Reformed Church

Reformed Church

[Summmary]

The generic name for the various denominations in the vein of the religious reformer Jean Calvin. Churches "reformed" by the Word of God. The administration is led by a presbytery composed of elders elected by the congregation and the pastor. The three-tiered structure consists of "sub-congregations" (individual churches), "synods" (regions), and "conventions" (general assemblies for the entire region).

Text

　The generic name for the various denominations of the Calvinist stream. The name is derived from "a church that is reformed according to the Word of God (the Bible). The church is led by a board of elders, consisting of several elders and pastors elected by the congregation. The presbytery of each individual church is called a "sub-congregation," and the "middle congregation" is organized by several churches in a region, and all regions have "conventions" (general meetings and synods).

　Historical Background

　The groups that emerged from the Reformation in Geneva by Jean Calvin. Friedrich Zwingli, and his successors Johann Heinrich Bullinger, Martin Butzer, John Knox, and Ecolampadius in various parts of Europe became the mother body of the Reformed Church. The early leaders, including Calvin, came from a humanist background.

　Calvin (1509-1564) Geneva, Switzerland

　Zwingli (1484-1531) Zurich, Switzerland

　Bullinger (1505-1575) Zurich, Switzerland

　　　　Successor to Zwingli. Signed the Zurich Pact with Calvin.

　　　　Second Swiss Confession of Faith.

　Martin Butzer Strasbourg, northeastern France.

　John Knox Scotland.

　　　　　　　　　　　　Scottish Reformation, 1560.

　Johannes Ecolampadius (1482-1531) German humanist.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Basel, Switzerland.

　Johannes a Lasco Poland.

　Abraham Kuyper, Netherlands.

　The Reformers who emerged from the Scottish Reformation by John Knox are called "Presbyterians" (Presbyterianism). The characteristics of the content of beliefs and the church system are common to the Reformers. The following are representative creeds of the Reformed group.

The Second Swiss Creed (1566)

The Geneva Confession of Faith (1536, 1542) 

The Heidelberg Confession of Faith (1563)

　The common names of the church are as follows

Reformed Church

Presbyterian (Presbyterian)

Calvinistic

　Development in Japan

　The Reformed Church in Japan was introduced to Japan by J. Hepburn, who established the Japan Christian Public Church, which later became the Christian Church of Japan. Masahisa Uemura and Tokutaro Takakura were prominent Presbyterian leaders in Japan. After World War II, some churches broke away from the Japan Christian Church, which was created by the state power to unite multiple denominations and groups, leading to the establishment of the Christian Reformed Church of Japan and the Japan Christian Association.