From: Darrell128@aol.com Date: Sun, 6 Oct 1996 04:16:44 -0400 (EDT) NR #1996-104 New Denomination Born: Most Christian Reformed Seceders Organize as "United Reformed Churches of North America" Meeting in the Chicago suburb of Lynwood, Illinois, over a hundred delegates and observers convened on October 1 and 2 to organize a new denomination composed of most of those who have seceded from the Christian Reformd denomination in recent years over such issues as synodical tolerance of the ordination of women and theistic evolution, as well as calls - so far unsuccessful - for tolerance of gay marriage and addressing God as "Mother." The synod of the United Reformed Churches spent most of its time dealing with concerns related to church order matters, finally adopting almost without amendment the report of its church order study committee on matters pertaining to church order, guidelines for licensure, candidacy, ordination, and colloquium doctum examinations, and liturgical formularies. The synod also issued a letter of prayer and encouragement to the Interclassical Conference, a group representing over a hundred conservative Christian Reformed churches sharing the concerns of the United Reformed synod which last year warned of a possible future secession or less radical action unless Synod 1996 "repented" of Synod 1995's decision to allow the ordination of women ministers and elders. NR #1996-105 Membership Totals for Dutch Reformed Denominations in North America and the Netherlands NR #1996-104: For Immediate Release New Denomination Born: Most Christian Reformed Seceders Organize as "United Reformed Churches of North America" by Darrell Todd Maurina United Reformed News Service [Local reports contributed to this article] LYNWOOD, Ill. (October 4, 1996) URNS - "We don't want to build a federation on the foundation of the ashes of another; we have to move ahead." That was the message sent by the stated clerk of the "United Reformed Churches in North America" (URC), whose first synod met on October 1 and 2 in the Chicago suburb of Lynwood to organize a new denomination only days after Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church ordained Mary Antonides as the CRC's second woman minister. The new United Reformed Churches will include about two-thirds of those who have seceded from the CRC in recent years and have not already joined other denominations. The United Reformed synod attracted over a hundred delegates and observers from churches across the United States and Canada. All of the official delegates represented churches which had left the CRC in recent years over such issues as the ordination of women, homosexuality, theistic evolution, and addressing God as "Mother." While founded by churches which had cited different issues as their reasons for seceding from the CRC, the United Reformed stated clerk pointed to underlying theological concerns as the unifying reason for secession. "I'm sure there are many who would want to give precedence to one or another of these things," said Rev. Jerome Julien, URC stated clerk and pastor of Lynwood CRC (Independent). "I have always said from day one that our concern was first of all our approach to Scripture, and these other things will grow out of it." According to Julien, the new federation hopes to focus on future work, not Christian Reformed problems. "My view is we are moving ahead, we are not looking back," said Julien. "I do not want to be guilty of saying 'we are not this and we were that and how bad that was.'" The CRC has lost nearly 25,000 members in the last four years, dropping from a high point of 316,415 members in 1992 to 291,796 members in 1996 for a total loss of 7.8% of its 1992 peak membership. At least eighteen thousand of those members have joined secession churches opposed to the ordination of women. In addition to the main secession movement represented by the 8343-member United Reformed Churches and the 4804 members of independent churches loosely connected in the Alliance of Reformed Churches, the CRC lost its second-largest church, Los Angeles Korean CRC, and over forty percent of the denomination's Korean membership to the Christian Presbyterian Church, organized in 1993 with 5659 members, 3339 of whom were formerly members of the CRC. Other Christian Reformed members have seceded to begin the 1100-member Federation of Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches. Still other sizeable groups of members and in some cases entire churches have joined pre-existing denominations such as the 22,000-member Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the 260,000-member Presbyterian Church in America, the 6300-member Protestant Reformed Churches, and the 14,000-member Canadian Reformed Churches. While the CRC has so far maintained its official position opposing feminine language for God and homosexual practice in the face of challenges from advocates of gay marriages and addressing God as "Mother," the denomination closed a long-running conflict over evolution in 1991 by refusing to discipline Calvin College professor Dr. Howard Van Till despite his advocacy of theistic