The Reformed Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Colombia (in Spanish ''Iglesia Reformada Evangélica Presbiteriana de Colombia'' or IREPC), also known as Reformed Church of Latin America, is a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

denomination, founded in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

in 1992, by missionaries from the Presbyterian Church in America.

History

Presbyterianism arrived in Colombia in 1855, when Reverend Ramón Montsalvatge arrived in the country. His work led to the formation of the

Presbyterian Church of Colombia The Presbyterian Church of Colombia (in Spanish ''Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia'' or IPCol) - is a Protestant Reformed denomination, founded on the Colombia in 1855, from the missionary work of Rev. Ramón Montsalvatge, sent by the American Bi ...

(PCC).. In 1992, missionaries from the Presbyterian Church in America (IPA) began planting churches in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

. Several churches arose from there, which could not affiliate with the

(PCC) due to doctrinal differences between the PCC and the IPA. Together, these churches decided to form a new denomination, the "Reformed Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Colombia" (IREPC). The first general assembly was held in 2000. The first Colombian pastors ordained were Rev. Rafael Leal and James Leal, in 2001. Since then, the denomination has grown to 14 churches in 2 presbyteries.

Doctrine

The denomination subscribes to the

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard" ...

Westminster Larger Catechism The Westminster Larger Catechism, along with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is a central catechism of Calvinists in the English tradition throughout the world. History In 1643 when the Long Parliament of England called the Westminster Assem ...

and Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Theology

- the original form of 1647, adopted by the Presbyterian church in the nineteenth century. * Westminster Shorter Catechism *

Inter-Church Relations

The denomination was once a member of the World Reformed Fellowship. In 2010, the IREPC sent a delegate to the Supreme Council of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil.

References

{{World Reformed Fellowship Presbyterian denominations in South America Presbyterian denominations in the Caribbean Presbyterian denominations Protestantism in Colombia