World Reformed Fellowship

World Reformed Fellowship
Formation 2000 (2000)
Merger of World Fellowship of Reformed Churches
International Reformed Fellowship
Website www.wrfnet.org

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

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]

The WRF is a fellowship, not a council, and wants to fulfill the dream of John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield and many others to unite evangelical Reformed Christians. Members have to agree with:

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.

There are a total of 72 denominational members of the Fellowship, and 183 organizational members, as of February 2, 2016.[5][6]

The Fourth General Assembly of the World Reformed Fellowship was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in March 2015.[7] 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.[8]

Denominational members

As of February 2016 there are 72 denominational members:

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
  5. ↑ "Denominational Members." World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-02-28
  6. ↑ "Organizational Members". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  7. ↑ "The 4th General Assembly of the WRF | World Reformed Fellowship". Wrfnet.org. 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  8. ↑ "Statement of Faith". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
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