November 27, 1995 * Contents: NR #1995-110: Former Christian Reformed Congregations Federate to Form "Fellowship of Uniting Reformed Churches" Meeting from November 14 to 16 in the Chicago suburb of Lynwood, Illinois, most of the 55 independent congregations in the Alliance of Reformed Churches voted to "federate" into a new denomination. The details of the name, church order, and constituting membership are still to be determined, but the decision by all but 21 of the Alliance's 135 delegates indicates a clear desire to leave independency and begin the road to a united federation of churches. PHOTO NOTE: Photographs of the delegates to the Federation Conference are available upon request. Interested persons should contact: Mr. William J. Ooms, 2296 - 184th Place, Lansing, IL 60438 * (708) 474-3606 NR #1995-110: For Immediate Release Former Christian Reformed Congregations Federate to Form "Fellowship of Uniting Reformed Churches" by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service LYNWOOD, Ill. (November 27, 1995) URNS - After eleven meetings over a period of ten years, most of the 55 independent congregations in the Alliance of Reformed Churches have decided they want to "federate" into a new denomination. What the federation will look like, what it will be called, what church order it will use, and who its constituting membership will be are still somewhat in doubt, but one thing is certain: the decision by all but 21 of the Alliance's 135 voting delegates to take part in the federation discussion indicates a strong desire to federate. The large majority didn't mean the decision came easily, however. All but two of the seventeen overtures and communications sent to the November 14-15 meeting of the Alliance addressed either the matter of federation or the proposed church order - and a number of them urged major changes to the proposed church order, postponement, or, in one case, an almost entirely different church order. The result was that the "federation" - a term derived from the Latin word "foedus," meaning a written covenant - gained its large majority of support only by agreeing to set aside the proposed church order for the time being and use the 1934 edition of the Christian Reformed church order pending further work. Effort Fails to Exclude Federated Churches In past years, a major point of contention has been how the Alliance could function for the benefit of the independent churches while still containing a few congregations which were members of the CRC or other denominations. Begun as the "Consistorial Conference" in 1986, the organization became the "Christian Reformed Alliance" in 1990 and up until that time focussed almost entirely on assisting conservative churches within the Christian Reformed denomination. By the November 1991 meeting, however, a few churches had already begun to leave the CRC. In response, the Christian Reformed Alliance voted to admit seven non-CRC congregations and changed its name to "Alliance of Reformed Churches." The seven independent congregations ballooned to half of the Alliance membership in 1992, two-thirds in 1993, and almost three-quarters in 1994. This year, only seven of the 135 delegates represented non-independent churches - mostly because many Alliance churches which had been in the CRC have seceded but also because others had chosen to attend the Interclassical Conference the previous week rather than making a second trip to the Chicago area for the Alliance. Even so, some Alliance delegates urged that CRC congregations not be allowed to vote on a church order for the independent churches. "If they're federated, they already have a church order, so why should they vote on it?" asked Elder Harry Van Gurp of Aylmer (Ontario) Independent Christian Reformed Church. Echoing similar sentiments, Rev. Richard Stienstra of Grace Reformed Church in Dunnville, Ontario, suggested that the Alliance should deal with the overtures but do so by referring them to a meeting of independent churches which wanted to federate. The result would have been that the only overtures left on the Alliance agenda would have been a study committee report on the role of deacons and a proposal to grant representatives of ministry causes time to speak at the meeting. Neither proposal met with the approval of the Alliance chairman, however. "Under the constitution of the Alliance, if it's business for the Alliance, it's business for all the churches here," said Elder Peter Moen. Rev. Peter De Jong of Dutton (MI) Independent Reformed Church raised a broader issue than the question of whether the CRC churches present should be allowed to vote on the proposed church order. "Are we trying to unite those who are divided or split