Gospel Church for All Nations (Gospel CAN) is a revitalized church mission ‘replant’ jointly begun by Manor Reformed Presbyterian Church (MRPC) and New Castle Chinese Evangelical Church (NCCEC). We are associated regionally with Heritage Presbytery [affiliated with the Bible-believing Presbyterian Church of America and Worldwide Chinese Evangelical Church Association).
As is still true, MRPC and NCCEC were from the Protestant Reformed tradition, dating back to the 16th-century: salvation by faith alone in God’s amazing grace in Christ alone as taught in Scripture alone–for God’s glory alone! MRPC was a charter member of Heritage Presbytery when the PCA was formed in 1973.
NCCEC’s Bible-believing Protestantism goes back through British missionary Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) of the China Inland Mission. Interestingly, the PCA was brought into being by Presbyterian founders like Dr. L. Nelson Bell, long-term medical missionary in China (and father-in-law of Dr. Billy Graham). Dr. Bell died in 1973–the same year his dream helped officially birth the PCA.
Today (21st-century): The local church, a congregation of communicant and non-communicant members, is a covenant community connected to one another. Also, via presbytery and regional connectionalism, support and spiritual sharpening are made available to local church men and women when desired. (In the 1st-century New Testament church, we see this not only in regions–such as Galatia and Colossae and Asia Minor–but also nationally/internationally when congregations took up collections for brethren afflicted by famines as well as theological confusion–see Acts 15).
Such a connectional approach also helps Christians desiring to be peacemakers avoid lawsuits with one another in secular courts. We have our own Bible-based ‘courts’ for mediation: Session (local eldership), presbytery (regional for conflict resolution and appeals); and General Assembly (nationally/internationally)--which is the highest earthly ‘appeals’ court and, thankfully, rarely utilized.