The three-self formula and PRCA foreign missions (9)
Rev. Richard Smit examines the three-self formula (self-propagating, self-supporting, self-governing) for indigenous churches through the lens of PRCA missionary work in the Philippines, arguing that a healthy local church institute manifests Christ's prophetic, priestly, and royal offices. The article grounds this understanding in Scripture and the Belgic Confession, showing how church officers (pastors, deacons, and elders) embody these threefold functions in institutional church life.
Rev. Richard Smit, missionary of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America, stationed in Manila, Philippines Previous article in this series: April 1, 2022, p. 302. At the end of the previous article in this series, we mentioned that the goal of the three-self formula for an indigenous church is Christian. Thereby, it was asserted that a healthy, indigenous church institute that is self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing manifests consistently that she is a prophetic, priestly,...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org