NR #1996-086 Muskegon Classis Rebukes Rhem for "Heretical" Views, Restarts Negotiations "to Reach a Mutually Acceptable Separation Agreement" with Christ Community Church Meeting in special session on July 17 at Westwood RCA in Muskegon, the classis voted to "formally rebuke" Rev. Richard Rhem, senior pastor of the 2800-member Christ Community Church of Spring Lake, and then voted to "recommend allowing Richard Rhem to demit when CCC is willing to return to the negotiation table for an additional effort and we are able to reach a mutually acceptable separation agreement." Classis also declared "the Christ Community Church declaration of independence from the RCA on July 3rd to be in violation of the RCA Book of Church Order and therefore an illegal action" and that classis does "not recognize the action of July 3rd by Christ Community Church." At least for the moment, the two steps avert a legal battle over ownership of the property of one of the RCA's largest churches and steps back from an earlier recommendation to hold Rhem "in disrepute before Christ, the church, and the world" and that classis begin a disciplinary process which would lead to his "probable deposition from office and removal of the privilege of serving as a minister of word and sacrament in the RCA." The controversy centers on Rhem's view of Scripture and belief that Christ is not necessary for salvation. NR #1996-086: For Immediate Release Muskegon Classis Rebukes Rhem for "Heretical" Views, Restarts Negotiations "to Reach a Mutually Acceptable Separation Agreement" with Christ Community Church by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service MUSKEGON, Mich. (July 18, 1996) URNS - In his annual address to the Reformed Church in America General Synod held last month in Orange City, Iowa, RCA General Secretary Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson issued what he termed a "strong warning against establishing an unfaithful and damaging precedent" in dealing with church splits. When push came to shove, however, the Muskegon Classis of the RCA did almost exactly what the denominational General Secretary had warned against. Meeting in special session on July 17 at Westwood RCA in Muskegon, the classis voted to "formally rebuke" Rev. Richard Rhem, senior pastor of the 2800-member Christ Community Church of Spring Lake, and then voted to "recommend allowing Richard Rhem to demit when Christ Community Church is willing to return to the negotiation table for an additional effort and we are able to reach a mutually acceptable separation agreement." The proposed solution to the long-running conflict almost precisely parallels what Granberg-Michaelson warned against at the General Synod. Citing by name the pending case in Muskegon Classis against Christ Community Church and the 1995 expulsion of the conservative Seventh Reformed Church in Grand Rapids by the North Grand Rapids Classis, Granberg-Michaelson's synodical address had warned that "worst of all, no one should propose, nor should a classis allow, for a minister simply to demit, and then a congregation to leave, resulting in an independent congregation which pretends to 'reordain' its pastor." "That is a solution which belies and denies all we believe in the Reformed Church in America about the nature of ordination, the accountability of ministry, and the composition of the church," Granberg-Michaelson had said. "We do little to protect the purity of our doctrine by making a mockery of our polity." The Muskegon Classis vote followed nearly ten months of controversy over Rhem's views on the authority of Scripture and public declaration to classis that he was "not prepared to say there is no salvation apart from that mediated by Jesus Christ as understood in the Christian tradition." While precipitated by Christ Community's decision to allow the predominantly homosexual Muskegon Metropolitan Community Church to use the Christ Community facilities for worship, the issue of homosexual practice was dropped early in the controversy to focus on what the classical executive committee deemed to be the more central issues of Scriptural authority and salvation apart from Christ. While running directly counter to the publicly-stated views of the denomination's General Secretary, the classical decision averted - at least for the time being - a clash between Christ Community and Muskegon Classis over what would happen if the church seceded without classical approval. In the written call for the special meeting issued less than three weeks earlier, the classical executive committee had not only proposed a "formal rebuke" for Rhem but also that he be held "in disrepute before Christ, the church, and the world" and that classis begin a disciplinary process which would lead to his "probable deposition from office and removal of the privilege of serving as a minister of word and sacrament in the RCA." The new proposal represented a marked shift away from an original classical resolution in February to declare that if Rhem did not recant his views "which are not fully supportive of the definitive authority of Scripture and salvation through Christ alone, that Richard Rhem and Christ Community Church prayerfully and deliberately, with humility, work toward a peaceful separation from the denomination." Angered by the shift, the Christ Community board of trustees called a special meeting on July 3 and voted unanimously to secede from the RCA on Independence Day, July 4. According to Ron Zoet, director of operations at Christ Community and spokesman for the church, the board of trustees viewed itself as exercising the authority