I knew practically nothing about the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) when I packed up and went to seminary. By the time seminary was over, I knew enough about the OPC to know that I never wanted to be a part of it.
There were four primary reasons I didn't want to go near the OPC at that point:
1) Size. How in the world can a denomination in a country of over 300 million people have less than 30,000 members? Especially at a time when Reformed theology, broadly-speaking, is sweeping through virtually all denominations and capturing hearts and minds with the biblical view of God's sovereignty and mercy to sinners?
I would often spar with a URC (United Reformed Church) professor who would ask me why I was staying in an deteriorating denomination (EPC--Evangelical Presbyterian Church) and I would ask him why he preferred to cut and run rather than fight for the heart and soul of a denomination (the URC left the CRC--Christian Reformed Church, which is also quickly eroding).
Like my friends who were going back into the CRC after seminary, I planned to go back into the EPC and "reverse-Machenize" the EPC (Machen led the exodus from the P(resbyterian)C(hurch)USA after apostates who denied the core tenants of the Gospel took over most of the denominational bodies and seminaries). Of course, pride was a big part of this for me.
2) Attitude. In general, the most harsh and arrogant people I met in seminary were OPC-bound. These were often the classmates who would raise their hands to offer long discourses rather than ask the professors questions. They were the students who would smirk and offer snide remarks about other believers whose theology was askew. They were the students who would be most likely to cry "heresy" at their fellow students during the preaching practicums.
I have never been frightened of public speaking. In fact, I love it. But there were times in seminary when I dreaded our preaching classes. I was new to Reformed theology, was not raised on it, and did not make Calvin's Institutes my bathroom reading as was the custom of some of my classmates. I opened up about this fear to one of my PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) professors at one point, and he told me that my PCA brothers would always look out for me. And it was true. At seminary and at church (New Life PCA), I was safe to grow.
3) Accessibility. As I grew in my knowledge and love of Christ, I was better able to understand some of the rich terminology and theology of Reformed/biblical teaching. But that didn't mean that others, apart from a seminary education, would catch on as quickly. As I would sit under OPC teaching/preaching on occasion in seminary, struggling to get what was being said, I knew that such teaching would be an immediate barrier to unbelievers and the young at faith. I attended a church, by contrast, where clear, Christ-centered preaching fed the flock and confronted the lost.
4) Personality. According to Sir Meiers-Briggs, I am an ENFP (extroverted, intuitive, feeling, perceptive). Most folks I knew in the OPC were decidedly not. They tended to be the exact opposite--introverted, sensory, thinking, judgmental. In the words of one beloved OPC elder/brother, everybody in his church was "either an engineer, computer scientist, lawyer, or named Dan." I not only felt out of place in such an environment, but I felt looked down upon for being my personalty type.
All that said, when the wife and I found it time to abandon the sinking EPC ship, we spent hours wrestling over various considerations (on a road trip, of course), and surprisingly, decided on the OPC. Why?
1) Purity of the Gospel. For all the drawbacks of the stereotypical OPC personality, these engineers-turned-theologians were hardcore about maintaining fidelity to the Scriptures and the confessions and hardcore about precision in how biblical truth is expressed. This precision scared me, as my personality lends itself to processing thoughts externally until a reach a final product, which gets me in trouble with precise people. That said, I knew I needed the accountability of such people to restrain the sinful excesses of my personality. In addition, my name had become mud amongst some in my previous denomination because I dared to say that I was indifferent to issues like baptism, women's ordination, and biblical authority.
The wifey and I decided that if there were issues to be fought in a denomination, we would rather them be fights of piety (the necessity of growing in grace, loving the body of Christ, sharing the Gospel and showing hospitality, etc.) than fights over essential doctrines of the faith and biblical authority.
2) Unity of the Church. For all that most Christians say about the need for the Church to be unified, most of them truly care little for Church unity. Non-denominational churches tend to be remote tribes that are entirely disconnected from other tribes, tongues, peoples, and languages and from ages past. I came to faith and matured in a wonderful EPC church, but odds are, if I randomly attended another EPC church, I would be lucky to hear the Gospel preached. Even in the PCA (which, like the EPC, will always occupy a precious place in my heart), there were heterodox movements that seemed to grow unabated.
The wifey and I both figured that the Pacific Northwest would be our mostly likely destination eventually, and while the OPC was growing and church-planting in the region, the PCA was wracked by the Federal Vision, with its Romanist view of salvation through baptism and maintenance of salvation by good works. If we attend a random OPC church, odds are that we will hear Christ and Christ crucified preached, even if the church is a bit socially awkward. :)
3) Accountability. This is more personal than substantive, but I needed accountability. My personality type tends toward the Pentecostal and the PCA is a much more natural fit for me. Yet, while my God-given strengths would shine (and be appreciated more) in the PCA, my vast array of weakness and the sin that so easily entangles me would not find the same level of confrontation.
As long as I am in the OPC (hopefully, the rest of my life), I will have people who will not hear a word said from the pulpit except the word that they find objectionable. Yet, even as their criticism hurts, they push me toward greater precision and fidelity with my treatment of God's Word. Folks will likewise always be suspicious of my extroverted tendencies, but like my wife, these more-introverted types will help reign in my oft-reckless speech. I need the OPC for my sanctification.
The first week the wifey and I attended an OPC after our switch over, it was scary. Home school families occupied entire pews (reminding me of Children of the Corn). Some women wore ankle-length dresses and skirts that I had rarely seen before. But within that first week, three families had us over for a meal--one of the pastors, a Reformed Baptist evangelist-type, and an Air Force officer and his spunky wife. We were different from most of our brothers and sisters, but we were loved.
Now we are part of a different OPC body, but many of the dynamics are the same. My personality doesn't automatically click with many of my brothers and sisters, but there are deeper bonds than that of affinity--those of family. It is sometimes hard to mobilize folks to get deep with one another and to share the Gospel with friends and family, but what a more worthwhile battle than having to shore up the basics of the Gospel! The church grows, and with it, more people comes who are like me (with similar strengths and weaknesses). And with the greater diversity, our church is made a more comfortable places for folks from all walks of life. The greater offense proves to be the Gospel, with its attending conviction of sin and comfort in Christ. And that is just the way it should be.
