World Reformed Fellowship

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Logo of the World Reformed Fellowship

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

History[edit]

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 South Korea, 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:

  • 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.

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.[citation needed]

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[edit]

As of February 2016 there are 72 denominational members:

Spread[edit]

As of February 2016 there are 79 countries represented in the WRF:

  • Afghanistan
  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • Belgium
  • Benin
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Burundi
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Croatia
  • The Czech Republic
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Ecuador
  • England
  • Ethiopia
  • France
  • Gambia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Haiti
  • Hong Kong
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Ivory Coast
  • Japan
  • Kenya
  • Latvia
  • Liberia
  • Lithuania
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Myanmar
  • New Zealand
  • Nepal
  • The Netherlands
  • Nigeria
  • Northern Ireland
  • Pakistan
  • Palestine
  • Peru
  • The Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Romania
  • Rwanda
  • San Salvador
  • Scotland
  • Serbia
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • Sri Lanka
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Turkey
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • USA
  • Venezuela
  • The West Indies
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe[9]

References[edit]

  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. 
  9. ^ "Individual Members | World Reformed Fellowship". Wrfnet.org. Retrieved 2016-02-28. 

External links[edit]

Members of the World Reformed Fellowship
Africa
Asia
Europe
North America
Latin America
Oceania
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