evolution. This past June, Synod 1996 probably closed the door on 26 years of debate over women in office by declaring three women candidates for ordination. Two of the three, Revs. Ruth Hofman and Mary Antonides, have already been ordained by First Toronto CRC and Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids; Classis Northern Michigan denied ordination to Mary-Lee Bouma on the basis of her gender. Bouma's church, Trinity CRC in Mt. Pleasant, is seeking to transfer to another classis which would be willing to ordain her. Nobody is likely to be ordaining women in the new United Reformed Churches anytime soon. The new denominational church order explicitly states that only male members of the churches are eligible for ordination as elders or deacons, thus prohibiting not only the ordination of women ministers and elders but also rescinding twelve years of permission granted by the Christian Reformed synod for local churches to ordain women deacons. While the church order's prohibition on the ordination of women generated little debate at the first URC synod, other provisions in the church order generated significant debate. Various items in the church order led to eight overtures calling for a variety of changes. Only one substantive change was adopted, however: the new church order will state that that covenant children should be baptized "as soon as feasible" instead of "as soon as possible." While not formally amended, two articles of the church order were held in abeyance until the 1997 synod: Article 65's specification that church order changes required two-thirds vote of one synod and ratification by two-thirds of the consistories at the next synodical meeting before taking effect, and Article 8's specification that ministers ordained in churches outside the federation must submit to a classical examination prior to admission. "The idea was to allow for a year of charter membership for those who would still be interested in coming," said Julien. That option of charter membership is likely to be taken up by a number of churches that are currently independent or members of other denominations. Nine such churches sent official observers to the URC synod: two churches currently affiliated with the Christian Reformed denomination that are actively seeking to join another group and seven independent Reformed churches which have seceded from the CRC in recent years but have not yet made decisions on denominational affiliation. Other issues were more controversial, among them being provisions specifying that all churches would be required to use the liturgical formularies for baptism, administration of the Lord's Supper, profession of faith, ordination, marriage, excommunication, and readmission to church membership. The synod adopted a recommendation from its church order study committee that it "adopt the liturgical forms printed in the [Christian Reformed] Psalter Hymnal, Centennial Edition (1976) for use among the churches." According to Rev. Steve Arrick, pastor of the largest United Reformed congregation, the 620-member Cornerstone Church in the Grand Rapids suburb of Hudsonville, Michigan, some delegates "felt that one of the baptismal forms lent itself to presumptuous regeneration and even mechanical regeneration by baptism." The baptismal form was adopted by the synod after charges of presumptive regeneration were rebutted by representatives of the church order study committee. "The other one was the marriage form, because most of us in the States don't use the marriage form in a slavish fashion," said Arrick. "I don't know how practical it would be to implement that, because people come saying they want to get married and they already have everything worked out and written down, except the meditation and the opening. They have not always used the Psalter Hymnal, so that might be difficult to enforce immediately." Arrick's church has had significant internal debate over joining the new synod and didn't finally decide to join the federation until only days before the synod convened. However, Arrick didn't foresee problems as long as the new synod didn't attempt to enforce liturgical compliance. "It was understood I think that we would use that form, but it would be left to our own discretion as to whether these would be substantive amendments or just changes in moving things around a little bit," said Arrick. "I think there was an understanding that we realize that is not going to be something we can go back to our churches and say this is the only form we can look at, we're going to have to look at that gradually." Arrick, who started Cornerstone Church with 191 members in 1987 and has more than tripled its membership despite sending over a hundred of its members to a new church plant in Jenison, said he hoped the new federation could focus on evangelism in the future. "Planting a church is not a simple matter, it's a very complicated process, and you need a tremendous support system to get this off the ground," said Arrick. "I'm not saying the days are over for churches planting churches, that certainly is not true, but it certainly helps when we