Our Character and Culture

These are some of the elements of the character and culture of the Federation of Reformed Churches which we intend to preserve. Many of these set the FORC apart from other Presbyterian bodies.

1 We keep our Book of Order brief.

Our book is around 20 pages, and not by accident. It is a recurring theme when we meet that, where possible, we’d like to make it even shorter! It is not meant to anticipate every situation or replace the Scriptures (which are sufficient), nor should it replace God‑given wisdom and the judgment of presbyters.

Wordy governing docs turn shepherds into lawyers and cause presbyters to become occupied more by questions of procedure rather than by prayer, Scripture, and counsel. Meetings fill with amendments, proposals, and debates over wording, until the body spends more time adjudicating its own rules than the Law.

Our short book helps us stay focused on shepherding and God’s Word. It serves the simple purpose of keeping our churches ordered and aligned in faithfully covenantal doctrine, governance, and sacraments, without overstepping or distracting from our purpose.

2 We are decentralized.

Our decentralization is intentional and has several features:

• The federation does not run the churches. The churches run the federation. The federation exists to serve and nurture local churches rather than manage them.
• No commission, committee, administrator, or moderator / presiding minister, may act or decide on behalf of any council or synod.
• All appeals are to be addressed by an act of council or synod and not by any one person (administrator, moderator, pastor of the church appealed against, etc). Appeals may not be unilaterally tossed or affirmed by any one individual. Even for matters that may at first appear ‘out of order’—a church may call a council or synod, and that assembly shall hear the details and make a ruling in accordance with Biblical justice and Spirit-led wisdom (see the paper on Recommended Church Discipline Procedures).

3 We don’t assign local churches to a membership of a regional body.

Many Presbyterian bodies organize into regional presbyteries which hold ongoing authority over elders and congregations in their area. We have intentionally chosen not to divide this way. Elders are ordained in every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5) and charged to shepherd the flock among them (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1–3), and are accountable to the discipline of their local church. Christ is the only Head of the church (Colossians 1:18), and He gives authority to the elders of each congregation to exercise pastoral oversight. This puts the focus where it belongs: shepherds ministering to their local congregation, under the authority of Christ.

Despite no formal division into regional jurisdictions, our presbyters pray with and seek counsel from one another and other presbyters as brothers.

4 We meet as needed.

Although broader assemblies are good and necessary, in Acts 15 we see them gathered for a particular need. A debate arose that troubled the churches. The apostles and elders gathered in Jerusalem, reasoned together from the Scriptures and the work of the Spirit, reached a decision, and disseminated it to the churches. Then they returned to their work. We follow that pattern. Councils and synods are called when there is genuine need for a broader assembly, such as examining a presbyter, settling an appeal, or addressing a question the churches face together. This keeps our time and focus on local ministry while preserving our broader connection with the visible church.

Even so, generally once a year, a church will call a synod for the churches to gather and share church reports, to pray for one another, and to enjoy fellowship. These synods are times of great encouragement and unity.

5 Every Presbyter has a voice.

In broader assemblies, any recognized Presbyter may raise and speak to any matter before the body. The Jerusalem Council models open debate (“And after there had been much debate,” Acts 15:7). The whole assembly heard the matter before deciding.

Limiting the floor to a steering group or a class of officers replaces brotherly counsel with managerial procedure and suppressed speech. In assemblies where only regional representatives may speak, the “little guy” is often unheard. Pastoral appeals and docket items get overlooked simply because they aren’t a priority to the representatives.

The FORC never creates commissions with jurisdiction. Any committee formed by a Council or Synod exists only to assist all the Presbyters of that body. Just as a Book of Order cannot subvert or replace Scripture, a committee cannot subvert or replace the assembly.

Jesus forbids presbyters from exhibiting the heathen pattern of lording over one another: “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Mt 20:26; see also 1 Peter 5:1-5).

6 We are a federation of churches, and not a federation of presbyters.

Scripture teaches that elders are appointed “in every church” (Acts 14:23). Each elder is attached to a congregation, and not to a body of ministers standing apart from the churches. For this reason, it is the member churches, through their own presbyters, that join, vote in, and are represented at our assemblies. A presbyter comes to council or synod not on his own behalf, but as a shepherd sent from a particular flock and accountable to it.

7 We pursue unity over uniformity.

Unity is a work of the Triune God: rooted in Christ, effected by the Holy Spirit, and governed by the Father’s will. Unity is maintained through shared doctrine, mutual prayer, brotherly affection, charity, and regular fellowship rather than through committees or bylaws that command uniformity.

Our churches know and help one another through personal relationships. Although we reject imposed regional jurisdictions (boundary lines that can inadvertently reduce accountability), we welcome regional relationships.

Our brotherhood is doctrinally-rooted and spiritually-organic, rather than engineered and enforced. This is why our churches and presbyters can relate well to others who are not part of our federation—we keep the visible church (“One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”) as a guiding principle in our polity and our practice.

May God bless us as we are “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).