The ARP, PCA, OPC, and URC are NOT members of either of these two organizations.

New chapters of ecumenical history will be written should the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council — representing 80 million Christians from 108 countries — unite into one ecclesiastical body during an upcoming event at Calvin College.

If adopted, the two reformed ecumenical groups will merge into the World Communion of Reformed Churches, making it the largest association of Reformed churches in the world.

Delegates from around the world will cast the deciding vote when they converge at Calvin for a Constitution Convention that runs from June 18-28, and is expected to draw more than 1,000 people.

The union represents 227 churches from Presbyterian, Congregational, Reformed, Waldensian and United congregations — and includes an alphabet soup of nations from Algeria to Zimbabwe. Richard van Houten, the REC’s General Secretary, said it is likely the merger will see the light of day.

“We’re not hearing any rumblings of serious protest,” said van Houten. “Unless some big issue happens in the next three weeks, we expect the constitution to be adopted.”

REC, established in 1946, is historically the more conservative of the two. It encompasses 12 million members, the majority in Africa and Asia.

WARC is the larger and older of the two. Its roots reach back to an 1875 alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed churches

Read More: http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/05/reformed_churches_gathering_fo.html

Editor’s Note: The CRC is the only American denomination holding membership in the REC. The following American denominations hold membership in the WARC:

Christian Reformed Church in North America
Cumberland Presbyterian Church Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Hungarian Reformed Church in America
Korean Presbyterian Church in America
Lithuanian Evangelical Reformed Church
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Reformed Church in America
United Church of Christ