NR #1995-089: Classis Pacific Northwest Makes Christian Reformed History by Declaring Word "Male" Inoperative By a margin of only one vote, Classis Pacific Northwest became the first classis in the Christian Reformed denomination to declare the word "male" in Church Order Article 3a to be "inoperative." The 26 to 25 vote on September 13 put Classis Pacific Northwest out in front of other classes such as Grand Rapids East, Toronto, Lake Erie, Hackensack, and Holland, each of which declared the word "male" inoperative over the next four weeks. Although Pacific Northwest became the first to exercise the option granted to it by Synod 1995, it was the only one of six classes to do so without a prior history of taking public positions on the women in office issue. While the classis meetings were scheduled far in advance of Synod 1995's decision allowing classes to declare two parts of the church order inoperative, Pacific Northwest's decision still came as a surprise since the classis had rejected all overtures submitted to it from both proponents and opponents of women in office since Synod 1990 initially proposed that women be allowed to serve as ministers, elders, and evangelists. NR #1995-089: For Immediate Release Classis Pacific Northwest Makes Christian Reformed History by Declaring Word "Male" Inoperative by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service (October 14, 1995) URNS - By a margin of only one vote, Classis Pacific Northwest became the first classis in the Christian Reformed denomination to declare the word "male" in Church Order Article 3a to be "inoperative." "I guess, tongue in check, we've made history," said Rev. James Wiersum of First CRC in Everett, Washington. Wiersum correctly noted that the 26 to 25 vote on September 13 put Classis Pacific Northwest out in front of other classes such as Grand Rapids East, Toronto, Lake Erie, Hackensack, and Holland, each of which declared the word "male" inoperative over the next four weeks. Although Pacific Northwest became the first to exercise the option granted to it by Synod 1995, it was the only one of six classes to do so without a prior history of taking public positions on the women in office issue. While the classis meetings were scheduled far in advance of Synod 1995's decision allowing classes to declare two parts of the church order inoperative, Pacific Northwest's decision still came as a surprise since the classis had rejected all overtures submitted to it from both proponents and opponents of women in office since Synod 1990 initially proposed that women be allowed to serve as ministers, elders, and evangelists. The Pacific Northwest decision followed an unusual route, partly due to its reception of three mutually conflicting overtures from member churches. One from First CRC of Mt. Vernon, WA, asked classis to overture synod to revise its 1995 decision and return to the 1994 prohibition of women in office. Another from Bellevue (WA) CRC asked classis to appoint a committee to study local needs and bring recommendations back to the next meeting of classis. A third from Mill Creek (WA) Community CRC asked classis to begin the process of examining its unordained associate pastor, Fuller Seminary graduate Eleanor Rietkerk, with the intent of ordaining her through Church Order Article 7, a process normally used for ordaining persons who have not graduated from seminary. Two days prior to classis, a committee of preadvice met and produced a report which went beyond the overtures of any of the three churches: that classis declare the word male inoperative on five grounds, including that "the request of Mill Creek CRC demonstrates that local needs and circumstances exist within our classis to declare the word 'male' in Article 3a inoperative," that "each congregation of classis should seek to respect the consciences of other congregations on the matter of the ordination of women," and that "committed Christians within our denomination are found on both sides of this issue." "More dispute over this issue is not going to bring a resolution," said the preadvisory committee. "It is time to get on with the commission of our Lord." The preadvisory committee recommendations on women in office passed after a motion to table the report of the preadvisory committee failed by a tie vote. According to the reporter for the preadvisory committee, the classical decision came about largely due to local needs within the Mill Creek church. "I think that one of the things that makes a difference is the fact that our discussion about the issue was centered around a specific example," said Rev. Thomas Haan, committee reporter and pastor of Second CRC in Lynden, WA. "We weren't talking about the issue in theology, we were talking about the specific request of a congregation that wanted to ordain a women staff person. That makes the discussion much more relevant and practical instead of just some theoretical conversation." "If you heard me speaking at classis, you would not have been able to determine my views on this issue," said Haan. "What was at issue was the acceptance that Synod has recognized two different positions on this issue. That was key to our discussion: 'Do you accept that premise of synod?'" Haan called attention to the second and third points of the preadvisory committee report, also adopted by classis, stating that "a congregation that ordains a woman to the office of elder, minister, or evangelist shall not delegate a woman to the meetings of classis" and that "ordained women ministers and