The Free Reformed Churches of Australia (FRCA) are a federation of 16 congregations, 14 in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, two in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and a home-congregation in

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

. At the start of 2016 the total membership was 4663. Their historical roots are in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (Liberated) as a result of post-World War II immigration, and their doctrinal roots are in the sixteenth-century

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and the Bible. The first congregation was in

Armadale, Western Australia Armadale is a suburb of Perth within the City of Armadale, located on the south-eastern edge of the Perth metropolitan region. The major junction of the South Western and Albany Highways, which connect Perth with the South West and Great South ...

, founded in 1951.

Doctrine

As a confessional church, the churches subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity:

Canons of Dort The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Christian doctrine, Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Netherlands, Dut ...

Belgic Confession The ''Confession of Faith'', popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a doctrinal standard document to which many of the Reformed churches subscribe. The Confession forms part of the Three Forms of Unity of the Reformed Church, which are still ...

and the

Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), one of the Three Forms of Unity, is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Calvinist Christian doctrine. It was published in 1563 in Heidelberg, ...

. The churches submit to the following three creeds as summaries of the faith: The

Apostles Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...

, The

Nicene Creed The original Nicene Creed (; grc-gre, Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας; la, Symbolum Nicaenum) was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is a ...

, and The

Athanasian Creed The Athanasian Creed, also called the Pseudo-Athanasian Creed and sometimes known as ''Quicunque Vult'' (or ''Quicumque Vult''), which is both its Latin name and its opening words, meaning "Whosoever wishes", is a Christian statement of belief ...

Churches

The FRCA has the following churches in Western Australia, in order of institution: * Armadale - instituted 24 June 1951 * Albany - instituted 14 December 1952 *

Kelmscott Kelmscott is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in West Oxfordshire, about east of Lechlade in neighbouring Gloucestershire. Since 2001 it has absorbed Little Faringdon, which had been a separate civil parish. The 2011 Census reco ...

(daughter of Armadale) - instituted 1 January 1981 *

Byford Byford is a village and civil parish on the River Wye in Herefordshire, England, about west of Hereford. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 119, increasing to 201 at the 2011 census. Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke ( cy, Cla ...

(daughter of Armadale) - instituted 27 January 1985 * Mount Nasura (formerly known as Bedfordale; daughter of Kelmscott) - instituted 1 December 1987 * Rockingham (daughter of Byford) - instituted 6 September 1992 *West Albany (daughter of Albany) - instituted 6 August 1994 * Southern River (formerly known as West Kelmscott; daughter of Kelmscott) - instituted 29 November 1998 * Bunbury - instituted 25 November 2001 *

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

(daughter of Byford and Armadale) - instituted 6 July 2003 * Baldivis (daughter of Rockingham) - instituted 1 July 2007 * Mundijong (daughter of Byford) - instituted 6 December 2009 *

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

(daughter of Bunbury) - instituted 27 March 2011. * Melville (daughter of Southern River) - instituted 2 February 2014. *There is a home-congregation in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, overseen by Armadale. and the following churches in Tasmania: * Launceston - instituted 15 February 1953 *

Legana Legana is a rural and residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of West Tamar in the Launceston LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about south-east of the town of Beaconsfield. The 2016 census has a population of 4029 for ...

(daughter of Launceston) - instituted 4 December 1988

Sister Relationships

The Free Reformed Churches of Australia have sister-church relationships with *

Canadian and American Reformed Churches The 'Canadian and American Reformed Churches'' (CanRC) is a federation of Protestant churches in Canada and the United States, with historical roots in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands. It emphasizes the importance of adherence to Biblica ...

* Free Reformed Churches of South Africa (Die Vrye Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrik

* Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin) *

Reformed Churches in Indonesia The Gereja-Gereja Reformasi di Indonesia or the Indonesian Reformed Churches is a confessional Reformed church in the country of Indonesia established by orthodox Calvinist Dutch people, Dutch missionaries. History Missionaries came to Sumba in t ...

(Gereja Gereja Reformasi di Indonesia, NTT) *

Reformed Churches of New Zealand Reformed Churches of New Zealand is a Calvinist denomination in New Zealand. The denomination is constituted of 21 member churches, the first seven of which were formed in 1953. Total membership as of 2020 stands at 3,283. Form of doctrine The do ...

* First Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore Sister church relations with the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (Liberated) (Gereformeerde Kerken vrijgemaakt) were suspended at FRCA Synod Baldivis in June 2015, and terminatedPress Release of FRCA Synod Bunbury 2018
/ref> at FRCA Synod Bunbury in June 2018.

Mission

Their local churches are actively engaged in mission work in several locations in Asia and the Pacific, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. They have particularly close ties with the

, and many of their ministers have received their theological training at the

Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary The Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary is a Reformed seminary in Hamilton, Ontario. It is the federational seminary of the Canadian Reformed Churches. History Synod Orangeville (1968) made the decision to establish a Theological College of ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official web site for the Free Reformed Churches of AustraliaFree Reformed Church of Southern River (Western Australia)
Reformed denominations in Oceania Christian denominations in Australia 1951 establishments in Australia Calvinist denominations established in the 20th century Christian organizations established in 1951