have others. I envision that we can look over a map, say here is a growing area in Michigan, there is no Reformed witness, and we can look at planting a church there." "In the area of missions, evangelism, and youth ministries we need to be aggressive and progressive," said Arrick. "We can't just borrow the programs of the past and hope they work today, but I'm sure these things will come gradually as things are taken care of in classes and churches reflect together on the meeting." Not all of the churches which have seceded from the CRC are interested in joining the new synod. So far, the two largest churches in the Alliance of Reformed Churches have declined to join, and the former pastors of both churches have given strong speeches against the new synod. That didn't keep the largest CRC secession church from sending official observers, however. Rev. Paul Murphy, pastor of the 668-member Dutton Independent Reformed Church in the Grand Rapids suburbs, said he was pleased by the degree of unanimity and the smoothness of the proceeding of the new synod - even though much of that unanimity was gained at the cost of losing a sizeable minority including his church. "Basically we're not going to join something we didn't know what it would look like," said Murphy. However, Murphy said some things he saw as an observer pleased him. "I was glad to see a desire and expression for true Reformed ecumenicity present in the assembly, both on the side of the federation and the fraternal delegates represented there," said Murphy, noting the presence of fraternal delegates from both the Canadian Reformed Churches and the Reformed Church in the United States. While noting that his consistory had not yet had time to review the church order, Murphy said he was pleased by at least some of what he saw in the new church order. "I think there are significant changes from the CRC church order," said Murphy. "I think the statements about property being in the name of the local church, that a classis cannot depose a consistory, and that a church may withdraw voluntarily from the federation are major, significant, and positive changes." Other procedural decisions made by the new United Reformed synod include dividing the member churches into three classes: Classis West, consisting of all nine churches in the Western Regional Fellowship in British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba; Classis East, consisting of 13 of the 15 churches in the Ontario Regional Fellowship, and Classis Midwest, consisting of all 14 federated churches in the United States. The Lake Michigan Regional Fellowship currently has ten churches which do not wish to federate over against six federated churches and two pro-federation churches which have withdrawn, and will therefore have a continued existence apart from the new synod. The synod designated Trinity Reformed Church in Lethbridge, Alberta, and the Independent Christian Reformed Church of London, Ontario, both of which had already been designated as convening churches for their regional fellowships, as convening churches for Classis West and Classis East. The Free Christian Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan was designated as convening church to hold the first meeting of Classis Midwest. Despite a church order provision specifying that synods need to meet only once every three years, the United Reformed synod scheduled its next meeting to be held from October 21 to 23, 1997, at Trinity Orthodox Reformed Church of St. Catharines in the Canadian province of Ontario. "At least in the beginning, there are church order things that have to be dealt with," said Julien. "If they want changes the churches are to communicate their overtures. Thus, of course, we will have to be meeting. I think ultimately it will get down to a three-year business, but you could have synods six times in three years if you had to." Synod also elected Julien, who has served since 1992 as stated clerk of the Alliance of Reformed Churches, to serve a three-year term as stated clerk of the new synod. Two other decisions made by the United Reformed synod may have significant future effect. By majority votes, the synod voted to apply for membership in the International Council of Reformed Churches and to send a letter of support and encouragement to the Interclassical Conference, a group representing over a hundred Christian Reformed churches dissenting from the denomination's decision to ordain women. Last year's meeting in the Chicago suburb of South Holland gathered approximately 300 delegates and individuals and issued a warning call that the next meeting, scheduled to meet next month at First CRC in South Holland on November 7 and 8, would consider the option of secession as well as less radical steps if the Christian Reformed synod did not reject women's ordination. Rev. Richard Blauw, pastor of First South Holland CRC, observed part of the United Reformed synodical meeting and monitored its proceedings through other observers. "I think the formation of a new denomination and the approval of a church order is a step in the right direction," said Blauw. "I