Why Are The Reformed So Weird?

Are Reformed churches and their members a little on the odd side? Pastor Chris Gordon, Pastor Chad Vegas, and Dr. R. Scott Clark pull up a seat at the AGR table to explore why Reformers are sometimes seen as peculiar—and whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

They dive into the formal nature of Reformed worship, examining elements like liturgy, the reading of the Law, and the role of worship music—practices that can seem off-putting to outsiders. They look deeper into why doctrine matters so much and how the way we worship in song reflects our theology.

The discussion also unpacks why the Reformed tradition emphasizes feeding the flock with solid teaching—meat, not milk—and how this fuels the church’s mission. They explore the importance of making newcomers feel welcomed and informed while staying faithful to the historic convictions of the Reformed faith.

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - Cowboy Hats
01:30 - A Church Caught Off Guard
04:00 - Ministry In Prison
07:00 - Small In Numbers
08:00 - Elon Musk Is Weird
09:20 - Reformed Church Services Are Different
11:34 - The Homeschool Spectrum
14:15 - Quirkiness
15:15 - Christian Nationalism
17:30 - Singing Psalms
19:10 - Hierarchical Priorities
20:42 - 3 Types Of Reformers
22:30 - Necessary Oddity
26:00 - Pietous
28:20 - Doctrine, Doctrine, Doctrine
30:50 - Milk Not Meat
33:10 - The Objection Of Formalism
36:00 - Reforming A Church
37:50 - We Are Long-winded
40:00 - Us Vs. Them
42:00 - Music & Jumping The Shark
43:00 - An Organ Is a Band In A Box
45:10 - Why Is The Organ So Loud?
46:10 - The Piano & The Guitar
47:24 - The Pastor Is The Worship Committee
48:45 - Making The Songs Singable
49:37 - Carrie Underwood
50:47 - A Building Without A Band
52:30 - Nature & Grace
More:

Dr. R. Scott Clark is professor of church history and historical theology at Westminster Seminary California, and associate minister of Escondido United Reformed Church. Dr. Clark served as Academic Dean (1997–2000), and has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, and Concordia University, Irvine. He earned a B.A. at the University of Nebraska; M.Div. at Westminster Seminary California; and a D.Phil. at Oxford University. Dr. Scott has been a minister in the Reformed Church in the United States and is presently a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America. He has also served in congregations in Missouri and California. Dr. Scott is a prolific writer, editor and contributor (heidelblog.net), and is the author of many books including Recovering the Reformed Confessions.

Chad Vegas is the founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church. After completing his M.A. in Theology at Talbot, and being the high school pastor at RiverLakes Community Church, Chad was called to plant a church in Bakersfield. He is also the founding board chairman of Radius International, an organization that trains people to plant churches among unreached language groups. His passion is to know Christ and to make him known. He has been married to Teresa since 1994, and they have two children and one grandson.

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Website: https://bakersfieldchurch.org/leadership/
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Dr. Clark was educated at the University of Nebraska (BA), Westminster Seminary California (MDiv), and St Anne’s College, Oxford University (DPhil). He was ordained to the ministry in the Reformed Church in the United States in 1988, where he served for ten years. He has been a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America since 1998.

He has taught church history and historical theology at Westminster Seminary California since 1997, where he served as academic dean (1997–2001). He has also taught at Wheaton College (1995–97) as visiting professor, and has served as a visiting professor at Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson) and Concordia University Irvine.

x: @RScottClark

Chad Vegas is the founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church. After completing his M.A. in Theology at Talbot, and being the high school pastor at RiverLakes Community Church, Chad was called to plant a church in Bakersfield. He is also the founding board chairman of Radius International, an organization that trains people to plant churches among unreached language groups. His passion is to know Christ and to make him known. He has been married to Teresa since 1994, and they have two children and one grandson.

Church: bakersfieldchurch.org