![]() I replied, “Well, even if my church became Presbyterian or Reformed someday, what denomination would we join? They all seem to have their issues.” Carl replied to the effect that, “You never marry an ideal woman. But don’t try to be both.” He had said this to me before, but this time I was ready to push back. He replied, “Be a good Baptist, or be a good Presbyterian. I told Carl that evening about our church having a foot in two ecclesial worlds. Therefore, we texted about meeting for dinner at the food trucks, where most of the attendees eat. Carl was not keen on eating at the speakers’ dinner, he preferred to eat with everyone else (see his concerns about the celebrity culture in Big Eva). Carl Trueman, who had already become a friend at that point. There were two men speaking that year who bear no little importance in my understanding of how to think through my concerns. These two concerns first began to be answered in 2015 when I went with some of the men from my church to the Shepherd’s Conference. I did not want to become “Old, Angry, and Reformed.” I wondered if we would lose our missionary zeal by joining one of these groups. Many denominations and churches today appear to be more interested in policing their doctrinal quibbles than reaching the lost and engaging in the task of world missions. The confessionally Reformed have a robust missionary and church planting history. I was not seeing the same commitment to missions and church planting among the confessionally Reformed, at least not to the degree that I was reading about it historically. Sovereign Grace is a church deeply involved in missionary efforts. Second, I began to notice a trend regarding missions among the confessionally Reformed that really bothered me. Though I may struggle in these ways, I do not want to join a denomination of ministers that practice such behaviors on a regular basis. ![]() I need to reckon with the fact that even the purest church under heaven is subject to mixture and error (WCF 25.5). Depending upon the season, I can be guilty of being one of those ministers, driven by a fundamentalist impulse for a pure church this side of heaven. There are men who are more committed to gaining the approval of the unbelieving world than they are to heralding the offense of the cross of Christ. They feign the appearance of godliness but deny its power. Ministers and members of churches have chosen to be more interested in being doctrinally correct than growing in godliness, or are more interested in crossing theological swords with friends than proclaiming the gospel to the lost enemies of God. ![]() Progressive doctrines have left churches untethered from their confessional moorings. Of the many reasons that drive our decision to find a denominational home in such a slow and deliberate manner, two stand out very distinctly.įirst, I became increasingly aware of the troubles that have confronted all churches in the United States throughout its history. Though, this likely says more about us than it does the available denominations. We are like the man who is always dating and never able to find a woman worthy of marriage. We do not want to be like those “divisive denominations”-never mind that we are apparently unable to find any group of churches worthy of our commitment. ![]() We have lived in an ecclesial world where we spoke about our catholicity as being so broad that we chose not to join any one group. In good Reformed fashion, we are attempting to move slowly and deliberately-doing everything decently and in order. Sovereign Grace Church has not yet landed in a denominational home. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |