From: Darrell128@aol.com Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 11:52:33 EDT Subject: NR 98087: Light Agenda of Alliance of Reformed Churches Focuses on Missions, Interchurch Issues NR #1998-087: Light Agenda of Alliance of Reformed Churches Focuses on Missions, Interchurch Issues When the Alliance of Reformed Churches convenes at Messiah's Independent Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan on October 15 and 16, it will have no overtures before it but expects a light agenda focusing on the reports of its missions committee proposing adoption of a mission field in Mexico and a special conference on "Six Day Creation." The Alliance of Reformed Churches, once the main umbrella body for conservative churches in the Christian Reformed Church and later the primary organization of churches that had left the CRC, now serves as an umbrella group mostly composed of those churches that didn't want to join the United Reformed Churches in North America after its 1995 decision to federate. NR #1998-087: For Immediate Release: Light Agenda of Alliance of Reformed Churches Focuses on Missions, Interchurch Issues by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service HOLLAND, MICH. (September 10, 1998) URNS - When the Alliance of Reformed Churches convenes at Messiah's Independent Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan on October 15 and 16, it will have no overtures before it but expects a light agenda focusing on the reports of its missions committee and a special conference on "Six Day Creation." The Alliance of Reformed Churches, once the main umbrella body for conservative churches in the Christian Reformed Church and later the primary organization of churches that had left the CRC, now serves as an loose association mostly composed of those churches that didn't want to join the United Reformed Churches in North America after its 1995 decision to federate. Elder Pete Elzinga, ARC missions committee chairman and former interim committee chairman, said he expected a report on missions to be one of the key items on the agenda. The ARC missions committee is supporting a proposal by retired Mid-America Reformed Seminary professor Dr. P.Y. DeJong in Beecher, Illinois, and Juan Calvino Theological Seminary professor Dr. John P. Roberts in Mexico City to divide the Mexican mission field among conservative Reformed denominations and fellowships in the United States. The proposal would assign different regions in Mexico to nine denominations and denominational fellowships in the United States. The proposal recommends that the ARC adopt the west central coast of Mexico, focusing on the Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, and Aguascalientes whose chief cities consist of Tepic, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, and Colima. "I would say that the impression I'm getting is that the Alliance will be cooperating with the 'Vision for Mexico' proposal, in particular because the Alliance has been assigned the area in which Rev. Bout has been working in Tepic, which a number of our churches are supporting," said Elzinga, referring to Rev. Harry Bout. Bout, formerly pastor of the Orthodox Christian Reformed Church (Independent) of Toronto, has been called by Messiah's Independent Reformed Church of Holland to work as a missionary in the city of Tepic. A number of members of the two Holland independent Reformed churches as well as of the Toronto church have visited various Mexican cities in recent years to assist in local mission work. If the ARC adopts the "Vision for Mexico" plan, it would have a goal of working with the Independent Presbyterian Church of Mexico to establish a new "West Central-Coast Presbytery" and develop a presbyterial Bible school. The "Vision for Mexico" plan noted that a Presbyterian missionary under Wycliffe had once begun churches in the area that are now disorganized and often led by Pentecostals or Baptists. The other major formal item on the agenda is receipt of a "Report on the Creation Days." "Our purpose in this discussion was to attempt to sort out and put to rest any disagreements within the confessionally Reformed community of churches so that both theological and confessional unity may be achieved," wrote the committee. "In particular, we were to address any significant challenges to the traditional six literal 24-hour day position with the intention of noting the major arguments against this position and the appropriate biblical response to them." The core committee members consisted of Rev. Ken Anema of Messiah's IRC of Holland, Elder Bruce DeVisser of the Toronto OCRC (Ind.), Rev. Geoffrey Donnan of Reformation Christian Ministries, Rev. Steve McGee of Wayland (MI) IRC, and Rev. Paul Murphy of Dutton (MI) IRC. The ARC appointed Elzinga, Elder Rick Poll of Dutton IRC, and Rev. Steve Schlissel of Messiah's Congregation of Brooklyn, New York. Other participants in the committee discussion include Dr. John Byl of Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C.; Dr. Jeffrey Boer and Elder Raul Montes of Sharon Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hialeah, Florida; Rev. Christian Adjemian of Ottawa Theological Hall in Ontario; Dr. Joseph Pipa, president of Greenville Theological Seminary in South Carolina, and retired OPC minister Rev. G.I. Williamson. Partly because of the interdenominational nature of recent ARC work, Elzinga said he expects to have at least some Presbyterians attending the upcoming ARC meeting. "I would say we are generally going to have good discussion on the mission issue, and the expansion possibly by adding some Presbyterian churches," said Elzinga. "The fact that we opened it up so denominations can have membership in the Alliance has prompted some interest among Presbyterians, particularly some of the smaller bodies." 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 #1994-060: 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 #1995-110: 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 #1996-119: Alliance of Reformed Churches Reaffirms Continued Existence; Plans Study of Church Polity Questions and Concerns Contact List: Elder Pete Elzinga, Chairman, Alliance of Reformed Churches Mission Committee 10532 Paw Paw Dr., Holland, MI 49424 H: (616) 772-2918 Elder Peter Yonker, Stated Clerk, Alliance of Reformed Churches 3984 North 168th Ave., Holland, MI 49423 O: (616) 396-4618 * H: (616) 396-2532 * F: (616) 396-1092 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive98: nr98-087.txt .