Office Bearers

GS 1968 ARTICLE 134

Committee III on Contact with the Christian Reformed Church presents: (See Supplement 10)

Materials:

  • a.       Report of Deputies for Contact with the Christian Reformed Church, 1,3;
  • b.       Supplement to this report, 1,3b;
  • c.        Letter from the Church at Burlington, Ont., V,6;
  • d.       Overture from the Church at Winnipeg, Man., III,22;
  • e.        Overture from the Church at Edmonton, Alta, III,6;
  • f.        Overture from the Church at Brampton, Ont., III,33;
  • g.        Overture from the Regional Synod Ontario 1968, III,27,sub 1;
  • h.       Request from Mr. E. Witten, Burlington, Ont., IV, 7.

Recommendations:

I.        (Re: Report of Deputies ad III, pp.5-7, on the Three Forms of Unity)

Synod take note of the fact that, though there is a slight difference in the edition of the text of Art. 36 of the Belgic Confession, the Christian Reformed Church and the Canadian Reformed Churches have adopted the same Three Forms of Unity, and that this difference in edition is not an obstacle for the unity between both Churches.

ADOPTED

II.      (Re: Report of Deputies ad IV, pp.7-19, on the Conclusions of Utrecht 1905/1908)

Synod take note of the fact that the mandate of Synod Edmonton 1965 as to The Conclusions of Utrecht (I 905/1908) and an official interpretation of them (Christian Reformed Synod 1962), has been completed and resulted in the removal of this obstacle for unity by the Christian Reformed Church.

ADOPTED

III.     (Re: Report of Deputies ad V, pp.20-23 on the Three Points of Kalamazoo 1924)

Synod take note of the fact that Deputies appointed by Synod Edmonton 1965 have completed their mandate as to the deliverances on Common Grace ‘1924’, with the result that the obstacle of the binding to these statements has also been removed.

ADOPTED

IV.     (Re: Report of Deputies ad VI, pp.23-26 on the Church Order)

Synod declare that the new Church Order of the Christian Reformed Church as adopted by Synod 1966 is not an insurmountable obstacle for further and closer contact, and eventual unity of both Churches.

ADOPTED

V.       (Re: Report of Deputies ad VII, pp.26-32, on Correspondence with Churches abroad)

Synod answer the question whether we feel that before we could be united with the Christian Reformed Church, the latter’s relationship with the (synodical) “Gerefor­meerde Kerken” should be broken, in the affirmative.

VI.     Synod decide to appoint new Deputies for Contact with the Christian Reformed Church.

Grounds:

  • 1.       The endeavours of previous Deputies have brought about some positive re­sults with regard to “1908” and “1924”.
  • 2.       The report of these Deputies rightly states that the mandate of Synod Edmonton 1965 has not yet been completed.
  • 3.       That part of the mandate which has not yet been completed has now become the most important item of that mandate, especially in the light of recent developments in the Christian Reformed Church.

ADOPTED

VII.   Synod express its gratitude for the work done by the Deputies appointed by Synod Edmonton 1965, and for the detailed report on their work.

ADOPTED

VIII.  Synod adopt the following:

Mandate for Deputies to be appointed by Synod 1968 to continue the contact with the Christian Reformed Church.

  • 1.       Deputies shall re-open the contact with the Contact Committee of the Christian Reformed Church and inform them of the decisions of this Synod, submitting to them the advisory report that led to these decisions.

ADOPTED

  • 2.       Deputies shall point out that the contact on the part of the Canadian Re­ formed Churches started with the “Appeal 1962”, in which the reasons for our separate existence were given and the Christian Reformed Church was earnestly warned not to proceed with the course of recognizing the Synodical “Gereformeerde Kerken” as faithful Reformed Churches.

ADOPTED

  • 3.       They shall then inform the Contact Committee that the Canadian Reformed Churches can continue the contact only when this matter of correspondence (with related matters) is put in the centre of the deliberations. They shall, therefore, insist that a clear answer be given by the Christian Reformed Church to the three questions formulated by the previous Deputies (see their report, p.13); even more so because the Contact Committee has never brought these questions before their Synod nor answered them themselves.

ADOPTED

  • 4.       Deputies shall then wait till the next Synod of the Christian Reformed Church has expressed its willingness to enter into the discussion on this main obstacle. If the contrary should happen, Deputies shall discontinue the con­ tact with the Contact Committee. Deputies shall then send an urgent, Christian appeal to the Christian Reformed community in the same vein as (the first part of) the “Appeal 1962”.

ADOPTED

  • 5. If, however, our urgent request is heeded, Deputies shall be diligent in dis­ cussing all matters that are found to be related to this main obstacle to the establishment of unity between the two Churches. Due attention shall be given to “the principles of Church correspondence adopted in 1944” (Acts Christian Reformed Church, 1947, Art. 96, sub d), and their implementation, the Reformed Creeds being the Standards for such a discussion.

ADOPTED

  • 6.        Deputies shall keep the Churches informed of the reactions received and the progress and results.

ADOPTED

  • 7.        Deputies shall scan the Acts of Christian Reformed Synods on any official changes in the Christian Reformed Church.

ADOPTED

  • 8.        Deputies shall prepare a report-of all their actions, together with recommend­ations, for the next Synod. Copies of this report shall be forwarded to the Churches.

ADOPTED

IX.     Synod decide that the Observations of Committee III be published with the Acts. (Supplement 10.)

ADOPTED