Vanguard Presbyterian Church

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Vanguard Presbyterian Church, formerly Vanguard Presbytery, is a Presbyterian denomination formed in 2020 by churches that separated from the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) due to conflicts over the application of ecclesiastical discipline and the charge that the PCA has become excessively hierarchical.[2][3] It identifies as a continuing church.[4]

Vanguard Presbyterian Church
ClassificationEvangelical Protestant
OrientationReformed
TheologyConservative & Confessional
GovernancePresbyterian
RegionUnited States of America
Origin2020
Separated fromPresbyterian Church in America
AbsorbedReformed Presbyterian Church in the United States
SeparationsChrist Reformed Presbyterian Church (2022)
Congregations22 (2023)[1]
Ministers27 (2023) [1]
Official websitevanguardpresbytery.com

History

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After the formation of the Vanguard Presbytery, the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States (RPCUS) – another splinter denomination from the Presbyterian Church in America, formed in 1973 – was dissolved and its local churches joined the new denomination.[5][6]

In May 2022, just over a year later, the former RPCUS churches – Chalcedon in Cumming, Georgia and Trinity in Tazewell, Virginia – and three others left Vanguard to form another new denomination, the Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church. The Christ Reformed churches alleged "constitutional abuses and alarming theological errors" from Vanguard.[7] The disagreement centered around church governance and Vanguard's decisions regarding hierarchy and due process in disputes.[8][9]

Doctrine

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The Vanguard Presbytery believe in being a “grassroots” denomination, handing more responsibility for church planting to local churches and presbyteries, supporting evangelism both in and outside the congregation (New Side), the office of evangelist as a third office (along with elder and deacon) a commitment to Calvinism and the Westminster Standards (Old School),[10] and Young Earth Creationism.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Affiliations of the Vanguard Presbytery". Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  2. ^ Roberts, Dewey (2019-12-02). "Vanguard Presbytery: A new Presbyterian denomination being formed". The Aquila Report. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  3. ^ Clark, R. Scott (2020-02-13). "Former members of the Presbyterian Church in America leave to form the Presbytery Vanguard". Recovering The Reformed Confession. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  4. ^ "Vanguard Presbyterian Church's Commitments". Vanguard Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Church Presbyterian Calcedônia joined Presbytery Vanguarda". Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  6. ^ "History of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in the United States and the Presbyterian Church Chalcedon". 1988. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  7. ^ "Testimony and Covenant". Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church. 2022-05-08. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  8. ^ Roberts, Dewey (2022-05-13). "A Defense of the Good Name of Vanguard Presbytery". The Aquila Report. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  9. ^ "Questions that Deserve Answers". Vanguard Presbyterian Church. 2023-04-18. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  10. ^ "Vanguard Presbyterian Church's Commitments". Vanguard Presbytery. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  11. ^ "The Six Days of Creation". Excellent Thought. 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2021-06-22.