given to it by an earlier 803-116 congregational vote declaring its intention to separate from the denomination. Contacted prior to the classis vote, Zoet minced few words in describing his church's attitude toward the changed proposals. "The church's reaction to them was simply 'this is enough,'" said Zoet. "The language was extremely inflammatory. It's fairly obvious from that document that classis would like very much to get Dick Rhem." Confronted by a situation in which one of the largest churches in the denomination had voted to violate the denomination's Book of Church Order by leaving the denomination without classical approval, the classis was left with few options. Unilateral insistence upon enforcing the Book of Church Order would almost certainly lead to a civil lawsuit against the Christ Community board of trustees to reclaim its property. While RCA church buildings can be seized by the denomination acting on behalf of a minority group preferring to remain in the RCA - an option recently exercised in a Florida case - the classis would be hard-pressed to pay a hefty $1.5 million mortgage on Christ Community's building. On the other hand, simply ignoring the secession would give the church what it wanted and set a precedent for other churches to do the same. Faced with what amounted to a lose-lose situation, the classis executive committee met again, consulted denominational officials, and formulated a new proposal. The new proposal would declare the separation vote illegal, refuse to recognize Christ Community's withdrawal from the RCA, discipline Rhem by administering a formal rebuke while averting deposition, permit Rhem to demit the ministry without further consequences, and reopen negotiations on a mutually acceptable separation agreement. The new proposal couldn't mask the depth of disagreement between the partners, however. Classis minister Rev. Richard Veenstra opened the classis with a presentation of the history of the negotiation process and his dissatisfaction with it. "From my perspective the negotiations with Christ Community Church have been frustrating and unprofitable," said Veenstra. "We feel we have been stonewalled at every step of the way." According to Veenstra, one major source of delay was that "other serious charges of a personal nature have been brought against Richard Rhem," charges the classical executive committee decided not to pursue after seeking the advice of a committee of inquiry. Veenstra severely criticized Christ Community for misreading the intent of the executive committee proposal, while admitting that some of its language could have been better-worded. "In our call to meeting we decided to test the waters on this shift in direction," said Veenstra. "The response of Christ Community Church is premature and treats the testing of the waters as a fait accompli when that is not the case." Veenstra also pointed to decisions of the recent RCA General Synod as bolstering Muskegon Classis' position on the underlying theological issues. "I think it is a tremendously buoying sense to find out not only that we are evangelicals but nearly all of the members of the RCA are evangelicals as well," said Veenstra. Other classis officials were more pointed. "I believe we are not dealing with a human factor but with the evil one," said classis president Elder Howard Connell in an opening speech, accusing the church of having a "very confrontational, in-your-face approach" and of "defrauding" the RCA in the membership statistics reported for financial assessment purposes. "We have been accused in the media by Christ Community Church with stalling the process; what they don't say is that we have received charges against Dick Rhem that we needed to process," said Connell, also alleging that Christ Community members had "used profanity in addressing our classis minister and made "threats of legal action against classis if they continued to seek out the facts of the charge." "It is my hope that we might take up the helm of salvation and the sword of the spirit and take up the fight against heresy," said Connell. "Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone and it is my hope that we by our actions tonight would affirm that." Attending the classis as a representative of the General Synod, Rev. Ken Bradsell sought to sound a conciliatory note. "I'd like to acknowledge on behalf of the whole Reformed Church the deep pain, hurt, and anger that surround the actions that are being discussed tonight," said Bradsell, the RCA's Director of Policy, Planning, and Administration working out of General Synod headquarters in New York City. Bradsell urged classis to "strive to do everything we can do to preserve the peace and unity of the church," but indicated in response to questions that RCA leaders had changed their views since General Synod and now believed that the goal of unity might be preserved using other means. "I think there's enough new information on the table today that I would urge you to consider one more round of talks with Christ Community Church," said Bradsell. "I believe that if you stopped short of deposition, there is an opportunity to jump-start the discussion again, and that Christ Community would annul their actions if an avenue were available to them to continue their ministry." Several delegates questioned Bradsell's goal of conciliation. "To say we are going to depose sounds pretty bad, but sometimes you've got to call a spade a spade," said Elder David Edwards of Laketon Bethel RCA in Muskegon. "What's going to happen to those people? Are they going to go to hell because they don't know the way of