NR #1995-044: For Immediate Release Reformed Church in America Overtured to Consider Merger with Christian Reformed Church by Year 2000 by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (May 26, 1995) URNS - This year's General Synod of the Reformed Church in America will consider whether to begin steps toward merger with the Christian Reformed denomination by the year 2000. If the overture is adopted by the RCA's highest legislative and judicial body, meeting this year from June 10 to June 16 on the campus of Ramapo College in Matwah, New Jersey, it will take the first step toward ending a split between the two largest Dutch Reformed denominations dating back to 1857. An overture from the RCA's Classis of North Grand Rapids cites three grounds in asking the General Synod "to effect full programmatic and organizational union with the Christian Reformed Church in North America by the June 2000:" 1. The RCA and the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) share a common tradition, a complementary history, and a collateral mission. 2. There are no present-day insurmountable barriers to complete merger. 3. The time has come and is perhaps long past when the will of God needs to be heeded to heal a rift that never should have happened. In an attachment to the third ground, the RCA classis notes that the five reasons given for the 1857 secession by four West Michigan congregations to begin what later became the Christian Reformed Church were the use of hymns, open communion inviting people of all religious views except Roman Catholics to the Lord's Table, neglect of preaching from and instruction in the Heidelberg Catechism, neglect of home visitation by the elders, and the opinion of some in the RCA that the 1834 Secession from the RCA's mother church in the Netherlands was unnecessary. "None of the reasons stated above for secession are doctrinal in nature. All the above reasons have lost their cogency," wrote the classis, which also noted that "differences between individual RCA congregations and individual CRC congregations are presently wider and sometimes of a more serious nature than differences existing between the two denominations." The Classis of North Grand Rapids also noted that the CRC and RCA have maintained ecclesiastical fellowship since 1976 and that the CRC's ecumenical charter mandates it to attach first priority to seeking fellowship with other Reformed denominations "as determined not only by their formal standards, but also by actual practice." CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard was caught off-guard by the overture. "When I read it over, having heard of it for the first time from you yesterday, it did surprise me that there has been no contact with our interchurch relations committee," said Engelhard. Nevertheless, Engelhard welcomed the overture. "I do think that the Lord's high priestly prayer begins with the oneness of the church," said Engelhard. "I am not initially wary of talking about such things; I would welcome the discussion and time to talk freely about the positives and negatives of such a move." The Christian Reformed denomination currently has 294,179 members. The Reformed Church in America has 323,255 members, 44,478 of whom are on "inactive communicant member" status, a category not included in Christian Reformed denominational reports. Cross-References to Related Articles: [No related articles on file] Contact List: Rev. Richard Bates, President, Classis of North Grand Rapids (RCA) 1465 - 3 Mile Rd. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 * O: (616) 784-4060 Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 * O: (616) 246-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 246-0834 Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 * O: (212) 870-2841 News Office, Reformed Church in America (Tim Baker) 4500 - 60th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512 * O: (616) 698-4951, 698-7071 E. Wayne Antworth, Director, RCA Stewardship & Communication Services 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 * O: (212) 870-2954 * FAX: (212) 870-2499 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-044.txt .