This Week in Church History

February 9

General Assembly (5th: 1939), Orthodox Presbyterian Church: name

Meeting in Philadelphia on February 9, 1939, the fifth General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of America changed the name of the denomination to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Threatened by a lawsuit by the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., the young church determined that it lacked the financial resources necessary to sustain the legal challenge to its name. Commissioners to that Assembly chose the new name after a vigorous, twelve-hour debate. Other names considered were the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian and Reformed Church of America, the North American Presbyterian Church, the American Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church of Christ, the Protestant Presbyterian Church of America, the Seceding Presbyterian Church (of America), the Free Presbyterian Church of America, the American Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the True Presbyterian Church of the World.

Historian Mark Noll interpreted the debate in this way: "In the end sentiment was divided nearly equally between the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with only lesser support for names retaining the word 'America.' By one vote 'Orthodox' prevailed over 'Evangelical,' and so it has remained to this day. Most significantly, the new name indicated a new perspective. No longer would the denomination aspire to be the Presbyterian Church of America."

- John Muether

History of Grace OPC

Grace Church began its existence as an Orthodox Presbyterian church on June 15, 1978. Its history, however, looks back to June of 1963. Duane Edward Spencer was then a Methodist minister resigning from the Methodist Church because of its liberalism. Other members left with him and together they established Grace Bible Church of San Antonio. The first worship services were held at a Ramada Inn.

The church eventually grew and a seven-acre tract of land was purchased near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Loop 410 on the northwest side of town. Military barracks buildings were moved onto the property and later remodeled into an attractive complex for church use.

Spencer was a popular figure on the Bible conference circuit and developed an international radio ministry. His method of preaching and teaching centered on what he called the "key words of Scripture." This involved studying individual words of Scripture, in their original languages, as a means of interpreting the Bible. The result was a rediscovery of the truths of Scripture as taught by the Protestant Reformers.

Ultimately, Spencer became convinced that the Reformation was a watershed in church history and that the faith of the Reformers (i.e., Reformed theology) was in keeping with the word of God. In 1977 the congregation of Grace Bible, after investigating Reformed churches with which to unite, applied for membership in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

It should be noted that Spencer created controversy in the mid-1970's preaching from the Scriptures concerning election and predestination. In most churches these doctrines were either vilified or suppressed. John Bradford once wrote, "Let a man go to the grammar school of faith and repentance before he goes to the university of election and predestination." For many, Duane Spencer opened the door to that "university."

Duane Spencer died on December 28, 1981. He was succeeded in the ministry by Jack Peterson, who was Grace's pastor for more than 20 years before being succeeded by our current pastor, Nathan Hornfeld.