Andrea Ferrari, pastor of a small congregation in Milan, Italy, has been installed as a missionary-paster in a Santee, CA United Reformed Church.

On Sunday, January 24, the members of Christ United Reformed Church (URC) in Santee witnessed the ordination and installation of a Minister of Word and Sacrament, and a small piece of church history in the making. Andrea Ferrari was installed as a missionary-pastor in the URCNA with the specific calling of establishing a federation of Reformed churches modeled after the URCNA.

Many have asked how the relationship between Rev. Ferrari and the URCNA came about. It all started in 2006 when Christ URC began supporting Alfa e Omega, a small group of translators who publish Reformed material into Italian. One of their translators is none other than CURC member Simonetta Carr.

Simonetta introduced me to Ferrari, who at the time was a confessional Reformed Baptist. In October 2006, he visited our church and gave a presentation to our congregation on the work of Alfa e Omega. Our Council began supporting A&O because of the worthy titles they publish, titles which have never before been in the Italian language. These include Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology, B.B. Warfield’s, Person and Work of Christ, and Calvin’s commentary on Genesis, just to name a few.

Since 2006, Rev. Ferrari has visited our congregation three times, on each occasion staying with my family in our home. In 2007 and 2008, Ferrari and I began to discuss ecclesiology and the nature of baptism. This was mainly provoked by his deep concern for the loose ecclesial structure in Reformed Baptist churches.

Experiencing firsthand the problems that can arise in a church when there is no Consistory, Classis, or Synod to hold the pastor and congregation accountable or to which they can turn for advice in disciplinary cases, Ferrari began to question seriously what kind of churches he hoped to see established in his native land. After much discussion and study of covenant theology and ecclesiology, Ferrari eventually came to a Reformed position on the doctrine of baptism.

In February 2009, while visiting Christ URC, Ferrari met with our Consistory and asked for advice concerning the establishment of a federation of Reformed churches in Italy, modeled after the URCNA. Explaining that no confessional Reformed or Presbyterian denominations exist in Italy, he asked for our help.

After making inquiries into the mission work of the OPC and PCA and determining that nothing solid regarding Italy exists in either of these communions (although two American missionaries affiliated with the PCA live in Italy, both of whom Ferrari knows and has a good relationship), our Consistory decided to send me to Milan to meet the congregation of Filadelfia Reformed Church and see the work firsthand in order to gather more information.

In June 2009, I traveled to Milan, Italy. I preached, taught, and enjoyed remarkable Christian fellowship with the saints there. Ferrari and I spent many hours in conversation and thinking through the various options and possibilities before us, as well as seeking wisdom from our Lord in prayer.
Upon my return from that trip, and after much prayer and discussion regarding this matter, our Consistory made the commitment to help Rev. Ferrari establish a federation of Reformed churches in Italy.

Throughout 2009, Ferrari has been working closely with two mature men in his congregation for the purpose of making a transition from a Baptist to a Reformed ecclesiology. This has included an in-depth study of the URCNA Church Order, which he translated into Italian. He has also introduced the congregation to Reformed covenant theology and is presently preaching through the Heidelberg Catechism in their evening services and teaching it to the children in Sunday school. Moreover, he has given each family a copy of the Heidelberg Catechism and URCNA Church Order.

This is indeed a great reason to rejoice, for there are no known churches in Italy which confess the Three Forms of Unity and function with a Reformed ecclesiology. The ecclesiastical landscape in Italy is primarily Roman Catholic and, after that, charismatic (mainly Assembly of God) and Brethren churches.

The remaining Waldensian Church in Italy has for a long time been very liberal, having merged with Methodist churches and joined the World Council of Churches. Ferrari and the church in Milan are very unique.

To put this in perspective, we might compare Italy to California. California has a population of less than 37,000,000 in a geographical area of nearly 164,000 square miles. Italy, on the other hand, has a population of almost 60,000,000 within an area of about 116,000 square miles. It is smaller than California in its geographical size, yet almost twice as large in population.

What is staggering, though, is that California possesses over 180 confessional Reformed or Presbyterian churches (as indicated in this map of NAPARC churches), but Italy has less than five. [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

Moreover, Milan itself is a city of some five million people. Its larger metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 7.4 million, making it the largest in Italy, and the fifth largest in the entire European Union. Obviously, the opportunities for evangelism, outreach, and growth are immense.

I might also add that, after visiting this congregation and living with the Ferrari family for a week, I can honestly say this is clearly a mature group of believers in extraordinary circumstances. They take seriously God’s Word and heartily desire to be faithful to it. The congregation is very hungry for the preaching of the gospel and sound Reformed teaching; one family even drives an hour to church from Switzerland every Sunday for worship. As well, their demonstration of Christian love and willingness to be inconvenienced for one another is unparalleled by any church I have seen in any country, including ours. It is clear to me and our Consistory that Rev. Ferrari has been a careful and faithful shepherd to this small flock of Christ’s sheep.

In light of the present situation in Milan and the spiritual needs of Italy, the Consistory of Christ URC and Classis Southwest of the URCNA wholeheartedly believe that the most conducive and beneficial option for the good of Christ’s Church was to ordain Ferrari as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. We recognized that this would allow for ecclesiastical oversight, accountability, and formal communion with a larger body of churches until the Reformed Churches in Italy are established.

Since Ferrari was first ordained as a minister in the Assemblies of God, then subsequently as a Reformed Baptist minister, his entrance into the URCNA was by colloquium doctum examination administered by Classis Southwest. The delegates determined that Ferrari’s credentials were in good order, as he possesses theological degrees from three institutions: a B.A. from the Assemblies of God Bible Institute in Italy (1992), a Masters of Philosophy from the University of Wales (2004), and another Masters degree (Dottore Magistrale) from the University of Milan (2007).

It is also worth noting that Ferrari has become recognized as a writer of both scholarly and pastoral work, having published numerous articles in theological journals and magazines, as well as a book, published by Reformation Heritage Books, on the doctrine of Scripture of John Diodati, an Italian delegate to the Synod of Dort.

Ferrari sustained his colloquium doctum on Tuesday, January 19. After his ordination and installation on Sunday, January 24, Rev. Ferrari is now an associate pastor of CURC with the specific calling of a missionary to the Filadelfia church in Milan and to establish a federation of Reformed Churches in Italy. In the near future, the Filadelfia Church will be reconstituted as a Reformed church with elders and deacons, confessing the Three Forms of Unity and using an Italian translation of the URCNA Church Order. Consistorial oversight of Pastor Ferrari is via technology as well as an annual visit to Milan by a member of the CURC Consistory. I am eagerly heading there in April.

It is with hearts desiring to be obedient to our Lord’s command to go and make disciples of all nations that our Consistory has taken up this mission work. We ask all Reformed and Presbyterian churches to pray for Rev. Ferrari and Italy. If you or church is interested in financially supporting this work (even in the smallest way), please contact me via email and I will put you in touch with our deacons.

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