World Reformed Fellowship

The World Reformed Fellowship (WRF) is an ecumenical Christian organization which promotes unity between confessional Reformed churches around the world.[1]

World Reformed Fellowship
Formation2000 (2000)
Merger ofWorld Fellowship of Reformed Churches
International Reformed Fellowship
Websitewww.wrfnet.org

History

The World Fellowship of Reformed Churches (WFRC) was formed in 1994 by the Presbyterian Church in America, the National Presbyterian Church in Mexico, and the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, as well as member churches mainly from Latin American countries and from India, East Africa and the United States.[2] The International Reformed Fellowship (IRF) was formed also in 1994 with Reformed churches in Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, and from all part of Asia.

The World Fellowship of Reformed Churches and the International Reformed Fellowship united on October 24, 2000 to form the World Reformed Fellowship. The WRF is now an international body represented in seventy-nine countries.[3]

Members have to agree with:

  • The statement that "The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are without error in all that they teach."
  • At least one of the following historic Reformed Confessions - The Gallican Confession, The Belgic Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism, The Thirty-Nine Articles, The Second Helvetic Confession, The Canons of Dort, The Westminster Confession of Faith, the London Confession of 1689, the Savoy Declaration, or the WRF Statement of Faith.

The World Reformed Fellowship wants to promote Reformed thinking, encourage churches and people to embrace Reformed thinking, and to promote evangelisation in the Reformed tradition and to provide forum for dialogue. [4]

It is similar in theology to the International Conference of Reformed Churches and more conservative than the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The WRF also differs from them in that it is a fellowship, not a council, and so includes in its membership not only denominations, but individual congregations, pastors and theologians, and non-ecclesial organizations (e.g. theological seminaries). It conceives of its existence as facilitating dialogue and sharing of resources between the different global branches of Reformed Christianity.[5]

There are a total of 73 denominational members of the Fellowship and 115 organizational members, as of May 15, 2020.[6][7]

The Fourth General Assembly of the World Reformed Fellowship was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in March 2015.[8] This General Assembly approved a new statement of faith which had been completed March 31, 2011. This statement includes twelve articles and was made to accomplish three purposes:

  1. To express accurately the contents of the other historic Reformed confessions which members are required to hold to at least one of.
  2. To apply the Reformed faith to specific issues that the 21st-century church is facing.
  3. To include the voices of Reformed Christians from around the world, since the other confessions were written primarily by Christians in Europe.[9]

At its Fifth General Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia in August 2019, the World Reformed Fellowship published a statement on Reformed theological identity,[10] which provided a narrative description of Reformed theology's origins, methods, characteristics, contexts, and continued relevance.

Denominational members

As of February 2016 there are 72 denominational members.

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America
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References
  1. www.wrfnet.org/about/case-statement#.Ul10HtKU0rU
  2. www.mackenzie.br/7026.html
  3. "Countries Represented in the WRF". World Reformed Fellowship. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  4. www.wrfnet.org/web/guest/aboutwrf
  6. "Denominational Members." World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-02-28
  7. "Organizational Members". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  8. "The 4th General Assembly of the WRF | World Reformed Fellowship". Wrfnet.org. 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  9. "Statement of Faith". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  10. "Statement on Reformed Theological Identity | World Reformed Fellowship". Wrfnet.org. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
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