NR #1996-076: CRC Synod Rejects 25 Overtures and Communications Calling for End to Classical Option on Ordination of Women At its June 18 afternoon session, the Christian Reformed synod took a decisive step in favor of women in office by rejecting 24 overtures and one communication from classes and churches asking synod to overturn its 1995 decision allowing classes to approve the ordination of women by declaring the word "male" in the denominational church order to be "inoperative" within the classical borders. While the 1995 decision called for automatic review in the year 2000, few expect that year's synod to take steps that would effectively depose women ordained in prior years. This year's decision garnered the highest number of Christian Reformed synodical delegates ever to vote in favor of women in office. The 122 to 54 margin with one formal abstention and six delegates not voting resulted in two thirds of the delegates casting their votes in favor of women in office. NR #1996-076: For Immediate Release CRC Synod Rejects 25 Overtures and Communications Calling for End to Classical Option on Ordination of Women by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (June 18, 1996) URNS - At its June 18 afternoon session, the Christian Reformed synod took a decisive step in favor of women in office by rejecting 24 overtures and one communication from classes and churches asking synod to overturn its 1995 decision allowing classes to approve the ordination of women by declaring the word "male" in the denominational church order to be "inoperative" within the classical borders. While the 1995 decision called for automatic review in the year 2000, few expect that year's synod to take steps that would effectively depose women ordained in prior years. This year's decision garnered the highest number of Christian Reformed synodical delegates ever to vote in favor of women in office. The 122 to 54 margin with one formal abstention and six delegates not voting resulted in two thirds of the delegates casting their votes in favor of women in office - a stark contrast to earlier tallies of 99-84, 111-73, 109-73, 95-88-1, and 95-89 from 1990 to 1994. The only prior vote total even close to this year's vote affirming the 1995 decision was the 1995 decision itself, which passed by a margin of 112 to 66 with six delegates not voting. As has been typical for each of the last six years, the synodical advisory committee on women in office split into a majority and minority, one favoring and one opposing the 1995 decision. Twelve of the committee's sixteen members recommended that Synod 1996 not accede to the overtures and communications urging synod to overturn its 1995 decision. The majority cited three grounds: that "previous study committeesx have established viable biblical grounds for this position," that "it has not been proved that this action is a violation of the Church Order," and that "the denomination is not well-served by continual reversals on this issue." The four-member minority asked Synod 1996 to delete the relevant language from the church order supplement on a number of grounds, including that Synod 1995 "did not demonstrate any biblical support which would allow or necessitate women's ordination" and that "rather than promoting harmony in the denomination, the provisions [allowed by Synod 1995] have further fractured denominational unity." The majority report included provisions rejecting overtures by Classis Lake Erie to eliminate Synod 1995's requirement that denominational agencies "respect local views on women in office in the placement of ministerial personnel" and to create a committee to receive responses to the 1995 decision on the grounds of pastoral sensitivity and that the proposed committee "removes the possibility of a direct appeal to synod, a right which the churches cannot be denied." The majority report also adopted the sense of a Classis Columbia overture by asking synod to "urge our churches to be in prayer for reconciliation and healing regarding the pain and distress occasioned by decisions regarding women in office, and to exercise mutual respect for those with differing views" as an alternative to an overture from Classis Chicago South calling for a committee to provide grounds for and against women in office. The minority report asked synod to "declare that those women who have already been ordained as elders or evangelists prior to the decisions of Synod 1996 be permitted to fulfill the term of their offices, but no further election of women for ordination as ministers, elders or evangelists be permissible in any of these churches, including those churches where such ordination has already taken place." The minority recommendation followed earlier precedents in which synod allowed churches which had elected women deacons to retain those women until the end of their terms. The Christian Reformed synod has a history of repeated reversals on the women in office issue. Synod 1990 allowed women to be ordained as ministers, elders, and evangelists subject to ratification in 1992. Synod 1992 allowed women to "expound," thus doing most of the work of ministers, elders, and evangelists without ordination. Synod 1993 allowed the ordination of women subject to ratification in 1994; Synod 1994 declared that women in office violated the "clear teaching of Scripture"; Synod 1995 retained the 1994 decision without changing the church order but allowed each classis to declare the word "male" inoperative in Church Order Article 3a to allow the ordination of women. So far, 14 of the CRC's 46 regional classes have exercised this option. This year marks the first time that