EPC Presbyterian Denomination members

[tampasteve]

Are there any other members of the EPC here? I know it is not the largest denomination, but it is fair sized. I have been attending an EPC Church for around a year and have been a member for around 6 months.

 

[Andrewn]

I have been attending an EPC Church for around a year and have been a member for around 6 months.

Were there theological reasons for the shift from ELCA, or was it mostly for personal reasons like location, friendly congregation, etc.?

 

[tampasteve]

Were there theological reasons for the shift from ELCA, or was it mostly for personal reasons like location, friendly congregation, etc.?

It was not entirely theological, although that was partly it. I moved to a more Calvinistic view of the Eucharist for one and I have always been drawn to Puritan theological views.

The particular congregation is growing and is really focused on family and children. Compared to basically every ELCA and Lutheran congregation that is shrinking and have abysmal children's programs. Don't get me wrong, my ELCA congregation loved kids and never had any issues with my son being in the service and making noise, but the congregation was definitely on the old side and only had a few kids.

Further, even though my congregation was fairly conservative, I could not put up with the continued run to the left and woke culture the ELCA has developed. The Trans Bishop was my last straw, not just because the person is trans (although that is a big part), but because the person is entirely unqualified for the position, the person was clearly picked as a virtue signal.

Also I have family that were already attending the EPC congregation for a while. They are very welcoming and the pastor is a good man, preaching the Gospel every week. The congregation is also very diverse, compared to the ELCA church which was distinctly not diverse...in spite of the ELCA trying to be so (they are still statistically one of the "whitest" denominations). Diversity is important as I am in a mixed marriage and our son is of course from both of our races.

 

[JM]

It can be difficult to find a home church so I'm happy for you.

 

[GoodLightSJ]

There's an EPC church very close to me, but I haven't visited. I know that they adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith. I saw part of a sermon (online) and it struck me as quite theologically conservative/5-point Calvinistic, similar to sermons I attended when I was with the PCA.

 

[pilgrim1999]

We've been attending an EPC congregation for a while and I've got some familiarity with the EPC going back almost 20 years.