Is the Reformed Faith dying?

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I actually read a article, that said that Reformed Churches in the U.S. were the only Churches, within "orthodox" Christianity, that were growing: at a rate of about 5 percent per year.

I think that people have realized the danger the modern "Trendy Gospel" has placed the Church in, and they are beginning to come to their senses.

Could you post that article?

I don't think Reformed theology is dying. As a wise person once said, "The absence of evidence is NOT the evidence of absence." Just because there are reformed churches shrinking or dying out doesn't mean that the Reformed theology as a whole is dying.
 
Isn't there a stable, and slowly growing URC mission work or two in Toronto (GTA)? My understanding is that the OPC also has a mission work there that's also supported by the CanRC in Richmond Hill. Maybe you were referring to one of these mission works?

Yes, Rev Zekveld is labouring there, I think, as is (sorry, the name escapes me). Add to that Rev Persaud's mission to the Muslims in Scarborough, and I think things are doing quite well. Do remember that for those who 'want' religion here, the itching ears are going strong. For every Reformed congregant in Ontario, you have multiple freewill baptists/united church members/Toronto Blessing types. The Reformed faith isn't dying, but it's just too hard for those who are not transformed by the Holy Spirit. They want the United Church Social club, and coffee with Pastor Susan. Stodgy and stuffy doctrine that refuses to be 'relevant' is just not cool on today's stage.

A little edit: as for a lack of relevance being uncool, I don't see this as a problem, I see it as a reason for a hearty 'amen' myself.
 
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The Reformed Faith is alive and well, but its existance is not always apparant. At the risk of treading on toes. 1. The New calvinism is not the old, in fact it appears to be quite antagonistic to anything Reformed. 2. The new calvinism has imbibed some strange ideas about worship via men such as Piper - oops that one one might get me shot. 3. Worldiness has too much influence. 4. In this neck of the woods most come to embrace reformed theology by 1:1 contact. All the young men that have come to my catechism class are through personal contact. 5. Books are important. But sometimes the reading comes after they have been captivated by truth. 6. There is every reason for confidence.
 
No, nor will it before the day in which Christ returns. The true church may be more or less visible at times, and its purity may be greater or smaller in different times and places; but it will never die. It might appear that it can't be seen in some times or places, but like Luther shouting forth in the night it will reappear.

Very well stated Paul, thank you.
 
Yep, I agree with Steven-nemes. I also know that a lot of people who become Calvinist start out as 'new' and eventually make their way to 'old'. I think even if we were to take the Puritan board alone, we could see a good number of people who come on here as your basic evangelical, except they believe in predestination. And over time they realize there are other issues that need to change in their thinking, such as the way they view the sacraments or church government, issues they probably hadn't thought about much before. I've only been on this forum for around two years, and I've seen numerous people move from the new camp to the old camp.
 
If one takes a moment to look outside the typically reformed bodies, one will notice a lot of energy being exerted in main-line bodies to stem the growth of Calvinism. That tells me that the leaders of those bodies are sensing that something is growing in their midst.
 
Isn't there a stable, and slowly growing URC mission work or two in Toronto (GTA)? My understanding is that the OPC also has a mission work there that's also supported by the CanRC in Richmond Hill. Maybe you were referring to one of these mission works?

Yes, Rev Zekveld is labouring there, I think, as is (sorry, the name escapes me). Add to that Rev Persaud's mission to the Muslims in Scarborough, and I think things are doing quite well. Do remember that for those who 'want' religion here, the itching ears are going strong. For every Reformed congregant in Ontario, you have multiple freewill baptists/united church members/Toronto Blessing types. The Reformed faith isn't dying, but it's just too hard for those who are not transformed by the Holy Spirit. They want the United Church Social club, and coffee with Pastor Susan. Stodgy and stuffy doctrine that refuses to be 'relevant' is just not cool on today's stage.

A little edit: as for a lack of relevance being uncool, I don't see this as a problem, I see it as a reason for a hearty 'amen' myself.

