About

At the height of the Protestant reformation, the nations of England, Scotland and Ireland formally pledged themselves, their churches, all their dominions, and their posterity, to God and to each other in a Solemn League and Covenant. It was no small thing that this covenant was ratified by King and parliament, but the promise to be “of one reformed religion” was also sworn by all ranks of the people, (as in Ex. 19:8, 2 Ki 23:3, etc.) and confirmed by an oath to the living God. Nations may wickedly forget their covenants, (Ps. 9:17) but our Lord will not forget the covenant with Him. (Deut. 4, 29) Those nations, as well as the colonies governed by them (including Canada and the USA), remain bound and accountable to the Lord under the terms of this lawful and wise covenant.

“Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.” – Galations 3:15

The Reformed Presbytery in North America testifies to all descendants of England, Ireland, and Scotland whether in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand etc., that Christ and our Solemn Covenant with God call us to “one reformed religion” in our lands. The fundamentals of that reformed religion were compiled at the request of parliament, by the five year assembly at Westminster, composed of the most godly and learned pastors and elders in 17th century Britain. The fruit of their efforts was the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), Larger and Shorter Catechisms, Solemn League & Covenant (and affirming the preceding National Covenant of Scotland), as well numerous other faithful documents.

We invite you to look carefully at the Terms of Communion listed on this site, which were put in this form by the faithful Presbyterians who remained true to these covenants and doctrines. No sincere Christian can be content with ‘agreeing to disagree’ with his brother, when the Spirit of God beseeches us to “all speak the same thing”. That great cloud of witnesses pledged, by God’s grace, not to be divided from this blessed union by any terror or persuasion, or to give themselves over to a “detestable indifference or neutrality in this cause which so much concerneth the glory of God”. Through their superb sermons, writings, and shed blood, they cry out to this generation of a thousand denominations, that we have slidden back from the purity of doctrine, life, worship, church government, and civil government to which they attained.

The Reformed Presbytery in North America endeavors, by the grace of our Lord, the Prince of the Kings of the earth, to once again set before you the same example of “real reformation; that the Lord may turn away his wrath and heavy indignation, and establish these churches and kingdoms in truth and peace (Solemn League and Covenant).”

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
– 1 Corinthians 1:10

“Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”
– Philippians 3:16

Up From Reconstructionism; or, A Short History of the Puritan Reformed Church of Edmonton

© Copyright 1996 by Michael Wagner

The Puritan Reformed Church of Edmonton was founded in November, 1989, as a congregation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of the United States (RPCUS). At that time, a number of Edmonton Reconstructionists were unhappy with their existing ecclesiastical connections, and wanted to form a Reconstructionist church. As a result of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada holding its national convention in Edmonton in 1989, Geoff Donnan (then a missionary of the RPCUS) was in town. To make a long story short, we (the Edmonton Reconstructionists) convinced Donnan (who consulted with some fellow RPCUS ministers by phone) to accept us as an RPCUS mission church. Then in April, 1990, one of our members, Mr. Greg Barrow (brother of the notorious publisher Reg Barrow) was ordained as an elder by the General Assembly of the RPCUS in Atlanta, Georgia.

During the course of 1990, most of our people became convinced of the truth of the “regulative principle of worship,” namely, that God could only be worshipped in ways prescribed by Scripture. This meant that the church would sing only psalms, and would not allow the use of instruments during the worship service. Due to conflicts generated in part over this issue, the church became separated from the RPCUS.

We continued to grow in our understanding of the biblical truths taught by the Puritans and early Presbyterians, and changed our practices as we learned. During this time we received some “refugees” from the Bible Presbyterian Church of Edmonton, including Elder Lyndon Dohms. Sometime later, in the summer of 1994, we called Greg Price, an Orthodox Presbyterian Teaching Elder from California, to be our pastor. Price had also come to see that the doctrines taught by the seventeenth century Puritans and Presbyterians were the true biblical doctrines. Shortly after his arrival in Edmonton, Price was instrumental in helping to organize the Puritan Reformed Church of Prince George, British Columbia, a congregation consisting primarily of ex-Charismatics who had become Reformed through reading materials obtained from Still Waters Revival Books and having discussions with people in the Edmonton congregation (mainly Reg and Greg Barrow). Indeed, it is entirely accurate to say that both the Edmonton and Prince George congregations owe their existence (speaking from a human standpoint) to the literature ministry of Still Waters Revival Books, which was increasingly offering works by the most faithful authors and ministers of the Reformation.

With a session now consisting of Greg Price, Greg Barrow, and Lyndon Dohms, the church also became involved with a group of small Presbyterian churches (and various elders) that would come together to form a denomination called the Reformation Presbyterian Church.

During the latter half of 1995, many of our people began to seriously study the unique theological claims made by the “Covenanters.” Again, Reg Barrow (and his Still Waters Revival Books) was in the vanguard of this effort. Throughout the church’s short life-span, it was continuously moving in the direction of becoming increasingly conformed to the position of the original Westminster Standards and the Covenanted Reformation of the mid-seventeenth century. This process culminated with the church officially adopting the six “Terms of Ministerial and Christian Communion in the Reformed Presbyterian Church” (i.e., the Covenanter church — but not to be confused with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America [RPCNA]), early in 1996. At this point the church was properly constituted in terms of the Westminster Standards and the historically descending covenant obligation that rests upon the visible church as a moral person. Since the Reformation Presbyterian Church was not duly constituted on the same basis, continuing ecclesiastical fellowship was not possible.

Most of us in the Puritan Reformed Church of Edmonton became Christians as young adults and were first involved with evangelical or fundamentalist churches. Through studying the Scriptures we all became Reformed. But after travelling through various churches, becoming Reformed, and forming our church, we didn’t stop studying; we continued to hunger after the meat of the Word. The Lord rewarded our diligent study with continued spiritual growth. Not that we consider ourselves worthy of such signal mercies from our covenant Lord. To the contrary, we have been greatly humbled through this sanctifying process. Our pastor and elders have publicly acknowledged their own sinful defection from the truth, and have humbly sought God’s grace in leading the congregation in the old paths of righteousness and truth. Our testimony is not to our own faithfulness, but rather to the faithfulness of our covenant God. Our deepening understanding of Scripture and history made clear to us that the Reformers, especially the leaders of the Second Reformation in Britain, had a more accurate understanding of Bible doctrine than anyone (uninspired) before or since. Much of what we learned from Reconstructionist authors was a partial introduction to the doctrines of the Covenanted Reformation (a kind of “Covenanter’s kindergarten” to use Reg Barrow’s phrase), and to that extent was very beneficial to us. It liberated us from the much more superficial Christianity that constitutes twentieth century North American evangelicalism. But Reconstructionism itself is not enough.