From: Darrell128@aol.com Subject: NR 007: Appeal Against Rhem Sent Back to RCA Committee by Regional Synod NR #1997-007: Appeal of Charges Against Rhem Sent Back to Committee by RCA's Regional Synod Executive Committee; Van Hoeven Appeal to Proceed with Recommendation of Dismissal The on-again, off-again process of dealing with Christ Community Church pastor Rev. Richard Rhem took a new turn on January 8. The executive committee of the Reformed Church in America's Regional Synod of the Great Lakes met at the regional synod offices in Grand Rapids and voted to send an appeal of the Muskegon Classis' dismissal of sexual misconduct charges against Rhem back to the regional synod's Overtures and Judicial Business committee for further processing. NR #1997-007: For Immediate Release Appeal of Charges Against Rhem Sent Back to Committee by RCA's Regional Synod Executive Committee * Related appeal by Kalamazoo pastor Rev. Don Van Hoeven to proceed with recommendation of dismissal by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service (January 9, 1996) URNS -- The on-again, off-again process of dealing with Christ Community Church pastor Rev. Richard Rhem took a new turn on January 8. The executive committee of the Reformed Church in America's Regional Synod of the Great Lakes met at the regional synod offices in Grand Rapids and voted to send an appeal of the Muskegon Classis' dismissal of sexual misconduct charges against Rhem back to the regional synod's Overtures and Judicial Business committee for further processing. The Regional Synod of the Great Lakes consists of eight classes covering Michigan and Ohio with 83,569 members in 169 local churches, including a few scattered mission churches outside the immediate area. That committee had originally recommended on November 22 that the appeal not be heard on the grounds that "Richard Rhem and Christ Community Church are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Reformed Church in America" and that "due to the lack of jurisdiction of the Reformed Church in America any further consideration of the case is moot." At a special closed session meeting on January 2, the Muskegon Classis voted to adopt the position that an earlier separation agreement between Christ Community Church and the Muskegon Classis that would have permitted both Rhem and his church to leave the RCA was not in effect because it has not yet been signed. "The classis executive committee has suspended action on that separation agreement until an appeal to the Regional Synod of the Great Lakes involving the charges against Rev. Rhem is resolved," according to a prepared statement issued by the Muskegon Classis on January 2. "In the light of the unsigned separation agreement Christ Community Church and Rev. Rhem remain under the jurisdiction of the Reformed Church in America." The synodical executive committee decision means that the synodical overtures and judicial business committee will meet on January 24 to reconsider its earlier recommendation that the appeal be dismissed because Rhem and his Spring Lake church are no longer in the RCA. Rhem and the church declared their independence from the RCA on July 4 of last year following the classical executive committee's recommendation to conduct a judicial trial to evaluate Rhem's views on such matters as salvation apart from Jesus Christ and the nature of Scriptural authority. However, RCA officials have contended that it is not a matter of opinion whether Christ Community is still in the RCA and have stated that the denominational rules do not allow churches to leave without permission from the denomination. The RCA's New York press office earlier noted that in a Florida case several years ago, the RCA went to court and successfully regained control of the property of a church that attempted to leave the denomination without permission. So far, no lawsuits have been filed by any parties in the Christ Community situation. However, attorney Roger Boer issued a statement on behalf of Rhem and the church following the Muskegon Classis' action declaring that "Classis Muskegon of the Reformed Church in America has engaged in conspiratorial actions which were maliciously calculated to damage Rev. Richard Rhem and Christ Community Church of Spring Lake, Michigan." "Classis' present publication and classification of an allegation -- which was investigated and held of no effect in 1982 -- attempts to subvert the independence and mission of Rev. Rhem and the church," said the attorney. "Classis has never furnished the allegation to Rev. Rhem, the church, or their counsel. During the summer of 1996, Classis clandestinely conducted an investigation, and its own committee found 'insufficient evidence on which to proceed.' It can only be concluded that the present action is malice-driven." Boer's objection focussed on the official call to the January 2 special classis meeting, issued by the classical executive committee to every church and minister in the classis, which described the nature of the