OTTERY ST. MARY REFORMED CHURCH

Frequently asked questions


Isn't this just another sad division in the Church ?

To a certain extent this is true. However, Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church has only come into existence because of the departure from historical evangelical Christianity by the other churches in the town. It is with regret that Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church is formed, and it will cease to exist as a separate body if any of the local churches return to their evangelical roots. At the moment though no other in this locality holds to the historic Reformed Christian Faith.

Shouldn't Christians join together despite differences in theology ?

Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church distinguishes between primary and secondary differences. Primary differences consist of fundamental areas of Christian belief such as, What is the Bible? How is a man put right with God? Who is the Lord Jesus Christ and what did He do on earth? What is the nature of mankind? In other words, Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church seeks to uphold the unique historic Christian Gospel as revealed in the Bible. It will not, and cannot, compromise any essential matters of faith for this is no more or less than deliberately leading a man to Hell. These matters are of vital importance to everyone - any 'fudging' the issues here, and there is no Christian message of hope and salvation. It is precisely on these and other vital issues that the local churches differ from Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church.

In terms of secondary differences, Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church is not particularly bothered. Issues such as the mode of baptism and Eschatology, for example, are admittedly difficult areas and therefore Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church is not dogmatic about them. It is however, committed to a correct Biblical understanding of all things, and discussion and debate about these issues is welcomed provided that it is with a view to establishing what the Bible actually teaches on the matter, and not merely an offering up of personal opinions.

Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church has come into being because the other churches in the town differ from it in major areas of doctrine. In fact, they are all much alike in that, as far as they are concerned, the more important differences between them are largely matters of style or leadership.

Is Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church a cult or fundamentalist sect ?

Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church is neither! It is a church that stands in the long tradition of evangelical Christianity - a tradition that can be traced right back to the very early Church and its New Testament writers. This can be clearly seen by the fact that Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church on the whole subscribes to the major declarations of faith made by various evangelical bodies throughout the ages. Amongst these would be, The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646; The Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689; The Thirty-Nine articles of the Church of England, 1562; The Savoy Declaration, 1833; etc.

Indeed, it would be fair to say that certain already extant local churches are much more like cults than Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church. What would you think of a religious organisation that refuses to discuss certain matters, that demands your allegiance and obedience to its leaders even if they can be shown to be clearly wrong and that invites you to join them but will not tell you what they believe? Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church aims to be as open and honest as is possible- it has no choice in this of course since deceit, hypocrisy and lies are all condemned by Biblical Christianity.

What are your aims and objectives ?

Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church seeks to be obedient to the Holy Bible. That does not mean that it is perfect, but simply that it does not wish to do or say anything in opposition to the Word of God. It will fail and, to a certain extent, must always fail because it consists of sinful people who cannot help but get things wrong! However, it recognises its duty to proclaim the Christian Gospel clearly and to refute all those things that are opposed to it whilst at the same time remaining humble and teachable itself - just as the Bible commands. The events that eventually led to the formation of Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church actually exposed many serious errors of belief amongst local groups along the way; the very existence of Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church stands as an ongoing witness to this fact and to the desperate need for the work it seeks to undertake to be done.

Can anybody join with Ottery St. Mary Reformed Church ?

Yes, provided they profess faith in Jesus Christ and His work on behalf of sinners, and are genuinely seeking to obey the teaching of the Bible.



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