those who are not yet divided?" asked De Jong. "This is supposed to be a meeting of the Alliance, not of those who are already committed to breaking it up." De Jong took particular aim at those who insisted that a synodical form of government was essential to ecclesiastical unity. "The history of Reformed churches for four hundred years has been trying to avoid sliding back into Roman Catholic thinking," said De Jong. "By that standard, John Calvin couldn't have been a Calvinist: he didn't have the great Dutch church order." Others, however, said that the Alliance might not survive much longer if it didn't deal with the issue of federating at its 1995 meeting. "Last year as independent churches, some of us got together last year in a hasty manner, we stopped that, and said we shouldn't do things that way," Rev. Fred Folkerts of Winnipeg (Manitoba) Independent Reformed Church. "We are in a transitional state and I hope that this meeting is going to be the one which ends the transitional phase," said Rev. Jelle Tuininga of Trinity Reformed Church in Lethbridge, Alberta. "If this year we're not going to do anything, this could be the last year many of us are going to be here." While most of the CRC delegates at the Alliance meeting kept silent, some made it clear that they wanted the Alliance churches to federate and that they wanted to be part of that process. "I'm here as a delegate of a federated church, but we are of one mind, one body, one spirit, and we are very interested in a church order," said Rev. Robert Heerema of Champlain Valley CRC in Vergennes, Vermont. "I plead with you to do as much as you can together as a body, because we are one together in the Lord." After prolonged debate, Rev. Ralph Pontier of Redeemer Alliance Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa, moved to refer the entire matter of federating and church order to an advisory committee with a mandate to produce a recommendation on how to proceed. When the committee returned after the dinner hour, it had elected Pontier as its reporter and produced a three-part recommendation on how the Alliance should proceed, the key item being that the Alliance itself should deal with the matter of formulating a church order. No Floor Amendments Allowed Pontier's advisory committee produced several grounds for its proposal: that "the Alliance has been working on developing a church order for several years and it would be wrong to suddenly take that away from the Alliance," that "federated churches have a stake in the church order for some may soon choose to re-affiliate," and that "the number of federated churches is small." The fourth ground, however, set the tone for the rest of the meeting. "The goal of the Alliance church order work should be to produce a provisional church order which can be recommended to all interested churches as a basis for federation," the committee reported. "We don't have to produce a perfect church order since the body that federates around it can continue to perfect it for many years." This emphasis on the provisional nature of the church order set the tone for the rest of the meeting. In most cases when delegates objected to parts of the proposed church order, they were reminded that it was only provisional and could be amended in the future. The provisional nature of the church order also framed the advisory committee's recommended process for handling the overtures dealing with the church order. The committee recommendation specified that the Alliance's church order study committee be allowed to move its recommendations, thus "giving it precedence over church order overtures," that opportunity then be given to allow three overtures requesting postponement of action on the church order to be moved from the floor, and that if postponement was not adopted opportunity then be given to allow three other overtures asking for an alternate church order or alternate basis for federation to be moved as substitutes. If the proposed church order was not postponed or another document substituted for it, four overtures asking for revisions to the proposed church order were then to be considered. One point of the committee recommendations drew quite a bit of flak: a proposal that "the chair should not allow amendments not presented in overtures." "I don't want and I don't think anyone here wants to be told that they can't make an amendment," protested Dr. Tim Turngren of Momence (IL) CRC. De Jong also protested that the proposal smacked of synodicalism. "There were less than two weeks for any opportunity to suggest changes," said De Jong. "That's pretty irresponsible. We're supposed to be getting away from that kind of thing and here we are putting ourselves into