Office Bearers

GS 1974 ARTICLE 146 – Contact with the Christian Reformed Church

The discussion on the Report of Advisory Committee III on the Contact with the Christian Reformed Church is continued.

This Report reads:

MATERIAL:

  • Agenda M 1 – Report Committee for contact with the Christian Reformed Church, appointed by General Synod 1971.
  • M 2 – Letter of the stated Clerk Christian Reformed Church. M 3 – Letter Mr. J. Gelderman, Burlington W, Ont.
  • M 4 – Letter Church at Brampton, Ont. M 5 – Additional report of Committee.
  • M 6 – Letter of Committee on Inter Church relations of Christian Reform­ed Church.
  • M 7 – Part of a letter of Deputees for correspondence of our Dutch Sister­ Church, Seer. Rev. P. Van Gurp (May 7, 1974)
  • M 8 – Summary of the discussion between Prof. J.H. Stek, representative of the Christian Reformed Church – and the Deputees of our Dutch Sister-Churches, held at Amersfoort, The Netherlands, March 30, 1974.

OBSERVATIONS:

  • 1. The Committee for contact with the Christian Reformed Church was appointed to investigate the possibilities of reaching union of the Churches in the unity of the true faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. (Acts General Synod Edmonton, 1965 Article 177 C. 1)
  • 2. The General Synod Orangeville, 1968 Article 134 concluded from the result of the investigations:
    • a. That the Conclusions of Utrecht 1905/1908 (and an official interpretation of 1962), which formed an obstacle for unity, have been removed.
    • b. That the obstacle of binding to the deliverances of Common Grace (1924) has been removed.
  • 3. General Synod Orangeville, 1968 also concluded that a major obstacle remained in the Christian Reformed Church’s relationship with the (Synodical) Gerefor­meerde Kerken in Nederland, and placed the matter of Correspondence in the center of the Committee’s mandate.
  • 4. General Synod New Westminster, 1971 continued this mandate with the instruction to discuss the matter of Church correspondence with the (Synodical) Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland until the position of the Christian Reformed Church has become clear.
  • 5. The mandate contained an instruction, if necessary, to send an urgent Christian appeal to the Christian Reformed Community in the same vein as (the first part of) the appeal 1962.

CONSIDERATIONS:

  • 1. The Synods 1970 and 1971 of the Christian Reformed Church had instructed their committee to inquire into – and evaluate recent theological trends in the (Synodical) Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, which could be regarded as an encouraging step toward the removal of the major obstacle of their Correspondence relationship.
  • 2. The Synod 1972 of the Christian Reformed Church decided to discontinue their committee for contact with The Canadian Reformed Churches.
  • 3. Synod 1974 of the Christian Reformed Church decided, in place of the existing “Sister-Church” and “Corresponding Church” relations, to establish one re­lationship to be designated “Churches in Ecclesiastical Fellowship”.
  • Thereby they abandoned the Rules of Correspondence which included the promise “to take heed mutually lest there be deviation from Reformed principles in doctrine, worship and discipline” and replaced them with a new relationship concept.
  • 4. Synod 1974 of the Christian Reformed Church decided, within this fellowship, to “pursue appropriate avenues of increased contact” with the (Synodical) Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland.
  • 5. The Synod 1974 of the Christian Reformed Church, having established the formula for this new relationship, declared that the specific mandate of 1970 and 1971, to inquire into recent theological trends in the (Synodical) Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, is fulfilled, although there is no evidence that the reasons for concern over these trends have been removed.

CONCLUSION:

The position of the Christian Reformed Church in the matter of Church Correspondence with the (Synodical) Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland has now been clearly settled and finalized.

It is evident that the Acts of Synod 1974 of the Christian Reformed Church show a decisive alteration of the rules, so that “a relationship” with the (Synodical) Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland is continued, while judgment on the faithful­ ness of these churches is suspended. Therefore no fruitful discussion with a view to reaching union with the Christian Reformed Church may be expected.

RECOMMENDATION:

Synod decide:

  • 1. to express its thankfulness to the Committee for the work it has done.
  • 2. to discontinue the contact with the Christian Reformed Church as until now was maintained by “the Committee on Contact with the Christian Reformed Church”.
  • 3. to appoint a Committee with the mandate:
    • a. to draft a Christian appeal and to send it to the Christian Reformed Community, taking into account the recent developments in the Christian Reformed Church.
    • b. to inform the Committee for Inter Church Relations of the Christian Reformed Church of our Address Church.

ADOPTED