would agree with my colleague Dr. [Cornel] Venema that we are probably by history and temperament more closely allied to this new denomination than we are to probably anyone else at this point," said Blauw, citing one of the professors at the conservative Mid-America Reformed Seminary who is still a member of the CRC and attends Blauw's church. "As the circles would get bigger you'd probably have to think in terms of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Church in the United States, the Presbyterian Church in America, but in terms of our history I think we're probably much more attuned and aligned with those who have recently left the CRC." Does that mean that conservatives still in the CRC will join the new United Reformed synod? "That is the $64,000 question," laughed Blauw. "I detect among conservatives a certain level of frustration with the CRC, but what will happen in the future I frankly am not a good prognosticator." Cross-References to Related Articles: #1993-051: To Federate or Not to Federate: Question for CRC Seceders; 1993 Alliance of Reformed Churches to Meet in Illinois November 16-18 #1993-053: Alliance of Reformed Churches Recognizes "Need" for Christian Reformed Seceders to Federate in New Denomination; Record Attendance at Alliance: 59 Churches send 130 Voting Delegates; 10 Send Observers; Federation: A Small Step with Potentially Big Implications; Alliance Encourages Creation of Regional Fellowships; Binding the Broader Reformed Community Together; Presbyterian Denomination Requests Inclusion in ARC; Inclusion of Westminster Confession Tabled; Alliance Strengthens Procedures for Ordination Examinations; Church Order Issues to be Reviewed by Committee; List of Churches Sending Delegates to Alliance #1994-057: Alliance of Reformed Churches to Headline Questions on Whether to Form a New Denominational Federation, Debate on Adoption of Westminster Standards #1994-058: NAPARC Admits New Denomination; Thanks God for Christian Reformed Decision Against Ordaining Women; Rev. Myung Doh Kim Becomes First Korean Chairman of North American Prebyterian and Reformed Council; Reformed Church in the United States Admitted Amidst Strong Criticism of Alliance of Reformed Churches #1994-060: Alliance of Reformed Churches Adopts Westminster Standards; Seceding Christian Reformed Congregations Move to Convene New Federation; Church Order Committee Avoids Explosion Over Federation Question; Sharply Divided Committee Reaches Unanimous Compromise on Inclusion of Westminster Standards in Alliance Purpose Statement; Independent Churches Decide to Federate Apart from Alliance; Unauthorized Letter to 600 PCA Churches and Leaders Prompts Protests in Presbyterian Church in America and Alliance of Reformed Churches; Alliance Declines Offer of Dordt College Board Position; Confessional Conference on Ecclesiology Scrapped for 1995; Other Matters: Yearbook Problems, Reading Sermons Proposal Rejected, Proposals on Ministerial Training, Revenue Canada, Contact Committee with CRC, Equalizing Travel Costs Voted Down, Alliance Stays in Chicago for 1995 Meeting, Julien Re-Elected Stated Clerk, P.Y. DeJong Addresses Alliance #1995-010: Lester De Koster Blasts Alliance of Reformed Churches for Synodocratic Tendencies #1995-015 Lake Michigan Regional Fellowship Holds Fifth Meeting; Discusses State of Alliance of Reformed Churches #1995-017 Alliance of Reformed Churches Continues Dramatic Growth #1995-029: Lynwood Cancels Federation Conference of Independent Congregations in Alliance of Reformed Churches #1995-104: Alliance of Reformed Churches: New Federation on the Way? #1995-107: Trumpeting, Families, and Federating Headline Michigander Meeting of Independent Reformed Churches #1995-110: Former Christian Reformed Congregations Federate to Form "Fellowship of Uniting Reformed Churches" #1995-111: Alliance Minority Declines to Join Federation; Meeting Convened by Interim Committee Chair Gathers Fifteen Percent of Delegates to Continue as Alliance of Reformed Churches #1996-097: Alliance of Reformed Churches Leaders Meet to Plan Future #1996-105: Membership Totals for Dutch Reformed Denominations in North America and the Netherlands Contact List: Rev. Steve Arrick, Pastor, Cornerstone Church 6442 - 36th Ave., Hudsonville, MI 49426 O: (616) 669-2190 * H: (616) 669-3457 * FAX: (616) 669-4321 Rev. Richard Blauw, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church 16304 South Park Ave., South Holland, IL 60473 O: (708) 333-8211 * H: (708) 225-1431 * FAX: (708) 333-6722 Rev. Jerome Julien, Stated Clerk, United Reformed Churches of North America 3646 - 193rd Pl., Lansing, IL 60438 H/O: (708) 418-5321 Rev. Kdward J. Knott, Chairman, Synod 1996 of the United Reformed Churches 2759 Porter St. SW, Wyoming, MI 49509 H: (616) 534-4683 Rev. Paul Murphy, Pastor, Dutton Independent Reformed Church 6940 Hanna Lake Rd., Caledonia, MI 49316 O: (616) 698-7467 Rev. Ralph Pontier, Vice-Chairman, Synod 1996 of the United Reformed Churches 4608 Jackson Ave., Orange City, IA 51041-7446 O: (712) 737-4901 * FAX: (712) 737-3350 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-104.txt .