a straitjacket worse than we ever had." Responding to the concerns, Stienstra moved to delete the last sentence. However, Pontier urged that the committee recommendation stay as proposed. "There is ample opportunity for revision later," said Pontier. "We should not be going through the church order article by article." Despite protests, the committee recommendation stood and the Alliance delegates voted against allowing any amendments to the proposed church order which were not included in the printed overtures. No Postponement Granted The Alliance voted without much debate to adopt a set of "foundational principles of Reformed church government" based on Scripture. However, Rev. Duane Vedders of Immanuel Fellowship Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan ran into a buzzsaw of opposition when he moved overture six, a proposal from Dutton (MI) Independent Reformed Church to "postpone referring the proposed church order by the churches of ARC for a period of one year." According to the Dutton overture, "not enough time has been given to the member churches of the ARC to consider the material. There is more time needed to study the proposal before it can even be referred for ratification." Also, according to Dutton, "the committee has not fulfilled its mandate 'that the committee be mandated to give due consideration to the church orders of other Reformed denominations.'" Pontier defended the propriety of the church order proposal by citing a well-known statement made several years ago at the CRC synod by Calvin Seminary professor Dr. Henry De Moor. "As they say at synod, we can do anything we want to do," said Pontier. "I would urge the body to defeat the overture. We don't have to produce a perfect church order, we can perfect it over a period of several years." However, De Jong took umbrage at Pontier's argument against his church's overture - and also noted that De Moor's quote could be used to defend views of church polity not generally amenable to the Alliance churches. "We're talking here about the kind of church order under which we're going to be living; we're saying we're going to adopt it provisionally with no opportunity to make amendments, no opportunity to discuss, no opportunity for reactions," protested De Jong. "Before we sign a lease, we need to know what we're signing. The history of the church order and what we have until the present day, as Dr. De Moor has pointed out, is going catch as catch can without any idea of the consequences." Rev. Ray Sikkema of Hamilton (Ontario) Independent Christian Reformed Church argued that the whole presumption that the church order was only to be provisionally adopted was dangerous. "I hear argument that says because the proposed church order is provisional we can work on it from now until the Lord comes," said Sikkema. "If we are going to federate, then we've got to federate around a document so we know how to relate to one another." "To say we can work on this ad infinitum is very dangerous - that's what the Christian Reformed synod has been doing for the last twenty five years," continued Sikkema. Stienstra argued that provisional adoption of a church order did not mean interminable discussion. "What would happen is that for a limited period of time the document would be open for review," said Stienstra. "That would not be ad infinitum, but for a limited period of time." The arguments of Stienstra, Pontier, and others carried the day. Dutton's overture was defeated on a voice vote, and in short order the Alliance voted to consider the defeat to be an answer to similar overtures from Messiah's Independent Reformed Church of Overisel, Michigan, and the Independent Christian Reformed Church of London, Ontario. No Substitute Church Order After deciding not to postpone the matter of the proposed church order, the Alliance moved to the discussion of three overtures, one from the Ancaster (Ontario) Independent Christian Reformed Church of Ancaster providing a quite different church order with extensive Scripture proofs, another from the Edmonton (Alberta) Orthodox Reformed Church asking for a federation based upon common principles in the articles of fellowship of the three existing regional fellowships of Alliance churches, and a third from the Aylmer (Ontario) Independent Christian Reformed Church asking for a provisional federation based upon the 1959 CRC church order. The Alliance chairman promptly attempted to rule the overtures out of order. "I would rule these three overtures not to be before us because they go against what the committee has produced," said Moen. However, Pontier objected to the chair's ruling. "These overtures are legitimately before the Alliance because they are on