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 and are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) and Worldwide Chinese Evangelical Church Association (WCECA.)
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.