The Free Reformed Churches of Australia is a federation of 15 congregations, 13 in Western Australia and two in Tasmania, with over 4000 members. 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 and the Bible.
As a confessional church, the churches subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity: Canons of Dort, Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism. The churches submit to the following three creeds as summaries of the faith: The Apostles Creed, The Nicene Creed, and The Athanasian Creed.
The congregations in Western Australia, in order of institution are:
- Armadale - instituted 24 June 1951
- Albany - instituted 14 December 1952
- Kelmscott (daughter of Armadale) - instituted 1 January 1981
- Byford (daughter of Armadale) - instituted 27 January 1985
- Mount Nasura (formerly called 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, now with regular church services in Busselton
- Darling Downs (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
- There is a home-congregation in Atherton, Queensland, over-seen by Armadale.
- Busselton (daughter of Bunbury) - instituted 27 March 2011.
The congregations in Tasmania are:
- Launceston - instituted 15 February 1953
- Legana (daughter of Launceston) - instituted 4 December 1988
- There is also a home-congregation in Hobart.
The Churches have sister-church relationships with the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (Liberated) (Gereformeerde Kerken vrijgemaakt), the Canadian and American Reformed Churches, the Free Reformed Churches of South Africa (Die Vrye Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika,), the Presbyterian Church in Korea, and the Reformed Churches in Indonesia (Gereja Gereja Reformasi di Indonesia, NTT). Their local churches are actively engaged in mission work in several locations in Asia, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. They have particularly close ties with the Canadian and American Reformed Churches, and many of their ministers have received their theological training at the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary.
Famous quotes containing the words free, reformed, churches and/or australia:
“Women born at the turn of the century have been conditioned not to speak openly of their wedding nights. Of other nights in bed with other men they speak not at all. Today a woman having bedded with a great general feels free to tell us that in bed the general could not present arms. Women of my generation would have spared the great general the revelation of this failure.”
—Jessamyn West (1907–1984)
“To what a bad choice is many a worthy woman betrayed, by that false and inconsiderate notion, That a reformed rake makes the best husband!”
—Samuel Richardson (1689–1761)
“A few years ago, the liberal churches complained that the Calvinistic church denied to them the name of Christian. I think the complaint was confession; a religious church would not complain.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“It is very considerably smaller than Australia and British Somaliland put together. As things stand at present there is nothing much the Texans can do about this, and ... they are inclined to shy away from the subject in ordinary conversation, muttering defensively about the size of oranges.”
—Alex Atkinson, British humor writer. repr. In Present Laughter, ed. Alan Coren (1982)