misconduct charge against Rhem as "gross sexual misconduct." The statement in the call to the meeting, which was not included by the classis in its prepared statement to the media, was subsequently obtained by a number of local newspapers and television stations and published in their reports on the January 2 classical decision. "Malice," along with "reckless disregard for the truth," constitutes one of several tests established by the US Supreme Court justifying libel lawsuits. Calls to Christ Community Church office staff indicated that Rhem was on vacation and that church spokesman Ron Zoet was out of the office. The related appeal by Rev. Don Van Hoeven, retired RCA campus pastor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, stems from a rebuke administered by the RCA's Classis of Southwest Michigan. Van Hoeven wrote an opinion piece in the Kalamazoo Gazette endorsing Rhem's views on salvation apart from Jesus Christ; the classical rebuke of Van Hoeven made the front page of the Kalamazo o Gazette. The prepared statement by the regional synod indicated that Van Hoeven's appeal will be advanced to the May 5 annual meeting of the regional synod with the recommendation, originally prepared by the overtures and judicial business committee, "that Rev. Van Hoeven's complaint be declared out of order." In an earlier interview, regional synod minister Rev. Sherwin Weener said the issue before the regional synod was whether pastoral actions such as admonitions or rebukes, which are not disciplinary actions and do not remove or suspend ministerial credentials, can be appealed. "While this process seems to be lengthy, the Executive Committee is seeking to be true to our Biblical mandate... 'To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God,'" wrote Weener in the prepared statement. Christ Community Church is one of the largest churches in the 312,802-member Reformed Church in America. However, numerical statistics are complicated by the fact that Christ Community reported 3021 members to the RCA as of December 31, 1995 but only an attendance of 783. Christ Community director of operations Ron Zoet has previously stated that the church's current statistics are 2800 members with about 800 attending. According to Weener, Christ Community's "inactive membership" report of 1224 is one of the highest in the RCA -- and accounts for a fifth of the total number of inactive members in the entire regional synod. Weener indicated that Christ Community's "active confessing member" statistic of 754 would make it the sixth-largest church in the regional synod. Cross-References to Related Articles: #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 #1996-086: Muskegon Classis Rebukes Rhem for "Heretical" Views, Restarts Negotiations "to Reach a Mutually Acceptable Separation Agreement" with Christ Community Church #1996-091: Rhem Conflict Leads to Homosexuality Debate in Muskegon #1996-092: Back to the Drawing Board: Muskegon Classis Tables Proposed Settlement with Pastor of RCA's Fourth-Largest Church #1996-093: Dr. Jonathan Gerstner on Rhem: "Tragedy is the Only Word" #1996-094: Second RCA Minister Faces Discipline for Theological Views #1996-103: Classis Muskegon Averts Heresy Trial, Completes Separation Agreement with Richard Rhem, Christ Community Church #1996-110: Appeal Stalls Settlement Agreement on Rev. Richard Rhem; Protests Greet Upcoming Rhem Keynote Speech for RCA Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics on "The Church in Conflict... Can Non-Believers be Saved?" #1996-118: Rhem to Reformed Church in America: "The Bible is a Wax Nose" #1997-001: Muskegon Classis Suspends Separation Agreement Until Regional Synod Adjudicates Appeal on "Gross Sexual Misconduct" Allegations Against Richard Rhem #1997-002: Rhem's Attorney Responds: "Classis... Has Engaged in Conspiratorial Actions Which Were Maliciously Calculated to Damage Rev. Richard Rhem and Christ Community Church" 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 Roger W. Boer, Esq., Partner, Rhoades, McKee, Boer, Goodrich & Titta, Attorneys at Law 161 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 600, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2793 O: (616) 235-3500 * FAX: (616) 459-5102 Rev. Richard Rhem, Senior Pastor, Christ Community Church 225 East Exchange St., Spring Lake, MI 49456 O: (616) 842-1985 * H: (616) 846-7777 * F: (616) 842-3476 Rev. Donald Van Hoeven 1024 Westfall, Kalamazoo, MI 49006 * H: (616) 381-8586 Rev. Richard Veenstra, Classis Minister, Classis of Muskegon (RCA) 17432 North Shore Estates Rd., Spring Lake, MI 49456 O: (616) 788-2321 * H: (616) 842-0454 Rev. Sherwin Weener, Synod Minister, Regional Synod of the Great Lakes 4500 - 60th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512 O: (616) 698-7071 * H: (616) 457-3572 Ron Zoet, Director of Operations, Christ Community Church 225 East Exchange St., Spring Lake, MI 49456 O: (616) 842-1985 * F: (616) 842-3476 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive97: nr97-007.txt