the agenda and the business of the Alliance is to adopt a church order," said Pontier. After the challenge was sustained, discussion continued on the overtures. A motion to table to proposed church order to discuss the Ancaster alternative church order was moved and promptly defeated, but that wasn't the end of debate on the lack of Scripture proofs in the proposed church order. Elder Dave Alkema of Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was one of many to object that the church order study committee had failed to ground its provisions in Scripture. "I would like to speak against the proposed church order because there are provisions for classical and synodical structures that are not Scriptural," said Alkema. Rev. Martin Vogel of Ancaster seconded Alkema's concern: "We're rambling here, and the reason we are rambling is that we aren't dealing with the Scripture," said Vogel. However, church order study committee chairman Rev. Joghinda Gangar objected to such statements. "To say that the proposed church order is not rooted in Scripture, that's an unfounded statement," said Gangar. "To suggest that each of these proposals have to be worked out in terms of a Scripture text, is that the way things have to be?" Other delegates called attention to several articles which required two services on the Lord's Day, strongly encouraged the use of psalms, and implied that no person outside the federation could fill pulpits or come to the Lord's Table without approval of classis. "I think the church order is overly prescriptive," said Tuininga. "We aren't children any more, we don't need all these rules to tell us what to do; we can have the best document possible but it can be abused by sinful men." Still other delegates objected again to the "provisional" nature of the proposed federative documents, comparing them to a "shaky foundation." "We need to all understand that when we end up adopting a church order we are committing to follow it, to the letter and in detail," said Rev. William Pols of Edmonton. "Whatever we do adopt, we should understand that we are adopting it in detail." After extended debate, Folkerts moved to adopt the second draft of the proposed church order and declare that this adoption answered the three overtures asking for a substitute church order. That motion brought loud protests from Ancaster and Hamilton, two of the churches which produced the alternate church order submitted and previously defeated. "We brought a document which would allow our overture to be discussed; now through some political maneuvering that is not being done," said Elder Fred Kolenbrander of Ancaster. Sikkema shared Kolenbrander's concern: "To adopt this beforehand is to say, people, we're going to tighten down the screws, and that makes me feel uncomfortable," said Sikkema. "To say this is the answer to three things is parliamentary maneuvering, and I for one do not appreciate that." Sikkema may not have appreciated the proposal, but the Alliance majority did. The proposal to answer the overtures calling for a substitute in the negative was deferred until later in the meeting but passed by a voice vote. Proposed Church Order Adopted with Minor Changes After the Alliance rejected the options of postponing the church order and substituting a different church order, Pontier moved several minor amendments from an overture submitted by his own congregation. The Alliance adopted a proposal to state that the minister watches over fellow officebearers "together with the elders," rejected a proposal to require rather than to permit elders to meet with the deacons in joint council sessions, and by unanimous consent accepted the chair's ruling that one article be deleted on the grounds that its language appears elsewhere. Due to the earlier motion banning amendments not contained in overtures those were the only amendments allowed. However, that didn't mean other parts of the proposed church order didn't come in for heated criticism. Rev. Jim Graveling of Salem (OR) Independent Reformed Church again raised the lack of Scriptural foundation for the proposed church order. "A lot of us here are not convinced that the denominational paradigm is the legitimate model for biblical church government," said Graveling. "Let's examine these positions to see if they are justified by Scriptural warrant, and if not, let's remove them from the church order." "If our procedure can't be supported with texts, then we really should revise our procedure," said Rev. Jim Klazinga of the Reformed Church of Telkwa in British Columbia. Other delegates cited specific problems in the church order rather than the principial issue of lack of Scriptural warrant. De Jong - himself a former home