.org/about/church-government/classis-west). www.prca.org.
25 May 2023.
17. "Synod" (http://www.prca.org/about/church-government/synod). www.prca.org. 25 May 2023.
18. "Classis | Christian Reformed Church" (http://www.crcna.org/welcome/christian-reformed-ch
urch-governance/classis). Crcna.org. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
19. "Listing of PRC Churches" (http://www.prca.org/about/listings/churches). Prca.org. Retrieved
2014-03-07.
20. Yearbook PRC 2011
21. Yearbook PRC 2012
22. Yearbook PRC 2013
23. "Missions" (http://www.prca.org/Missions/index.htm). Prca.org. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
24. Gritters, Barry. The AntiChrist. Hudsonville MI Protestant Reformed Church.
25. Acts of Synod & Yearbook of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. 2009.
26. Engelsma, David (2000). Reformed Education. Reformed Free Publishing Association.

Further reading
Acts of Synod & Yearbook of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. 2017.
Our Goodly Heritage Preserved. 2000. ISBN 0-916206-62-9.
The Three Forms of Unity (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, [and the] Canons of
Dordrecht), and the Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles' Creed, the Athanasian Creed, [and
the] Creed of Chalcedon). Reprinted [ed.]. Mission Committee of the Protestant Reformed
Churches in America, 1991. 58 pp. Without ISBN
Hanko, Herman (2000). For Thy Truth's Sake. Reformed Free Publishing Association.
ISBN 0-916206-61-0.
Gritters, Barry (1998). The Family: Foundations are Shaking. Hudsonville, Michigan
Protestant Reformed Church.
Gritters, Barry. The AntiChrist. Hudsonville, Michigan Protestant Reformed Church.
Engelsma, David (2000). Reformed Education. Reformed Free Publishing Association.
Haak, Rev. Carl. "Creation." Creation. PRCA, 13 Sept. 2015. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.

External links
Official website (http://www.prca.org)

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