two consecutive synods have ever approved women serving in all offices of the church. Rev. Henry Vanden Heuvel, pastor of First CRC in the southwest Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn, spoke for many conservative members of the CRC who have not seceded. "We who believe that women in office is contrary to Scripture are being pushed out," said Vanden Heuvel. "We feel we no longer have a place at the table of the Christian Reformed Church." "I am very saddened by the decision of many of my friends to leave the Christian Reformed Church," continued Vanden Heuvel. "I do not want to leave the CRC. But where do we go?" Vanden Heuvel's expression of pain was picked up by a number of other delegates. "When our decision is causing us disunity in our own denomination and with others, it grieves me," said Rev. Merlin Buwalda of Lake City (MI) CRC, noting that two of his former churches had split over the issue of women in office. "241619 people have left our denomination since 1992; seventy percent of them, about sixteen thousand people, have left to form independent Reformed churches. That is a high price to pay." Other delegates said Synod 1995's decision to allow women in office without the normal one-year period for review and without changing the church order's prohibition of women ministers, elders, and evangelists was particularly galling to conservatives. "If a change is going to be made in the church order, it should be made openly, clearly, and with opportunity for consideration," said Rev. LeRoy Christoffels of Preakness CRC in Wayne, New Jersey. "The reason many are losing confidence in synods and the church is because decisions like these are made without clear evidence and due consideration." "If we're going to do this, we ought to go ahead and change the church order, not just the supplement," echoed Elder Paul Wagenmaker of Coopersville (MI) CRC. "If we don't, we have become a law unto ourselves." Other delegates insisted that they supported the 1995 decision despite being conservatives and opponents of women in office. "When the Synod of 1994 spoke [declaring women in office to be contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture], I thought heaven had arrived, these are my theological convictions," said Rev. Jack Gray of Calvary CRC in Orange City, Iowa. Nevertheless, Gray said the CRC is broad enough to tolerate more than one conviction on the matter of women in office. "We both need each other, we're both a wing of the church, and it takes two wings to make this bird fly," said Gray - a sentiment repeatedly voiced by other delegates. Longtime supporters of women in office called the 1995 decision a compromise which should be acceptable to both sides of the denomination. "It seems to me that those brothers who are trying to revoke what we did last year are going the route of trying to find unity by way of uniformity," said Elder Martin La Maire of Berwyn CRC in the northwest Chicago suburbs. "If you would revoke this decision it would seem to me that this would be the way to create chaos in the Christian Reformed Church." "If there is a church in a very rural area of the country that is very comfortable with a patriarchal way of doing things, having only males ruling over the church, that is fine, no one is asking them to change," continued La Maire. "It seems to me that those who want to revoke last year's decision are trying to impose the culture of first century Palestine on the late twentieth century church of Jesus Christ." Some references by delegates to the Interclassical Conference of 300 CRC conservatives who called the CRC to repent of its support for women in office at a November 1995 conference in the south Chicago suburb of South Holland led to strong reaction from some supporters of women in office. "To him and others I must say that South Holland was scandalous," said Pastor George Vander Weit of North Hills CRC in the Detroit suburb of Troy. "We do not serve our brothers and the cause of Christ by schism. We do not serve our brothers and the cause of Christ by accusing other Christians of ripping the Bible out of the hands of people." "There are indeed fourteen classes and a number of congregations which have moved ahead by electing women to office," noted Rev. Scott Hoezee of Calvin CRC in Grand Rapids. "My brother from South Holland spoke about feeling he was being pushed out of his denomination by having to attend a classis with women officebearers," Hoezee continued. "I ask you, how far is it a push for almost half of our members and a third of our classes to be told, 'Sinner, you repent!' That is being pushed pretty far." After spending much of the morning dealing with the majority report advocating retaining the 1995 decision, the president of synod entertained a motion by Wagenmaker to consider the minority report opposed to women in office. The vote failed by a margin of 50 to 128 - clearly showing the tenor of synod. Synod spent much of the rest of the day dealing with a variety procedural motions attempting to amend the first recommendation of the majority report, now expected to pass with little difficulty. Rev. John Schuurman of Wheaton (IL) CRC, whose church had sponsored the motion in Classis Northern Illinois to declare the word "male" to be "inoperative" on behalf of several inner-city Chicago churches that were unfamiliar with the necessary rules, urged synod to delete a ground from the motion specifying that "previous study committeesx have established viable biblical grounds for this position" in favor of women in office, on the grounds that these study committee reports had not in fact been adopted by