missionary, foreign missionary, and military chaplain - objected to the requirement that missions work must be conducted by ordained ministers. Others called attention to two provisions allowing synods to meet only once every three years and requiring that each local church applying for membership be approved by synod, noting that the result could be that churches applying to join the federation would have to wait up to three years before being admitted. One church order provision came in for particularly strong attack: Article 33 said that "churches may seek and pursue ecumenical relations with churches outside the federation which manifest the marks of a true church" and specified that "ecumenical relations between churches may include pulpit exchange, table fellowship, membership transfer, as well as other means of manifesting their unity." That probably would have passed without comment if it were not for provisions in Article 33, 34, and 35 specifying that "a church must seek the advice of classis before entering into ecumenical relations, thereby safeguarding the purity of the federation," making a similar requirement for synodical review of classical ecumenical relations, and stating that if the federation entered into ecumenical relations with other federations such a decision required ratification by a majority of the consistories. Since the CRC has allowed consistories to invite ministers of other denominations to fill their pulpits since 1904 and has always allowed local churches to admit members of other denominations to their Lord's Table, Article 33 led to a firestorm of protest. Both Sikkema and Tuininga objected to the article, and Tuininga attempted to amend it to read "a church must keep classis informed about such relations." Tuininga's amendment was immediately challenged and ruled out of order by the chairman. "The amendment that he proposed is not in the agenda and it is therefore new material; my amendment was in an overture and is therefore not new material. This is the difference," said Pontier. "The amendment he made, as commendable as it is, is not in an overture and therefore it is not allowable." The chair's decision to rule Tuininga's amendment out of order led to a speedy end to the debate - but not before a speech by Rev. Ray Lanning of Cutlerville (MI) Independent Reformed Church - no friend of synodical authority - urging the Alliance to get its work over with. "It seems to me that by refusing to receive amendments we have condemned ourselves to an endless exchange of personal viewpoints," said Lanning. "I really question the sense and sensibility of going on in this way, it will simply be a long interchange for nought." After the Alliance voted either to defeat or withhold action on a series of other overtures, it passed a motion "that the Alliance, having recognized the need of the independent churches to federate and having assisted with the formulation of a Church Order (provisional) now encourages them to take action upon that with the blessing of the Alliance." Subsequent to the adoption of this motion, the Alliance adjourned with the understanding that those independent churches interested in federation would remain and meet together to discuss the church order and formally federate. Federation Accomplished After the evening meal, representatives from 42 of the 58 churches represented at the Alliance meeting gathered for a federation conference called by the consistories of Beverly Christian Reformed Church (Independent) of Wyoming, Michigan, Trinity Reformed Church of Lethbridge, Alberta, and the Orthodox Reformed Church of Wellandport, Ontario. Since much of its work had already been completed by the Alliance, the federation conference focussed on the adoption and emendation of five resolutions drawn up by the convening consistories. The key resolution adopted called for the creation of a federation "based on God's Holy Word as confessed in the Three Forms of Unity and the Church Order of 1934 with the understanding that work will continue on a church order for the federation" - an amended version of the original proposal which called for federation under the provisional church order drafted by the Alliance. Other items included provisions that congregations were to join by a majority vote of their council or consistory, that independent Reformed congregations not represented at the meeting be invited to join, and that the three consistories "be commissioned to call a second meeting within twelve months for the purpose of effecting a permanent organizational organization (incorporated) and the determination of a structure according to which such a federation would conduct its mutual affairs." One proposal did not