Jash Comstock
Puritan Board Freshman
I am wondering what are the main differences between the three main orthodox presbyterian denominations. Could someone please elaborate on these differences?
What are the main differences between the OPC, PCA, and EPC.
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GulfCoast Presbyterian
Puritan Board Senior
This is helpful, although I would quibble with a minor point or two. The PB's Pointy Haired Calvinist created it: Presbyterian and Reformed Churches
Marrow Man
Drunk with Powder
The EPC allows the ordination of females and is not a member of NARPARC.
Edward
Puritanboard Commissioner
EPC allows ordination of women to all offices on a local-option basis and permits speaking in tongues. A lot of local autonomy on 'non-essentials' that some folks here would classify as essentials.
OPC is the smallest and most homogeneous of the 3 mentioned. Has a reputation, historically not entirely undeserved, of being less aggressive in expansion, more inwardly focused on purity. They are the most orthodox of the 3 mentioned.
PCA is the largest and the most mixed bag, with emphasis on mission over purity, to a large extent. (Although some Presbyteries strive to maintain the standards.)
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Origins: Founders of the OPC broke from the northern church (PCUSA pre UPUSA), PCA broke from the Southern church (PCUS), and the EPC broke from re-united PCUSA.
OPC is the smallest and most homogeneous of the 3 mentioned. Has a reputation, historically not entirely undeserved, of being less aggressive in expansion, more inwardly focused on purity. They are the most orthodox of the 3 mentioned.
PCA is the largest and the most mixed bag, with emphasis on mission over purity, to a large extent. (Although some Presbyteries strive to maintain the standards.)
---------- Post added at 08:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:05 PM ----------
Origins: Founders of the OPC broke from the northern church (PCUSA pre UPUSA), PCA broke from the Southern church (PCUS), and the EPC broke from re-united PCUSA.
They aren't the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America either.
Backwoods Presbyterian
Puritanboard Amanuensis
Just a slight historical correction, the EPC broke off the northern UPCUSA prior to the hostile takeover of the PCUS.
Marrow Man
Drunk with Powder
That's what I was thinking too. Wasn't it around 1978 or 1979? And wasn't it essentially to accommodate churches that wanted to leave the mainline group but didn't want to be a part of the OPC and PCA?
GulfCoast Presbyterian
Puritan Board Senior
The EPC broke off of the Northern branch (UPCUSA) in 1981.
Edward
Puritanboard Commissioner
Thanks. I should have looked rather than going from memory.
rmwilliamsjr
Puritan Board Freshman
We've been members in all three denominations. I've found the OPC more intellectual, the PCA more evangelical and the EPC a bigger tent-a bit more liberal.
As far as i can tell they all recruit from the same social classes: middle class, educated, heavy on intellectual occupations like engineers and teachers, but i suppose this is a function of the size of the city i live in as much as the churches we've seen.
They use the same group of seminaries to train pastors with the EPC again a bit more liberal.
As far as I know, visualizing them as a venn diagram, the PCA is a large circle, the OPC a much smaller one completely inside of the PCA one, the EPC intersects both but has a significant part outside both to the left.
View attachment 2806
As far as i can tell they all recruit from the same social classes: middle class, educated, heavy on intellectual occupations like engineers and teachers, but i suppose this is a function of the size of the city i live in as much as the churches we've seen.
They use the same group of seminaries to train pastors with the EPC again a bit more liberal.
As far as I know, visualizing them as a venn diagram, the PCA is a large circle, the OPC a much smaller one completely inside of the PCA one, the EPC intersects both but has a significant part outside both to the left.
View attachment 2806
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