Questions about the differences between the OPC & the PCA

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street preacher

Puritan Board Freshman
As you all probably know me and Colleen are moving the Lancaster Co. PA and are really excitied to start attending Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) and I have done alot of research on the denomination and I really love what I see. I know you guys are either in the OPC or the PCA and so I am just wandering what the differences are between the two. I figured I could get a "live" review on both denominations. Thanks you guys for your time.

[Edited on 11-17-2005 by street preacher]

[Edited on 11-17-2005 by street preacher]
 
Steve,

Great to hear from you brother! I'm really excited about your family's future in PA and your work toward becoming a master craftsman. I came out of a "Dispensational Sect" 17 months ago and have been in a PCA Church every since (I actually briefly attended this very same PCA Church back in the late 80's but that's another story).

Anyway, you're probably aware of the variation in PCA Churches - some (like ours) have moderately contempory Praise Songs mixed with traditional Hymns. Others are strickly "Trinity Hymnal". I've also visted our local OPC and love it and the people there very much. I would characterize it as being "more visibly a Reformed Church". They use only a piano for song accompaniment, singing both from the Trinity Hymnal and Psalter. They always have a couple of questions from the Catechisms in their bulletin, etc.

As far as preching goes, we seem to have more of a variety of preachers at our PCA (because our Senior Pastor has been on sabbatical, etc.), yet most of the messages are quite solid (a couple of the "quest preachers" were not really in the "Reformed Tradition" but still stayed true to the Text). The two times I've been to the local OPC, the message was very rich in the Reformed tradition.
 
One of the big differences is in polity. The OPC Book of Church Order is quite different from the PCA. Also the OPC Directory of Worhip is a part of their constitution while the PCA has only three chapters of their DoW as constitutional. I think that this is one reason why you will find more diversity within the PCA as far as worship style versus the OPC.

In addition, the OPC GA is designed to be deliberative while the PCA GA is more of a convention.
 
Before I answer here- could I get some searching help (Joshua, Oh Joshua! Chris Blum, Chris, Chris help!)

There is a thread I believe where a good deal of this information is included already. It would be helpful to add to it rather than just repeat it, to give Steve as much info as possible.

Thanks
 
:bigsmile: Technically, here is a thread I started awhile back on this very topic, but it doesn't have that much information. A thread that had some more information on them both was here. (There are various bits of information here and there throughout both of those forums about distinctives as well.)
 
Thanks my brothers!!! That was very helpful! God Bless! This is street preacher.

[Edited on 11-18-2005 by LadyFlynt]
 
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