Canadian Reformed
| Canadian and American Reformed Churches | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Theology | Orthodox Reformed |
| Governance | Presbyterian |
| Associations | International Conference of Reformed Churches, North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council |
| Origin | 16 April 1950 Lethbridge, Alberta (Canada) |
| Branched from | Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) |
| Congregations | 55 |
| Members | 17,729 |
| Statistics as of December 2012 | |
The Canadian and American Reformed Churches (CanRC) are a federation of over fifty Protestant Christian churches in Canada and the USA, with historical roots in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands, and doctrinal roots in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. Its emphasis is on Biblical, Christ-centered, covenantal, redemptive-historical preaching and teaching, and holy living as a response of gratitude to the gospel.
Members of the Canadian and American Reformed Churches believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God and the authoritative rule for all of life. The heart of the preaching and teaching in these churches is that Jesus of Nazareth is both true man and true God and is the long-awaited Messiah who suffered and died for the sins of God's people, and that this demands a thankful response of faith and obedience. Like other Reformed churches, they teach that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, follow Reformed (Calvinist) theology, and have adopted the Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and Canons of Dort) as their doctrinal standards. Upon public profession of faith, members are understood to subscribe to these confessions as faithfully summarizing the doctrine of the Bible. The member churches believe they are part of the one true church of God, distinguished by the marks of the true church.
The Canadian and American Reformed Churches are rooted in the Protestant Reformation, especially as it developed in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and came to Canada via post Second World War Dutch immigrants.
The Canadian Reformed Churches were founded by members of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) who immigrated to Canada following World War II. These Dutch immigrants first made contact with already-existing Reformed churches in Canada, especially the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRC) and the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA), in the hope that they could join with them. This was not possible, however, due to theological differences with the PRC, and the fact that the CRCNA sympathized with the churches which expelled the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) in 1944.
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