receive approval: the meeting voted to withhold action on a proposal to declare that "until a permanent organization is effected, the Regional Fellowships continue to function as de facto classes." Most of the business, however, consisted of choosing a name for the new federation. "Federation of Reformed Churches" was rejected on the grounds that it is already used by an existing fellowship. "Evangelical Reformed Churches in North America" was defeated on a tie vote based on two arguments: that the terms "evangelical" and "Reformed" are contradictory and that the name was too similar to that of the Evangelical and Reformed Church, an ethnic German denomination which merged with the Congregationalists to form the United Church of Christ in 1961. "Orthodox Reformed Churches in North America" was tabled on the grounds that it appeared arrogant. The meeting finally voted to provisionally adopt a name suggested by Lanning - ironically, not one of the men who will be joining the federation. At least for the time being, the churches will be known at the "Fellowship of Uniting Reformed Churches in North America." Cross-References to Related Articles: #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 #1995-029: Lynwood Cancels Federation Conference of Independent Congregations in Alliance of Reformed Churches #1995-104: Alliance of Reformed Churches: New Federation on the Way? Contact List: Elder Dave Alkema, Immanuel Fellowship Church c/o Immanuel Fellowship Church, 6015 West H Ave., Kalamazoo MI 49009 * O: (616) 375-4012 Rev. Ken Anema, Pastor, Messiah's Independent Reformed Church 234 N. Ottawa, Zeeland, MI 49464 * H: (616) 748-1542 Rev. Art Besteman, Pastor, Beverly Christian Reformed Church (Independent) 2420 Avon Ave. SW, Wyoming, MI 49509 * H/O: (616) 532-1708 Peter De Jong, Pastor Emeritus, Dutton Independent Reformed Church 4985 Sequoia Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512 * H: (616) 698-6267 Dr. Henry De Moor, Professor of Church Polity, Calvin Theological Seminary 3233 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 H: (616) 940-0513 * O: (616) 957-7194 * FAX: (616) 957-8621 * E-Mail: DEMH@Calvin.edu Rev. Frederick E. Folkerts, Pastor, Independent Reformed Church of Winnipeg 52 Wendilene, Winnipeg, MB R2C 4X7 * O: (204) 654-2243 * Home: (204) 669-8806 Rev. Joghinda S. Gangar, Pastor, Wellandport Orthodox Reformed Church RR #1, Wellandport, ON L0R 2J0 * H/O: (905) 386-6652 Rev. Jim Graveling, Pastor, Salem Independent Reformed Church PO Box 3106, Salem, OR 97306 * (503) 581-6764 Rev. Robert Heerema, Pastor, Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church RD 2, Box 2480, Vergennes, VT 05491 * O: (802) 877-3009 * H: (802) 877-2500 Rev. Jerome Julien, Stated Clerk, Alliance of Reformed Churches 3646 - 193rd Pl., Lansing, IL 60438 * H/O: (708) 418-5321 Rev. Jim Klazinga, Pastor, Telkwa Reformed Church Box 504, Telkwa, B.C. V0J 2X0 * H/O/F: (604) 846-9710 Elder Fred Kolenbrander, Independent Christian Reformed Church of Ancaster Brant School Rd, RR 1, Brantford, ON N3T 5L4 * H: (519) 758-5037 Rev. Ray Lanning, Pastor, Independent Reformed Church of Cutlerville 1088 Harvester Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508 * H/O: (616) 554-0001 London Independent Christian Reformed Church c/o Robert Vanderhill, 2651 Catherine St., RR 1, Dorchester, ON N0L 1G4 * H: (519) 455-1004 Elder Peter Moen, Chairman, 1993 Alliance of Reformed Churches 159 Jacksonville Rd., Pequannock, NJ 07440 * H: (201) 694-7118 Rev. William Pols, Pastor, Edmonton Orthodox Reformed Church 18415 - 92 Ave., Edmonton, AB T5T 1P2 * O: (403) 487-7189 Rev. Ralph Pontier, Pastor, Redeemer Alliance Reformed Church 4608 Jackson Ave., Orange City, IA 51041-7446 * H/O: (712) 737-4901 * FAX: (712) 737-3350 Rev. Ray Sikkema, Pastor, Hamilton Independent Christian Reformed Church 1411 Upper Wellington St., Hamilton, ON L9A 3S8 * O: (905) 383-8315 * H: (905) 389-7821 Rev. Richard Stienstra, Pastor, Grace Reformed Church PO Box 85, Dunnville, ON N1A 2X1 * (905) 774-1130 Rev. Jelle Tuininga, Pastor, Trinity Reformed Church 1807 2nd Ave. "A" N., Lethbridge, AB T1H 0G4 * (403) 328-4799 Rev. Tim Turngren, Pastor, Momence (IL) Christian Reformed Church 4132 N. Rte. 1-17, Momence, IL 60954 * O: (815) 472-2943 * H: (815) 472-4592 Elder Harry Van Gurp, Aylmer Independent Christian Reformed Church RR 1, Belmont, ON N0L 1B0 * H: (519) 765-3226 Rev. Duane Vedders, Pastor, Immanuel Fellowship Church 4430 West "F", Kalamazoo, MI 49009 * O: (616) 343-5357 * H: (616) 375-4012 Rev. Martin Vogel, Pastor, Independent Christian Reformed Church of Ancaster 630 Lyons Club Rd., Dundas, ON L9H 5E3 * O: (905) 304-1608 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-110.txt .