Office Bearers

GS 1965 ARTICLE 187: Letter E. ter Hors.

There are newly formulated proposals from the same Advisory Committee to reply to an appeal submitted by Br. E. Ter Mors of Winnipeg.

The Synod adopts them as follows:

  • “The Synod has taken note of the letter of Br E. Ter Mors, Winnipeg, MB, dated October 30, 1965, in which he announces that he is addressing this meeting because of the seriousness of the possible impact resulting from decisions and rulings of Classis Alberta/Manitoba and Regional Synod of the West respectively.
  • The Synod observes that, despite rulings and decisions of Classis Alberta/Manitoba and Regional Synod of the West, Br. Ter Mors maintains his objections, again expressed in many and various ways in his letter to the Synod, that Classis Alberta/Manitoba has gone beyond its jurisdiction by asking ministers already bound to a local Church to sign the subscription form adopted by the Classis, since
  • 1)    “signing is a matter for the congregation and not for the Classis” and “that the Classis at most can advise a local church to request its minister to sign this form”.
  • 2)    “A minister comes to Classis because a church has delegated him and this ought to be a sufficient guarantee as regards purity in doctrine of the concerned minister”, which was also recognized through the National Synod of Homewood, 1954, which decided not to seek from the delegates agreement to the Three Forms of Unity;
  • 3)    “Everything done is what one reasonably believes in the congregation of the Lord with respect to a Minister of the Word, when a preacher has answered in the affirmative when he was ordained into his ministry to specific well written Reformed questions, and moreover has signed a form in which he declares his agreement with the Reformed confession.”

On the basis of this and other matters, the major complaint of Br Ter Mors is that the Classis Alberta/Manitoba of the Canadian Reformed Churches has abandoned the foundation it should have and has become contract-churches instead of confession-churches[1] to be; that in their statements these churches are moving toward a sectarian organization; and that human words are presented as the Word of the Lord.

The Synod considers:

  • re 1) that Br. Ter Mors incorrectly states that signing the Three Forms by ministers is only a matter for the congregation and not for the Classis, since CO article 53 mentions Classis alongside the Church Council as a body which has the authority to suspend in his service a minister who refuses to sign the Three Forms of Unity. This clearly shows that the subscribing the Three Forms is also a matter for the Classis;
  • re 2) that Br. Ter Mors mistakenly compares what the National Synod of Homewood 1954 decided with regard to the assent of the delegates to the Three Forms and the signing of the Three Forms at a Classis by ministers within the Classis. The Regional Synod of the West rightly declared in its response to the first conclusion of br. Ter Mors in his objection to the Synod, that the subscribing at Classis is not “about a re-acceptance of the confessional scriptures at each meeting, but about a ‘one-off’ act when they begin their ministry in a Church within the classis.”
  • re 3) that Br Ter Mors is incorrect in stating that C.O. article 53 has been complied with by signing the Three Forms at the Church Council, since C.O. Article 53 implies the right of the Classis to request the signing of the Three Forms.

On the ground of the foregoing, the Synod rejects

  • 1.    the appeal of Br. Ter Mors, that the Classis Alberta/Manitoba went beyond its jurisdiction by asking ministers already bound to a local Church to sign the subscription form adopted by the Classis;
  • 2.    The appeal of Br. Ter Mors, that the Classis Alberta/Manitoba has left the foundation which it should have, and are contract-churches instead of confession-churches; that these churches themselves move in the direction of a sectarian organization in their statements; and that human words are presented as the Word of the Lord, in view of the fact that requesting subscription to the Three Forms at Classis of Ministers of the Word is serving a right of the Lord with a view to preserving the unity of faith in the church federation.”

Br L. Toet abstains from voting as per C.O. article 33.

Press Release version ARTICLE 34: Letter E. Ter Mors

Re: Letter of appeal from br E. Ter Mors, Winnipeg, Man., d.d. October 30th, 1965.

The following decision is made:

  • “Synod has taken cognizance of a letter from br E. Ter Mors, Winni­ peg, Man. d.d. October 30th, 1965, in which he informs Synod that he approaches it because of the seriousness of the possible effect, resulting from the decisions and judgments respectively of Classis Alberta/Manitoba and the Particular Synod of the West.
  • Synod finds that in spite of the judgments and decisions of Classis Alberta/Manitoba and of the Particular Synod of the West, br Ter Mors persists in his objections, now again brought to the fore in many and various ways in his letter to this Synod, that Classis Alberta/Manitoba has exceeded its authority by requiring from ministers who already are attached to a local church, to sign the form of subscription adopted by Classis, since
  • 1.    this signing is a matter pertaining to the congregation and not to Classis and that Classis at the most could advise the local church to ask her minister to sign this form;
  • 2.    a minister comes to the Classis because a church has delegated him, and this must be considered to be sufficient guarantee of the purity in doctrine of ‘that minister concerned, which also has been recognized by the National Synod of Homewood 1954, which decided not to demand from the delegates to express their agreement with the Three, Forms of Unity;
  • 3.    everything is done what reasonably can and may be done to a minister of the Word in the congregation of the Lord when a minister, at his ordination has answered in the, affirmative to certain well-defined, reformed questions, and in addition to this, also has signed a form in which he expresses his agreement with the Reformed confession.
  • On the ground of all this the big complaint of br Ter Mors is that Classis Alberta/Manitoba of the Canadian Reformed Churches has forsaken the foundation it must have, and have become contract-churches instead of being confession-churches; that in their judgments these churches are moving towards becoming a sectarian organization; and that they introduce the word of men as the Word of the Lord.

Synod considers

  • ad 1. That Br. Ter Mors wrongly states that the signing of the Three Forms of Unity by ministers is only a matter of the local church and not of Classis, since in Article 53 C.O. Classis is mentioned beside the consistory as a body which has the authority to suspend a minister who refuses ‘to sign the Three Forms of Unity; from which it appears that the signing of the Three Forms is also a matter of Classis;
  • ad 2. That Br. Ter Mors wrongly makes a comparison between the decision of the National Synod of Homewood 1954 in the matter of express agreement of the delegates with the Three Forms and the signing of the Three Forms at Classis by ministers of the classical district. The Regional Synod of the West rightly stated, in reply to the first conclusion of br Ter Mors in his letter of appeal to the Synod that with the signing at Classis the point is not “that at each Classis anew agreement with the confessional forms is expressed, but that it is an act to be done only once, to be done by ministers when they commence their service in a church in the classical district;
  • ad 3. That br Ter Mors wrongly states that with the signing of the Three Forms of Unity in the Consistory Article 53 C.O. has been complied with, since Article 53 C.O. includes the right of Classis itself to demand the signing or the Three Forms.

On the ground of the above Synod rejects

  • 1.    the objection of br Ter Mors that Classis Alberta/Manitoba exceeded its authority by requiring of ministers who are already attached to a local church that they shall sign the form adopted by Classis;
  • 2.    the complaint of br Ter Mors that Classis Alberta/ Manitoba has forsaken the foundation it must have, and have become contract-churches instead of being confession-churches; that in their judgments these churches are moving towards becoming a sectarian organization; and that they introduce the word of men as the Word of the Lord since in the requirement that ministers of the Word shall sign the Three Forms of Unity at a Classis a right of the Lord is administered with respect to the maintenance of the unity of faith within the bond of churches.”

[1] Translator: The expression “confession-churches” sounds odd in English but is precise, as the Dutch expression is to be distinguished from “confessional churches” and “confessing churches”.