It is the small number of members in both of the two churches you mentioned and other "old-style" Reformed churches, when compared to the membership of your average charismatic church that lead me to my conclusion. Most Christians today seem to have a very low tolerance for sound expository preaching and Christ-centred worship without a rock band. I remember 20 years ago, how much larger a Reformed Institution like Jarvis Street Baptist church was compared to now. This in spite of the fact that Jarvis Street Baptist has one of the best preachers in Canada---Rev Glendon Thompson. :)
 
It is the small number of members in both of the two churches you mentioned and other "old-style" Reformed churches, when compared to the membership of your average charismatic church that lead me to my conclusion. Most Christians today seem to have a very low tolerance for sound expository preaching and Christ-centred worship without a rock band. I remember 20 years ago, how much larger a Reformed Institution like Jarvis Street Baptist church was compared to now. This in spite of the fact that Jarvis Street Baptist has one of the best preachers in Canada---Rev Glendon Thompson. :)

It's easy to put the blame on spiritual immaturity, but there is a very basic reason that many people are charismatics. A charismatic person prayed for them, witnessed to them, and lived a changed life in front of them. So... when they became a Christian, they naturally became a charismatic. Now, you can substitute "charismatic" with Baptist, Reformed, etc. In free societies, churches that make a concerted effort to reach out tend to grow. Inwardly focused churches shrivel.

I was told not to become a Calvinist because they don't witness. The more I am a Calvinist, and the more I hang around them, I'm convinced that's generally true. Of course, it's not really a "Calvinist" thing; it's a sin thing. I'm lazy, selfish, and timid; I don't want someone to think I'm weird or fanatical for telling them they must place their trust in Christ. But then there are some churches where people are as joyful to be a Christian around the unsaved as they are around other saved people, where it's safe. Those churches grow.
 
It is the small number of members in both of the two churches you mentioned and other "old-style" Reformed churches, when compared to the membership of your average charismatic church that lead me to my conclusion. Most Christians today seem to have a very low tolerance for sound expository preaching and Christ-centred worship without a rock band. I remember 20 years ago, how much larger a Reformed Institution like Jarvis Street Baptist church was compared to now. This in spite of the fact that Jarvis Street Baptist has one of the best preachers in Canada---Rev Glendon Thompson.

Yep, I am still of the opinion that it has more to do with itching ears than anything else. Yes, I think Calvinists are notorious for not being as outgoing as some, but we still do. How can we sit and call ourselves Christians when we do not even attempt to fulfill the Great Commission?

Also, Jarvis street (as I recall it) is a nasty bit of work these days, I don't think you have many of those original congregants living anywhere near there any more.
 
If one takes a moment to look outside the typically reformed bodies, one will notice a lot of energy being exerted in main-line bodies to stem the growth of Calvinism. That tells me that the leaders of those bodies are sensing that something is growing in their midst.

Lance brings up a very good point. During my stint among the AoG I continued to run into young and not so young ministers that were moving to a reformed interpretation of Scripture. There were a variety of stimuli that were causing this. The folks in Springfield certainly noticed it. Many of those men are no longer in the AoG because of a growing pressure for them to return to the 'Pentecostal distinctive'. They are usually ousted if they remain true to Scripture. Normally, the stated reason for out ouster is not theological, but pragmatic, eg. they are removed because of worship style differences, refusal to implement the various programmes using AoG materials, etc.
 
It is the small number of members in both of the two churches you mentioned and other "old-style" Reformed churches, when compared to the membership of your average charismatic church that lead me to my conclusion. Most Christians today seem to have a very low tolerance for sound expository preaching and Christ-centred worship without a rock band. I remember 20 years ago, how much larger a Reformed Institution like Jarvis Street Baptist church was compared to now. This in spite of the fact that Jarvis Street Baptist has one of the best preachers in Canada---Rev Glendon Thompson.

Yep, I am still of the opinion that it has more to do with itching ears than anything else. Yes, I think Calvinists are notorious for not being as outgoing as some, but we still do. How can we sit and call ourselves Christians when we do not even attempt to fulfill the Great Commission?

Also, Jarvis street (as I recall it) is a nasty bit of work these days, I don't think you have many of those original congregants living anywhere near there any more.

