New numbers and updates for the CREC, 2025 & Athanasius Presbytery Meeting in Odenville, Alabama
I have often advised churches and ministers considering joining the CREC that the best use of their time is to attend as a guest at the next presbytery meeting.
Perspectivalists,
Thank you for your support, especially from our paid subscribers. We have now surpassed the modest 2,000 subscribers. I have several updates scheduled for the next few weeks, including some new video material.
The following notes are edited, but they include some public numbers and updates on the upcoming Council in the CREC in 2026.
I have just returned from a delightful two days in Odenville, Alabama, for the 33rd Meeting of the Athanasius Presbytery. The saints at Christ Church were known for their hospitality, and they delivered once again. Every time we meet with these saints, they excel in this gift. The Monday dinner, the desserts, psalms, and tobacco and bourbon were all added ingredients to the festivity.
On Tuesday, we did business and heard reports, but we also sustained an examination, and we will soon add another ordained man to the Athanasius rank. The season is palpably joyful. Thanks be to God!
CREC Updates and Numbers
This week, I close my second year as Presiding Minister of the CREC. As our nine presbyteries have met, it has been an added joy to see many new churches being particularized, and a steady stream of potential plants, candidates, and mission churches seeking to join our denomination. We are now reaching over 170 churches worldwide (including candidate and mission churches) and nearing 25,000 members. There is a piece on the CREC coming out from WORLD magazine this next month, and I wanted to have some accurate numbers. However, for those of you who have closely followed our growth, it is clear that our Triune God has been immensely gracious to us.
These numbers provide a general overview of the CREC's progress over the last five years. At the beginning of COVID (2020), we had 104 churches (roughly 10,000 members). In our Council of 2023, we grew from 105 churches to 125 congregations worldwide (approximately 15,600 members), and now, in 2025, we have close to 170 congregations (include candidate/mission churches) with roughly 25,000 members.
Some presbyteries are considering forming new ones, as they have reached capacity (Art VIII.1.b).1 While this is challenging due to the excellent relationships that have been formed, it is also a necessary part of the process. I am grateful to our nine PMs of Presbyteries for doing an outstanding job guiding their presbyteries while accommodating the many guests and inquiries. Our hotspot project continues to grow with enormous interest, and the possibilities of new church plants have exceeded our expectations.
I have often advised churches and ministers considering joining the CREC that the best use of their time is to attend as a guest at the next presbytery meeting. I am convinced that they will experience camaraderie, conviction, and cheers. Our fellowship at a local ecclesial level is only matched by the communion of officers gathered together.
As I conclude my second year, my agenda as CREC ambassador is going according to plan. In this second year, I invested a significant amount of my time visiting our national and international bodies. When I travel to Sacramento in December, I will have completed nearly 20 flights to Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, lecturing, preaching, and discussing CREC-related themes. Among the many podcasts, I also completed a lengthy interview with WORLD, which is expected to be published in their magazine within a month or so. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of offering invocations at a couple of political events, including #NatCon in Washington, D.C. Pastor Wilson’s remarkable gifts have also been showcased in various outlets, which have facilitated the connections I’ve had with local and national politicians and political organizations.
As I have stated many times publicly, the CREC fosters a remarkable cohesion that transcends cultural boundaries. Our convictions and covenant renewal are incredibly adaptable in other nations.
Additionally, one fascinating point of consideration is the increased interest among non-Reformed bodies in the CREC. When Dr. Peter Leithart and I visited Brazil a few weeks ago, we lectured in a packed house, with almost half the audience coming from local Assemblies of God congregations. They were eager to see biblical theology in all its grandeur. Both my books and Dr. Leithart’s have been translated into Portuguese. It has become clear that the CREC is small, but it ministers at a cultural, theological, and liturgical level far beyond our context.
I am deeply honored to serve in this capacity and am thankful for your encouragement. May the Lord bless his church, and may the Lord bless the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.
When a presbytery exceeds a membership of twenty churches, it shall begin taking steps to propose to Council the formation of a new presbytery, except as, after giving due consideration to the existing condition and strength of its constituent churches, the presbytery deems it unwise to propose division at that time. In this case, presbytery shall report said decision to Council;
Praise be to God, Who alone performs all things for His people!