salvation?" Elder Jarvis Wiggers of Coopersville RCA raised similar questions. "How can jump-start negotiations occur when Richard Rhem has declared that Jesus Christ is not necessary for salvation?" asked Wiggers. "It seems to me there are no grounds for us to talk. There are no grounds in the Book of Church Order for a church to remain in the RCA with the beliefs they have expressed." Others at classis had questions of a different sort. "This has been a very painful experience for everyone, said Elder Mary Jane Dykema, vice-chair of the Christ Community board of trustees and a former president of Muskegon Classis. "We asked about a transfer to another classis; the answer was no. We asked about a transfer to another denomination; the answer was no. We asked if Richard Rhem could transfer his credentials to our local church, as was done with [Seventh Reformed senior pastor] Dr. John R. de Witt's credentials; the answer was no." "Our goal has been from day one to continue our ministry with Richard Rhem," said Dykema. "Please, Classis Muskegon, tell us how we can do that." Dykema also read classis delegates a list of draft resolutions that had been tentatively approved by a joint negotiating committee before the breakdown in negotiations. The draft resolutions included agreements that classis would transfer the property title and indebtedness to Christ Community and that a $30,000 payment would be adequate compensation for the minority that wished to remain with the RCA." After extended debate, classis passed an amended version of the proposal drafted by its executive committee. Among the key provisions are: #1. Classis will "formally rebuke" Rhem. #2. Rhem will be allowed to "demit" - voluntarily resign - his RCA ministerial standing "when Christ Community Church is willing to return to the negotiation table for an additional effort and we are able to reach a mutually acceptable separation agreement." #3. Classis declared "the Christ Community Church declaration of independence from the RCA on July 3rd to be in violation of the RCA Book of Church Order and therefore an illegal action" and that classis does "not recognize the action of July 3rd by Christ Community Church." #4. Classis voted to "recommend refraining from any action" against two other RCA ministers on the Christ Community pastoral staff, Revs. Peter Theune and Robert Kleinheksel, as well as four retired ministers who are members of the church and one seminarian under care of classis, "as a result of their association with Christ Community Church or Richard Rhem, until the negotiation process has reached conclusion," provided that "the ministers remain amenable to classis." A final recommendation of the executive committee, that classis go on record stating that it would use any steps necessary to bring Christ Community into compliance with the Book of Church Order if negotiations were unsuccessful, was not formally moved by any delegate and therefore did not come before classis for discussion. Although Muskegon Classis refrained from deposing Rhem, the classical stated clerk emphasized that under RCA ecclesiastical structure allowing him to demit was also a very serious step. "It is a serious thing to come and announce that one can no longer hold to what he signed as a minister of the Reformed Church," said Rev. James Stevens. "That's a pretty serious thing for any minister." Cross-References to Related Articles: #1994-041: Unprecedented Decision of Reformed Church in America Synod Removes Voting Rights from Two Regional Classes #1995-032: Reformed Church in America Expels Leading Conservative Church for Nonpayment of Denominational Assessments #1996-013: Special Meeting of RCA's Muskegon Classis Discusses Homosexuality, Scripture, Salvation Apart from Christ #1996-023: Muskegon RCA Classis: No Room for Pastor Questioning Salvation Apart from Christ, Authority of Scripture Contact List: Rev. E. Wayne Antworth, Director, RCA Stewardship & Communication Services 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 O: (212) 870-2954 * FAX: (212) 870-2499 Rev. Ken Bradsell, Director of Policy, Planning, and Administration, Reformed Church in America 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 O: (212) 870-2954 * FAX: (212) 870-2499 Elder Howard Connell, President, Classis Muskegon c/o Classis Muskegon Stated Clerk, 281 North 2nd Ave., Fruitport, MI 49415 Dr. John R. de Witt, Pastor, Seventh Reformed Church 950 West Leonard St., Grand Rapids, MI 49504 O: (616) 459-4451 Elder Mary-Jane Dykema, Board of Trustees Vice-Chair, Christ Community Church c/o Christ Community Church, 225 East Exchange St., Spring Lake, MI 49456 O: (616) 842-1985 Elder David Edwards, Laketon Bethel Reformed Church c/o Laketon Bethel RCA, 1731 Dykstra Rd., Muskegon, MI 49445 O: (616) 744-1749 Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America 49 Yawpo, Oakland, NJ 07436 O: (212) 870-2845 Rev. Richard Rhem, Senior Pastor, Christ Community Church 225 East Exchange St., Spring Lake, MI 49456 O: (616) 842-1985 * H: (616) 846-7777 Rev. James Stevens, Stated Clerk, Classis of Muskegon 281 North 2nd Ave., Fruitport, MI 49415 H/O: (616) 865-6165 Rev. Richard Veenstra, Classis Minister, Classis of Muskegon (RCA) 17432 North Shore Estates Rd., Spring Lake, MI 49456 O: (616) 534-7533 * H: (616) 842-0454 Elder James Wiggers, Coopersville Reformed Church 423 West Randall, Coopersville, MI 49404 O: (616) 837-8949 Ron Zoet, Director of Operations, Christ Community Church c/o Christ Community Church, 225 East Exchange St., Spring Lake, MI 49456 O: (616) 842-1985 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-086.txt .