World Reformed Fellowship
TypeFellowship
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationConfessionally Reformed
Origin2000 (2000)
Members10 million
Official websitewww.wrf.global

The World Reformed Fellowship (WRF) is an ecumenical, Christian fellowship that advances partnerships among confessional Reformed churches around the world.[1]

History

The World Fellowship of Reformed Churches 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 Calvinist 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]

Work

The WRF operates commissions that serve its global membership, focusing on evangelism and missions, theological education, and theology. These commissions facilitate dialogue for better partnership between member denominations and organizations, produce and provide resources for the church, operate as theological and ministerial forums between WRF members, and serve as platforms of engagement from the WRF towards other organizations. The theological commission has produced several documents, such as the WRF’s Statement of Faith, a narrative statement on Reformed identity, and a statement on ecclesiology, all designed to facilitate greater theological partnership across cultural and intra-Reformed theological differences.[4] The commissions of the WRF sometimes facilitate larger forums, such as partnering with the Lausanne Movement to host a consultation on theological education in 2014 in Sao Paulo[5][6] and a theological consultation on Christian ministry among Muslims in 2011 in Istanbul.[7][8] The WRF partners with both the World Evangelical Alliance, of which the WRF is an affiliate member,[9] and New Growth Press for book publishing.[10][11]

The WRF hosts a global general assembly approximately every four years. These assemblies review and direct the work of the WRF’s commissions, are a time of networking and fellowship for the membership of the WRF, and are where the WRF’s membership hears about major issues facing the global church in order to consider and address them.

WRF membership is also divided up into regional boards for planning and implementing fellowship for ministries within their own larger, geographic area.[13] These boards are more contextualized than the general assembly, both in composition and in the nature of their work.

Governance

Governance of the WRF is held by its membership voting at general assemblies. Oversight and operations are carried out by a board of directors and an international director (CEO).

Chairmen of the Board,

International Directors,

Membership

The WRF is similar in theology to the International Conference of Reformed Churches and more conservative than the World Communion of Reformed Churches, though several member churches of the WRF are also members of either the ICRC or the WCRC. The WRF primarily differs from these other groups 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 Christians.[16] Unlike the WCRC, which officially supports the ordination of women,[17][18] and the ICRC, which prohibits denominational members that ordain women as pastors,[19][20] the WRF as a confessional fellowship recognizes the diversity of positions among its members regarding the ordination women.[21] There are a total of 82 denominational members of the WRF and 155 organizational members, as of July 08, 2023.[22][23] The majority (75 of 82, as of September 15, 2023) of WRF member denominations prohibit women from being ordained as pastors, elders, or deacons.

The WRF has a Reformed, confessional basis for membership. 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.[24]

The largest churches as of 2023 are (membership of 100,000 or more):

  1. National Presbyterian Church in Mexico (2,800,000)[25]
  2. Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) (2,556,182)[26]
  3. Presbyterian Church of Brazil (702,949)[27]
  4. Presbyterian Church in America (390,319)[28]
  5. United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan (250,000)
  6. Christian Reformed Church in North America (204,664)[29]
  7. ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (129,765)[30]
  8. Evangelical Presbyterian Church (125,870)[31]
  9. Reformed Churches in South Africa (100,000)[32]
  10. Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (100,000)

Denominational members

As of July 8, 2023 there are 82 denominational members.[33]

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America

References

  1. ↑ WRF Case Statement
  2. ↑ Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie
  3. ↑ "Global Membership of the WRF". World Reformed Fellowship. 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  4. ↑ "WRF Commissions". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  5. ↑ "WRF/Lausanne Global Theological Education Consultation". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  6. ↑ "2014 Consultation on Global Theological Education". Lausanne Movement. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  7. ↑ "WRF Resources for Ministry in the Context of Islam". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  8. ↑ "Our Muslim Neighbors: Improving Student Knowledge of the Diversity of Islamic Faith and Practice" (PDF). Reformed Theological Seminary. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  9. ↑ "WEA Congratulates New International Director of World Reformed Fellowship". World Evangelical Alliance. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  10. ↑ "New Growth Press: World Reformed Fellowship". New Growth Press. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  11. ↑ "The Decalogue Project: Disciples from Six Continents Engage God's Ten Commandments, Latest Book in WEA World of Theology Series Available Now". World Evangelical Alliance. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  12. ↑ "The General Assembly". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  13. ↑ "WRF Regional Boards". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  14. ↑ The Orthodox Presbyterian Church is not a denominational member of the WRF; Sam Logan held an individual membership with the WRF.
  15. ↑ "WRF Executive Leadership". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  16. ↑ "WRF Case Statement".
  17. ↑ "The WCRC Considers A Call For Its Members to Accept the Ordination of Women". World Communion of Reformed Churches. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  18. ↑ "A Declaration of Faith on Women's Ordination" (PDF). World Communion of Reformed Churches. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  19. ↑ "Reformed Churches in the Netherlands Suspended by the International Conference of Reformed Churches for Adopting Women's Ordination". The Aquila Report. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  20. ↑ "ICRC: GKV Membership Terminated". Wes Bredenhof. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  21. ↑ "WRF State on Ecclesiology". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  22. ↑ "WRF Denominational Members". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  23. ↑ "WRF Organizational Members". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  24. ↑ "WRF Case Statement". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  25. ↑ "RELATÓRIO DA COMISSÃO: COMISSÃO XXXI" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  26. ↑ "대한예수교장로회총회".
  27. ↑ "Statistics".
  28. ↑ "Commissioner Handbook" (PDF). p. 247. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Statistics 2022". Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  30. ↑ Allin, Dana (September 30, 2019). "One Measure of a Flourishing Church: Our Mutual Spurring". eco-pres.org/. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Statistical Report of the 43rd General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church" (PDF). June 20, 2023. p. 1. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Statistiek". gksa1.businesscatalyst.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  33. ↑ "WRF Denominational Members". World Reformed Fellowship. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
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