Cranford Alliance Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Tom Rice (Senior Pastor, since 2011)

Founded Unknown

Denomination Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA)

Service Times See website

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website cranfordalliance.org

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

CMA denomination affirms Trinitarian orthodoxy and Christ's deity.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

CMA Statement of Faith affirms Scripture's inspiration and authority.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

No men's ministry visible on fetched homepage.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

CMA holds to evangelical sola fide; local restatement not in fetch.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

CMA nationally permits female consecrated pastors since 2024 vote; /what-we-believe 404s; local Cranford stance not published — verify directly. Keep yellow.

CMA nationally now permits female pastors post-2024 General Council; local Cranford stance unverified

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Rev. Tom Rice leads since 2011; 'staff and leaders' referenced but no elder roster displayed.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Sermons described only as 'powerful and inspiring' — style not identified.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

CMA is historically missions-focused; local mission emphasis not displayed.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Site uses 'open to people of all ages and backgrounds' language without DEI/CRT framing.

Caution

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Christian and Missionary Alliance — post-2024 denominational drift on female pastors; yellow flag on denominational accountability.

Caution

Assessment

Cranford Alliance Church is a Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) congregation led by Rev. Tom Rice since 2011. CMA holds to evangelical doctrine, Great Commission focus, and generally complementarian leadership (though CMA has debated women in eldership). Strong alignment overall.

#cma#alliance#cranford#evangelical#northern-nj

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

CMA shift on women in ministry (2024 national vote) means local stance must be verified. /what-we-believe page returned 404.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source cranfordalliance.org

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.