Together in Christ: Our Place in BPCIS

Grace B-P Contributor
16 hours ago
3 min read

By Rev. Tan Eng Boo

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when

brothers dwell in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Bible- Presbyterian (B-P) Church Synod meeting on 30 October 1988 Life Bible-Presbyterian Church.

The photograph accompanying this article was taken at the last Bible- Presbyterian (B-P) Church Synod meeting on 30 October 1988 Life Bible-Presbyterian Church.

Following that meeting, the Bible-Presbyterian Church Synod was dissolved. At that time, there were 16 B-P churches. Sadly, the dissolution resulted in the churches going their separate ways.

The late Dr Bobby Sng, who served as Graduate’s Christian Fellowship (GCF) Graduate Secretary and was an avid historian, described this as “one of the saddest episodes in the 80s” – in his book about the history of the Church in Singapore (In His Good Time, Third Edition, p. 312). The dissolution eventually led to the formation of several groups: the Tows, the Queks, the mountain churches, a loose fellowship of three or four churches, and individual churches which chose to remain independent.

It was a difficult period, and I personally had to consider carefully which group to be aligned with. Yet, through all those years, the Lord graciously sustained Grace Church. We were able to maintain fellowship and work with Christians from different groups. We thank God for His grace and faithfulness to us throughout those years, until we joined the current Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore (BPCIS) Presbytery in 2021.

A New Beginning

The Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore (BPCIS) Presbytery was established in October 2011. I remember attending a consultation meeting at Mount Carmel in 2010 to discuss the possibility of forming a new presbytery. I was encouraged and excited by the prospect. According to Rev. Daniel Chua, there were “46 pastor and elders from 15 Bible-Presbyterian churches” (Heritage and Legacy of the Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore, p. 494). Almost all the B-P Church pastors were present, save for the “King James Only” churches and a few others.

When BPCIS Presbytery was launched in 2011 with four B-P churches, the churches held their first leaders’ retreat. I decided that Grace Church would participate as an observer church. We remained an observer for 10 years.

During those 10 years, I deliberately watched and waited. I wanted to understand the direction and spirit of this new presbytery before making a commitment. I did not want to enter into another arrangement that might lead to a repeat of the difficulties experienced in the past.

Regarding the past, it may be best to leave it where it belongs. Let the past rest. God is the righteous Judge:

“And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.” (Psalm 9:8 KJV)

There is no need for us to reopen old wounds. We can learn from history without allowing history to divide us.

Grace Church Joins BPCIS

Fast forward to 2026. This year marks the 15^th anniversary of the BPCIS Presbytery, and Grace Church has now been part of the Presbytery for five years.

I am thankful to the Lord for leading Grace Church to join the BPCIS Presbytery. My prayer has been answered. During the 10 years that we participated as an observer church, I saw genuine efforts being made to bring the B-P churches together. I also saw a spirit of mutual help and fellowship developing among the churches.

What encouraged me was that there was no sense that one church was superior to another. Pastors could communicate and fellowship with one another. Churches could share their resources, experiences, and gifts. In many ways, this spirit of cooperation has been a blessing.

We must remember that no single church has everything it needs. We need one another. One church may have greater experience in one area, while another may have strengths in other areas. When churches are willing to share and serve one another, the work of Christ is strengthened.