As a die hard street evangelist, I could not disagree with you more. I am part of a large network of evangelists, tied into the ministry of Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort (The Way of the Master). Confessionally, WOTM leans reformed, and in actuality, the VAST number of people that join in the efforts, are either leaning reformed, or Die Hard Calvinists.

We are talking about more than 15,000 street evangelists in the U.S. I don't know how many total Street Evangelists their are in the U.S., but I have to believe that the number is rather small: certainly under 100,000. This means just one group, which is made up primarily of people who are reformed leaning, or full blown reformed, makes up at least one eighth of the total. This does not even count Churches that a part of other evangelistic organizations...
 
No the Faith is not dying.

Perhaps there is a fluctuation in Canada. The laws seem to be able to place you in jail for preaching against homosexuality there. We sponsor a missionary family in Canada and the area they are in you are either Catholic or you're not a believer. They evangelize just about everyday in the park.

Here in Maryland our church which is very small goes out to the surrounding community door-to-door at least once a month. Someone should tell them we are Reformed and aren't supposed to do that.

Interesting story an attendee of the church had a conversation with his brother-in-law warning him to stay away from Calvinists. He claimed they are all "white, wealthy, snobbish, former slave owners, hateful, and never speak to people about Christ." The attendee asked our senior pastor who is African-American what he knew about "that" Calvinists cult he was told about. I laughed and told him I was part of the cult and so was the majority of the church. Poor guy was confused because all he knows is that his church is multi-ethnic, socio-economically diverse, humble, loving, and go out in the community, homeless shelters, and jails to share Jesus.

Having started my Reformation ~4 years ago I can say the Reformation is growing and growing. The biggest growth seems to be among the Black and Brown Christians. Even in my ubber liberal seminary there are those who are embracing the petals of the TULIP. Now to be fair the Reformation is growing in people of all colors. Attend a few conferences and you see how they are now getting sold-out. A few years ago, even just last year, the Gospel Coalition, was a few hundred...this year there were a few thousand. My pastor went and was very encouraged.

As long as we are alive we will always move away from the Bible. Hence Semper Reformanda! ALWAYS REFORMING! We are always going back to the source because we are always moving away from the source.
 
I know this may seem like blasphemy to many PBers, but is the Reformed Faith dying? It seems like that in Toronto. A dear Reformed Minister friend of mine recently moved his church of 8 members from a rented room in a Community Centre to the basement of his home----- not enough members to justify the expense of a rented room. This may seem isolated but set in the backdrop of at least 2 Reformed Church closures in the last 2 years, declining membership in Reformed Churches, explosive growth of Charismatic churches, I think we Reformed are a dying breed.
A Reformed Minister who agrees with my assesment, blames the situation on the lack of reaching out to the Unsaved by the Reformed Community. I think that is true. I also blame the decline in Reformed Publishing. Like many people in Reformed Churches, I came from a Pentecostal background. I was converted to the Reformed faith through reading Reformed Literature, mainly the Puritans. But today, it is getting harder to find good Reformed Literature.

After talking with some of my “Reformed” church friends, and teachers, it would seem that you are correct, the “Reformed” churches in Ontario are slowly dyeing out, but they are being replaced by reformed Baptist Churches.



Toronto seems like a hard place these days. In Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge, things seem a little more hopeful. In Cambridge, there is an ARP congregation, as well as an OCRC. In Sheffield, (just outside of Cambridge) there is a URC, and an OPC. Then you have the RPC in Kitchener (my home congregation), which was planted about 7 years ago, and is growing.

I can't speak for the other congregations in the area, but ours does a fair amount of work to bring the gospel to the world.
 
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Toronto seems like a hard place these days. In Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge, things seem a little more hopeful. In Cambridge, there is an ARP congregation, as well as an OCRC. In Sheffield, (just outside of Cambridge) there is a URC, and an OPC. Then you have the RPC in Kitchener (my home congregation), which was planted about 7 years ago, and is growing.

Well, once we start ranging outside the Greater Toronto Area, then things do start looking pretty bright for the Reformed faith. There's a CanRC mission post in downtown Hamilton, a newish OPC in St. George, a PCA church plant in Hamilton, and the list goes on and on.
 
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