synod. However, Calvin Seminary professor of church polity Dr. Henry De Moor argued that the motion was contrary to the intent of the advisory committee. Rev. Archie Vander Hart of Fuller Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids argued that the motion was premature. "The reason 1995 chose not to do that was so we could give credence to 1995, that we should not have a long debate marshalling biblical arguments until the year 2000," said Vander Hart. Schuurman's amendment was rejected on a voice vote. Rev. Bernard Haan of First CRC in De Motte, Indiana, moved to include a detailed communication by Classis Arizona outlining ground in favor of women in office as an illustration of reasons why the CRC should be able to live at peace despite the issue of women in office. However, Haan's motion was ruled out of order by the president. After further debate, synod adopted the unamended recommendation by a vote of 122 to 54 with one abstention. Synod then moved on to the second recommendation, that synod reject the overture by Classis Lake Erie to rescind the 1995 decision mandating synodical agencies to "respect local views on women in office in the placement of ministerial personnel" on the grounds that "ministry personnel placed by synodical agencies represent the entire denomination" and that "respect for the conscience of those who oppose women in office demands that we honor the decision of Synod 1995 on this matter." Vander Weit took the floor in defense of the Lake Erie overture. "We can't support a ground that recognizes the conscience of only some of us, a ground that will be used when the percentages are 50%, 70%, or even 90%," said Vander Weit. This time, however, the synodical vote went the other way. By a margin of 64 to 103, synod voted to reject the Lake Erie overture. The remainder of the advisory committee recommendations passed with little debate. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1995-070: Christian Reformed Classes Permitted to Declare Church Order Ban on Women's Ordination "Inoperative"; Synod Decision Given Immediate Effect without Two-Year Ratification Process #1995-074: Synod Rejects Two Efforts to Require 1996 Ratification of Women in Office Decision #1995-075: Synod Permits Classes to Declare Second Church Order Article "Inoperative"; Women May Now "Expound" or "Exhort" #1995-106C: Interclassical Conference Urges Christian Reformed Synod to Lead Denomination in Repentance; Calls for Formation of "Covenant Union" of CRC Conservatives #1996-027: Total of Christian Reformed Classes Allowing Women's Ordination Reaches Thirteen #1996-028: List of Classis Decisions on Women in Office #1996-034: Lake Erie Overture Engine Shifts Into Overdrive #1996-036: Lake Erie Asks Synod to Create Committee to Receive Women in Office Overtures and Communications #1996-050: Classis Quinte Kills Compromise Proposal on Women in Office #1996-080: Record of Previous Synodical Votes on Women in Office Contact List: NOTE TO EDITORS: Most synodical delegates are staying on the campus of Calvin College. To reach delegates in their dormitory rooms during Synod 1996, expected to adjourn on or before June 20, call Calvin College at (616) 957-0000 or contact the synodical news office at the following numbers: Synod News Office: Press Officers Rev. Robert De Moor and Rachel Boehm Van Harmelen O: (616) 957-8652 * F: (616) 957-6469 Pre-Recorded Synod News Hotline: (616) 224-0841 or toll-free (888) 277-9663 Rev. Merlin Buwalda, Pastor, Lake City Christian Reformed Church 403 John St., Box 659, Lake City, MI 49651 * O: (616) 839-4978 * H: (616) 839-4424 * FAX: (616) 839-3099 Rev. LeRoy Christoffels, Pastor, Preakness (NJ) Christian Reformed Church 490 Valley Rd., Wayne, NJ 07470 * H: (201) 694-1516 * O: (201) 628-1313 Dr. Henry De Moor, Professor of Church Polity, Calvin Theological Seminary 3233 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4387 O: (616) 957-7194 * H: (616) 940-0513 * FAX: (616) 957-8621 * E-Mail: DEMH@Calvin.edu 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 * E-Mail: engelhad@crcnet.mhs.compuserve.com Rev. Jack Gray, Pastor, Calvary Christian Reformed Church 708 - 5th St., Orange City, IA 51041-1804 * O: (712) 737-2797 * H: (712) 737-2997 Rev. Bernard J. Haan, Jr., Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church 1621 S. Halleck St., De Motte, IN 46310 * O: (219) 987-4355 * H: (219) 987-2581 Rev. Scott Hoezee, Pastor, Calvin Christian Reformed Church 1634 Fisk Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506-6544 * O: (616) 451-8467 * H: (616) 247-6720 Elder Martin LaMaire, Berwyn Christian Reformed Church 1040 Erie St., Oak Park, IL 60302 * H: (708) 383-9199 Rev. John Schuurman, Pastor, Wheaton Christian Reformed Church 711 E. Harrison, Wheaton, IL 60187 O: (708) 668-6054 * H: (708) 668-7918 * FAX: (708) 668-3810 * E-Mail: jschuu@ix.netcom.com Pastor Howard B. Spaan, Stated Clerk, Classis Columbia 100 SW 195 Ave. #143, Beaverton, OR 97006 * H/O: (503) 645-2415 Rev. Henry Vanden Heuvel, Stated Clerk, Classis Chicago South 9401 S. 54th Ave., Oak Lawn, IL 60453 * H/O: (708) 422-1428 Rev. Archie VanderHart, Pastor, Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church 1241 Fuller Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 * H: (616) 245-7807 * O: (616) 241-1679 Pastor George Vander Weit, Stated Clerk, Classis Lake Erie 2901 Waterloo Dr., Troy, MI 48084 * O: (810) 645-1990 * H: (810) 649-5388 * E-Mail: NoHillsCRC@aol.com Elder Paul Wagenmaker, Coopersville Christian Reformed Church c/o Coopersville CRC, 200 Henry St., Coopersville, MI 49404 * O: (616) 837-9858 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-076.txt .