As I write this, we have been living and laboring in Birmingham, Alabama for twenty weeks. My family and I moved back to Birmingham at the beginning of July. In the middle of that month, we had the privilege of attending a church-planting conference. Continue reading →
Faithful God is a book the Reformed community in South Africa—and beyond—doesn’t know it needs. Asking someone who identifies as Reformed what that means, their answer will usually include the doctrines of grace as summarised in the five solas. However, throughout Faithful God, Antonio Coppola helps . . . Continue reading →
Classis Southwest U.S. of the United Reformed Churches of North America (URCNA) was delighted to receive, provisionally, the Reformed Church of the Southern Suburbs (RCSS) of Cape Town, South Africa in March 2023. Continue reading →
Editor’s Note: The following is an update from Rev. Antonio Coppola on his work and ministry in South Africa. Earlier this year, he wrote an article discussing his church-planting efforts at Covenant Waterfall Presbyterian Church, as well as his work at Mukhanyo Theological . . . Continue reading →
At the heart of the Saddleback project is the idea of seeker sensitivity, of making the church a relaxed and comfortable place for outsiders. The underlying motivation is no doubt a good one. We do not want churches to be unfriendly and . . . Continue reading →
How do you pastor a small-town church? I’ve read books about ministering in the city or among the poor. But what about the middle-class rural communities where many pastors serve? Where’s the wisdom for pastoring those churches? I’ve pastored a small village . . . Continue reading →
After a great couple of weeks in the UK, I traveled to Bucharest, Romania to visit Mihai Corcea and the Evangelical Reformed Church of Bucharest. Mihai was born in Transylvania, but does not recoil at the sight of a cross. He does, . . . Continue reading →
Joel Kim and Chris Gordon talk about how to prepare pastors. Continue reading →
What happens if we run out of pastors? Continue reading →
This summer, my consistory decided to send me to Europe in order to support our URC missionaries. What began as a short trip to Romania, turned into a four-country European tour. My first two stops: England and Scotland. This was my first . . . Continue reading →
Westside Reformed Church was launched nearly ten years ago as a church plant of the United Reformed Churches in North America, immediately after I graduated from seminary. It was at Westminster Seminary California—and through related media like the Heidelblog—that I developed a . . . Continue reading →
Eugene Reformed is a Reformed Bible study in Eugene, Oregon gathering with the intention of planting a confessional Presbyterian or Reformed church. They meet each Thursday evening from 6:30–8:30pm at the Gainsborough Community Clubhouse, 2555 Lansdown Rd. Eugene, OR 97404 (Gainsborough is a gated . . . Continue reading →
Comity between churches is a topic that few in NAPARC dare raise. Darryl Hart, however, wrote this piece doing just that. Many are reluctant to talk about the comity agreement because it is not always observed—likely few church planters or pastors even . . . Continue reading →
Editor’s Note: The following is an update from Rev. Antonio Coppola on his work and ministry in South Africa. Earlier this year, he wrote an article discussing his church-planting efforts at Covenant Waterfall Presbyterian Church, as well as his work at Mukhanyo Theological . . . Continue reading →
So, in general, there is some awareness in the wider church of this reality in underserved America’s small-town and rural regions. There is still, however, a greater need to raise up an explicitly Reformed and Presbyterian witness to serve these areas.
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1. Church planting should be done by seeking God’s face, for it is His eternal plan, work, and glory. Psalm 67 begins, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way . . . Continue reading →
On Tuesday of this week, HRA board member, PCA ruling elder, and co-host of the Presbycast, Brad Isbell published an important essay, which called attention to the lack of attention paid, in the confessional Presbyterian and Reformed world, to the forgotten middle . . . Continue reading →
It happens often—a friend or listener sends a message with the question: “Do you know of a good confessional Presbyterian or Reformed church near X?” All too often, after searching online, consulting denominational websites, even asking other friends, the answer is no. . . . Continue reading →
Introduction: Why Another Church? As I began to announce and plan for a United Reformed Church plant in Birmingham Alabama, the question that kept coming up was some variation of, “Why another church?” or “Why another Reformed church?” In response to this, . . . Continue reading →
What do you associate with Germany when you think about it—if you do? What do you associate with our history, specifically as a Christian? The Reformation? Martin Luther, perhaps? Or the Heidelberg Catechism? Surely, with such a history, Germany would be the . . . Continue reading →