Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe

by Steven Robinson

Hungary, being situated on a geographical watershed dividing east from west, is usually referred to as Central Europe. Countries to the east, (also possessing a sizable Hungarian population) include Transylvania, Slovakia and the Ukraine and are generally designated as Eastern Europe. It was in Hungary that the Communist regime first began to crumble at the end of 1989 and, in which the country’s constitution was flexible enough to allow political and economic influence from the West to filter through. Since the beginning of 1990 such influences have penetrated and reshaped the nation’s make-up at a staggering pace. To a lesser degree, the above Eastern European countries were also affected. Nor has there been a shortage of external input in the religious sphere. Yet, the impact has been far less noticeable. In part, this is because Hungarians consider their country Christian in the broad sense. Consequently, they see nothing particularly novel about Christians from abroad sharing the faith which they themselves believe they have possessed for centuries. Yet, as we shall see, there has been a pressing need and open opportunity for the spread of Gospel truth in this part of the world.

One missionary organisation which saw this need and had a vision to do something about it was Westminster Biblical Missions (WBM). It comprises of a few Gospel ministers from various Reformed and Presbyterian denominations in the USA. From early beginnings in 1990 WBM’s labour began in Hungary. A major landmark in this labour was the founding of a new denomination in 1998, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe (RPCCEE). It is a fledgling church with mission stations in all four countries mentioned above. This article aims to show why and how the RPCCEE was founded and broadly outlines something of its present witness to Gospel truth.

(1) The Need for Mission—The forty years of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, following the second World War is often castigated as the great monster which stifled the growth of and persecuted the Protestant church. Yet, long before Communism had entered, a more dangerous and subtle enemy had taken the major seats of the Hungarian Protestant theological colleges and occupied the majority of pulpits in the region. This was Liberalism. It had come into vogue in Hungarian Protestantism in the second half of the nineteenth century and appeared in various guises throughout the twentieth century. This Liberalism, leaning heavily on the application of "scholarship" to theology jettisoned certain beliefs which, up until that time were deemed essential to the Christian church. Among these were the inerrancy of Scripture, the bodily Resurrection of Christ and all supernatural events (such as miracles) recorded in the Bible.

When Communism was removed at the end of 1989, there was no underground flourishing church, united and standing firm in the true Gospel. The badly bruised Protestantism that emerged was still marked by Liberalism, albeit with a different emphasis than the type espoused in the earlier part of the century. Thus, the Protestant church having won back her freedom to assert her Biblical mandate to propagate the Biblical Gospel, was too impotent to do so. WBM realised this from the beginning, yet, at the same time, knowing that the largest Protestant denomination, the Hungarian Reformed Church (HRC), was the only historically Calvinistic church in the country, chose to work with her, in the hope that she might rediscover her true Calvinistic roots.

(2) The Vision for Mission – In 1992 WBM began a theological college (called Károlyi Gáspár Institute of Theology and Missions) in Budapest for the training of nationals. This attracted not only students from Hungary but also Romania and the Ukraine. In 1994 the college was relocated further east in Miskolc. The first graduating class was in 1996. By this time the Biblical character of the college and students was beginning to be known throughout the region. Students and graduates were preaching and evangelising in their home and other towns and villages in liaison with ministers of the mainstream churches. But often their labour was not welcomed by those ministers and on occasions open hostility broke out towards the former because of the Gospel message they were preaching. In 1997 the Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church made plain its aversion to the witness of WBM’s graduates and students, when it issued a ban on the college and threatened excommunication upon those who continued with WBM’s mission. By this stage there were 11 men involved in mission work and around 20 students in the college. In 1998 the graduates and students were then faced with the choice of either giving up the work or pushing ahead with the formation of a new church. They chose the latter considering this to be the will of the Lord. WBM ordained four graduates who form the Presbytery. Seven others were licensed to preach the Gospel.

When naming the new denomination, it was considered desirable to include both the terms “Presbyterian” and “Reformed,” the former stressing a conviction over the form of church government, the latter having a two-fold aim: (1) to emphasise the Reformational outlook of and, (2) to obstruct the long-established HRC in labelling the new church a sect. It so happens that the title they chose is the same as our own denomination’s. The new church subscribes to the Westminster Confession and Catechisms, the Second Helvetic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism.

(3) The Present Labour – At present there are five students in the college, 16 men on the field (four in Hungary, 10 in Romania/Transylvania and two in the Ukraine) and 18 small congregations where weekly worship is conducted. Five preaching stations are also being regularly supplied with students or graduates. It is the responsibility of students to establish a work of mission in their home region during the period of their theological training. To this end they labour in evangelism and church planting at weekends and between term times. The goal is that, by the time a student has completed his four-year course at college, he will have something solid to build upon. As with any new work of mission, there are up-hill struggles on a number of fronts. There is the ongoing persecution, mainly from the HRC. From time to time this has taken the form of slander in the church press or threats of excommunication to HRC members if they attend a church service or other meeting of the RPCCEE. There is the financial burden of supporting the men on the mission field along with their families; this is shouldered by WBM and has become acute as the number of licentiates has increased in recent years. Attempts are currently underway to reduce this load through tent-making ministries. Though indifference is not unexpected in evangelism, it does become discouraging if there are few positive encounters. This is often accentuated by a feeling of isolation when the missionary is in an outpost where he has little opportunity for fellowhip with like-minded brethren and many enemies of the Gospel to contend with.

But these and other hardships are offset by a number of positive developments. A conference centre has been built in Romania for hosting Bible camps each summer and meetings for fellowship and mutual encouragement among the mission workers on a number of occasions each year. Every alternate month a Bible School is held in the Ukraine and is attended by 40-50 people. Lecturers come from Miskolc, Hungary and there is some discussion on doctrinal questions.

Translation work of Reformed literature is an ongoing task and is being effectively used for evangelism and strengthening believers in the faith. Some works translated include The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink, Ecclesiola in Ecclesia by D. M. Lloyd-Jones, the Westminster Confession of Faith and Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. A monthly magazine is also printed for circulation within the denomination. The RPCCEE, realising the importance of fellowship and encouragement in the faith through contact with the wider Reformed community, is presently engaged in becoming a member church of the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC), of which our own church is also a member.

(4) The Future Goals – The past 10 years have been a labour of sowing and watering seed. Shoots have sprouted up here and there. God in His grace has been pleased to give an increase. It is now time for nurturing the tender shoots through teaching, preaching and encouraging the congregations and fellowships. In this regard translation and publication of Reformed literature will be given a high profile. Within the denomination there is a deep-rooted conviction concerning the spiritual and educational advantages of home schooling covenant children. This has already begun and will be a major focus for the future.

All in all, it is to the glory of God that the Lord has not left the countries of Central and Eastern Europe without a faithful witness to His Word. Pray for the RPCCEE. Pray that the tender shoots will grow into young trees and then to mature strong cedars (Psalm 92:12)

NOTE: Anyone interested in finding out more about the RPCCEE may visit the website: http://www.reformatus.net

Covenentar Witness,
April 2002

*: The article is from the "Covenanter Witness". The article appeared in the issue of April, 2002 of the magazine on pages 15, 16, 17 and 18. The Covenanter Witness is the monthly magazine of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland and Ireland. The article was written by Steven Robinson who is an instructor in Old Testament at WBM's school in Miskolc, Hungary.