evangelists will not be asked to participate in the rotation of classical pulpit supply." "Our preadvice committee wanted to make sure that we respected the consciences of people on both sides," said Haan. "That seemed to us to flow from synod's intent since synod said classes may not send women to synod. On the one hand there are people who are saying 'I can be an ordained officer but why can't I come to classis?' On the other hand there are people who would be offended if they are present." As Haan noted, not everyone in classis was pleased by the decision to declare the word "male" inoperative. "One of the basic problems I see with the way the synod and the classes operate is they shoot themselves in the foot by not following parliamentary procedure," said Rev. James Wiersum. "To say we don't need parliamentary procedure is to say we don't believe in the doctrine of sin. That's not very Reformed at all." Wiersum particularly objected to the fact that the motion to declare a part of the church order "inoperative" passed by a bare majority of a single vote. "If you look at the history of parliamentary procedure, it is standard that when you change your constitution you go to a two-thirds vote because you're dealing with the very foundation of the organization," noted Wiersum. "If we had two-thirds of our people advocating women in office we would not have a problem. Now it's going to be church against church, year after year. It could even divide my church." "It bothers me that synod has allowed the wars to go from synod to the local church itself, and I don't think its helpful at all," said Wiersum. Although the classical interim committee has been instructed by classis to "report back to the March 1996 meeting as to the procedure and timetable for [Eleanor Rietkerk's] examination," the debate in Pacific Northwest is not by any means finished. Even with regard to the special need for ministers from ethnic minority groups, Synod 1987 voted "to instruct classes not to use Church Order Article 7 for seminary graduates who wish to enter the ministry of the CRC" and to "call the attention of the classes and synodical deputies to the above declarations relating to the admission of persons to the ministry of the CRC." Rev. Dan Kruis of Anchorage CRC in Alaska - whose church has in the past had its overtures on women in office rejected by classis - noted that if Eleanor Rietkerk is ordained under Article 7 there will be no reason conservative classes could not ordain graduates of other seminaries who do not want to follow the denominational rule requiring them to spend a year at Calvin Seminary and be examined for candidacy by the Calvin faculty, board of trustees, and synod. "I feel substantial change should actually have a larger consensus in any issue so fundamentally divisive or difficult for some people to handle," said Kruis. "The issue of the year of penance is probably opposed more strongly by those who want change in women in office than those who want to maintain the current position." While Kruis did not want to predict what action classis might take, he indicated that some in classis opposed to women in office might favor a process that would open the door for opponents of women in office to be ordained without attending Calvin Seminary. "I favor not having the year of penance so on that score I would support anyone who is being examined," said Kruis. Haan agreed that the issue of ordaining a female seminary graduate under a Church Order Article 7 is not settled. "Basically what classis said is that the interim committee needs to investigate all of those issues and report back to classis on how we should proceed; that was not the mandate of our preadvice committee so we did not check into those issues," said Haan. However, Haan was optimistic that classis would approve a process which did not require Rietkerk to leave her family to attend seminary in Grand Rapids. "Article 7 has been probably stretched and pulled here and there," said Haan. "Classes will tend to do what they feel is best, that all has to be approved of course by synodical deputies, if they go along with it, I guess that's okay." Cross-References to Related Articles: #1995-087: Most Christian Reformed Classes Decline Synodical Option to End Prohibition on Women in Office #1995-088: List of Classis Decisions on Women in Office [See related article list at crossreferences] Contact List: Rev. Harvey Brink, Pastor, Bellevue Christian Reformed Church 1221 - 148th Ave. NE, Bellevue, WA 98007 * (206) 747-5288 Rev. Michael Kooy, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church 1930 S. Walter, Mt. Vernon, WA 98273 * O: (360) 336-3503 * H: (360) 336-3503 Rev. Thomas Haan, Pastor, Second Christian Reformed Church 8555 Bender Rd., Lynden, WA 98264 * O: (206) 354-3961 * H: (206) 354-5243 Rev. Daniel J. Kruis, Pastor, Trinity Christian Reformed Church 3000 E. 16th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99508 * O: (907) 272-8431 * H: (907) 344-9654 * FAX: (907) 272-8432 Mrs. Eleanor Rietkerk, Ministry Staff, Mill Creek Community Christian Reformed Church 16300 Mill Creek Blvd. #119-B, Mill Creek, WA 98012 * H: (206) 363-6174 Rev. Ken Rip, Pastor, Mill Creek Community Christian Reformed Church 315 - 216th St. SE, Bothell, WA 98021 * O: (206) 745-2094 * O: (206) 483-9479 Rev. James Wiersum, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church 1415 Mc Dougall Ave., Everett, WA 98201 * O: (206) 252-9392 * H: (206) 258-6893 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-089.txt .