Matthew serves as the pastor and teacher of the Altamont Reformed Church in Altamont, New York. He is a Fellow of the Reformed Church Center at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and teaches for New Brunswick Theological Seminary. His particular interests are church history, the Reformed confessions, and church polity. The views expressed here are his own.
My students are often confused as to why there are sections called “Rejection of Errors” in the Canons of Dort, but also, that they are not confessional. Their non-confessional status is not because they have been excluded, but rather, they had always been omitted. That is, they were never there. In doing research for something … More Throwback Thursday: The Dortian Rejection of Errors
I am happy to announce the publication of my first authored volume, Foundations of Reformed Church Polity: The Rhyme and Reason of the Order. The regulations within a church order are like geometric shapes, and their use depends on us using these pieces to make the same image. However, what happens when we are all … More Book announcement!
There are many excellent works of church polity that have been written over the years, many of which are long out of print and forgotten, except for the dusty corners of libraries and the shelves of church polity scholars. Many of these have relevance into today, even though they were written for a church that … More Voices from the Past: David Demarest on the General Synod’s Power of Constitutional Interpretation (1896)
Preface I am often rather critical of my denomination, the criticism comes from the reality that we are harder on those we love the most. Sometimes, however, my criticism is too sharp or too pointed coupled with less helpful. As was the case with a post that lived here for a short time yesterday. However, … More It’s Not Only Criticism: The Recommendations from Church Order
The Final final (maybe…?) report of the Vision 2020 Task Force was released. You can read it here. This series of posts will look deeper at the recommendations not just from a pragmatic lens, but also through a theological lens. While many have given up on the reality that the church order is theological, I … More RCA Vision 2020 Report: Generous Separation, Part 3: The Rules and Regulations Themselves
The Final final (maybe…?) report of the Vision 2020 Task Force was released. You can read it here. This series of posts will look deeper at the recommendations not just from a pragmatic lens, but also through a theological lens. While many have given up on the reality that the church order is theological, I … More RCA Vision 2020 Report: Generous Separation, Part 2: Rules and Regulations
It must be borne in mind that the powers of the General Synod are limited; its jurisdiction and authority are a delegated jurisdiction and authority; the sources of which are primarily in the Churches, then with the Classes. The General Synod has no power to declare tenets of doctrine, nor to establish new tests of … More Powers of the General Synod: Voice from 1881
The Final final (maybe…?) report of the Vision 2020 Task Force was released. You can read it here. This series of posts will look deeper at the recommendations not just from a pragmatic lens, but also through a theological lens. While many have given up on the reality that the church order is theological, I … More RCA Vision 2020 Report: Generous Separation, Part 1: Assumptions
The Final final (maybe…?) report of the Vision 2020 Task Force was released. You can read it here. This series of posts will look deeper at the recommendations not just from a pragmatic lens, but also through a theological lens. While many have given up on the reality that the church order is theological, I … More RCA Vision 2020 Report: New Mission Agency
The Final final (maybe…?) report of the Vision 2020 Task Force was released. You can read it here. This series of posts will look deeper at the recommendations not just from a pragmatic lens, but also through a theological lens. While many have given up on the reality that the church order is theological, I cannot … More RCA Vision 2020 Report: Affinity
Church and Order 