The Reformed-Presbyterian tradition is based on the work of John Calvin. The
various churches that trace their origins to Calvin are set apart from other
Christian churches by their theology (Reformed) and church government
(Presbyterian).
Calvin's theological system was shaped by his belief in God's sovereignty in
creation and salvation. The other major theological tenets of Calvinism¾predestination
and limited atonement¾are
built on this belief in God's sovereignty. Predestination means that the number
and identity of those destined to be saved was decided by God before the
beginning of the world. Christ's atonement for sin was therefore limited to the
elect; and salvation is not possible for all humanity but only for those
predestined to be saved. The issue of a strict or lenient interpretation of
predestination has divided both European and American Calvinists.
Church structure is presbyteral. The presbytery is a legislative and/or
judicial body composed of clergy and laity in equal numbers from the churches
of a given region.
On the continent, Calvinists established Reformed churches. In the British
Isles, predominantly in Scotland, Calvinists established Presbyterian churches.
In America, the Reformed churches and the Presbyterian churches all belong to
the Reformed-Presbyterian tradition, along with the Congregational churches.
Reformed theology accepts the creeds of the early centuries of Christianity:
beliefs in God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity. There is belief in
salvation by grace through faith, and the Bible is seen as the sole authority
for faith and doctrine.
Reformed theology defines the church as the place where the "pure
doctrine of the gospel is preached" and the "pure administration of
the sacraments" is maintained. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are accepted
as sacraments, but the presence of Christ is seen as spiritual only.
Worship in a Reformed church is centered on the preaching of the sermon,
which ideally combines the exposition of Scripture with the ordered
presentation of a great truth of the faith. The Reformed sermon still serves primarily
a teaching function. Prayers and hymns rehearse the basic tenets of the
Reformed faith¾confession,
forgiveness, and the acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God. Hymns for many
years were limited to the Psalms set to music, but a broader range of music is
now used.
Calvin developed the doctrine of two spheres of action, the secular and
religious. Although his Reformed church in Geneva was a state church, he ended
any interference of the state in church affairs such as the appointment of
church officials. Calvin set up a theocracy, a form of government claiming God
as its head. The church defined the magistrates' authority as coming from God
and the church had power over the magistrates in that magistrates were church
members. Calvin personally was viewed as the most powerful man in Geneva.
The presbyteral system was designed to work closely with secular authority.
It was based on a parish system in which the country would be divided into
geographic areas with one church to an area. All baptized persons in that area
would be members. The church and state together, each in its proper sphere,
would keep order.
Within the presbyteral system of the Reformed-Presbyterian tradition, clergy
and lay people together rule the church. The preaching elders (ministers) are
the pastors and teachers. The ruling elders, lay people, are to assist the
teaching elders in discipline and in the governance of the church. Deacons
collect the offering and see to its distribution. In the local congregation,
the ministers and elders together make up the consistory or session,
occasionally called the presbytery. In some cases the deacons also belong to
the consistory. All ministers and elders are called and elected by the other
elders.
THE SPREAD OF CALVINISM
John Knox was a follower of Calvin and founded Presbyterianism in Scotland.
In England, Reformed-Presbyterian thinking was labeled Puritanism. This name
came as a result of the different Reformed leaders uniting around the issue of
"further purifying the church." The two major groups within
Puritanism were the Independents and the Presbyterians. Most Puritans were
Reformed in their thinking, but beyond that they varied from those who merely
wished to simplify church vestments and worship to the Independents who wished
to set up a congregationally-organized church, one in which the highest
authority lay within the local church instead of in a regional or national
governing body.
The Congregationalists, a group within the Independents, began to press for
a state church based on a congregational system instead of on a presbyteral
system. The Congregationalists wanted to remain attached to the Church of
England in the sense that the Congregationalists would preach the doctrines of
the Church of England but they would choose their own ministers, own their own
property, and would not come under the authority of the bishops of the Church
of England. The Congregationalists were opposed by another party within the
Independents, the Separatists. This latter party wished to become separate from
any episcopal structure.
Reformed theology remained dominant in England's Protestant circles,
including Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Separatists.
With time, the Separatists, a group within the Independents, divided into
Brownists and Baptists. Robert Browne was among the first to move toward the
idea of a "sect" church of pure Christians as opposed to a universal
or state church of all baptized citizens. The Baptists were anti-liturgical,
not having any sacraments. For them Baptism is an ordinance and is strictly
reserved for adults.
The story of the Reformed-Presbyterian tradition in colonial America is the
story of the establishment of American branches of the various European
Reformed churches.
Splintered into a number of separate denominational bodies in the nineteenth
century, Presbyterians made significant strides in bringing members together
into one organization during the twentieth century. The most important step in
the merging process was accomplished in 1983 when the two largest Presbyterian
bodies, split since before the Civil War, merged to form the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.).
CONGREGATIONALISM
Congregationalism is a form of Puritanism that lies between Presbyterianism
and Separatism. It was developed in America by the Puritan leadership of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. While the Presbyterians looked for the development of
a state church modeled on the theocracy which Calvin established in Geneva and
headed by a synod of elders (presbyters), the Congregationalists looked for a
state church but one which was congregationally oriented.
In colonial America, Separatism was first represented by the Pilgrims at
Plymouth, Massachusetts. All three groups were Reformed in their theology and
acknowledged the Westminster documents, but differed fundamentally on their
desires for church organization and its relation to the state. Eventually,
Congregationalism would absorb the Separatists of Plymouth, but a new
separatist movement would emerge in the 1700s and survive as Baptists.
Congregational organization had four distinctive features. First, a church
was not formed until the people constituted it. Second, the church was tied to
a place. It was viewed as the "covenanted" (bound to God) people in a
specific location, similar to a Catholic parish. Third, the church was to be an
established church. In New England it had intimate ties with the government,
and ministers drew their salaries from the civil authority. Finally, the church was to be the sacred institute
for the society. The clergy spoke directly to issues of public morals, expected
to be consulted on matters of importance to public life, and often represented
the colony as political figures.
Churches, though equal, were to maintain communion with one another by means
of synods. Synods, though not of the essence of the church, were deemed
necessary to establish truth and peace.
Churches were not to remove themselves from the communion of the other
churches. As it developed Congregationalism was closer to Presbyterianism
rather than to the independent congregational policy which became typical of
the Baptists. Developed Congregationalism was also far removed from the free
church structure of the Plymouth Brethren.
It has often been asserted that Congregationalism was a church without stated
creeds. However, when asked to prepare a creed, the same body that drew up the
Cambridge Platform adopted the Westminster Confession of Faith, which placed
Congregationalism doctrinally within British Calvinism (Puritanism).
