04 Oct GS 1980 art 154
GS 1980 ARTICLE 154 – Overture – Church at Surrey
A. Material – Agenda VIII, H, 4 –
Letter from the Church at Surrey re: relationships with other Churches.
B. Observations
- 1. The Church at Surrey, B.C. requests “that Synod, by means of a new or existing committee (such as the Committee on Contact with the O.P.C. or the Committee for Correspondence with the Sister-Churches Abroad)
- a) examine the question whether seeking a relationship of correspondence (with all that this implies) with the O.P.C. and possibly other churches standing in a different tradition is really necessary, realistic and to the advantage of all parties concerned, and
- b) study the feasibility of having another, less comprehensive relation ship (i.e. a relationship different from correspondence) with the O.P.C. and possibly other churches of our Lord such as the Koryu-pa which stand in a different tradition.”
- 2. The Church at Surrey gives as grounds for its request the following considerations:
- d) “that correspondence, in so much as it entails exercising the rules specified above, is a very close relationship and a very demanding one which almost certainly requires a similar historical development, similar reformational confessions and similar church polity practices and structures;
- e) that the exercise of correspondence between our sister-churches in Australia and The Netherlands (two church federations in the same tradition) with the Presbyterian Church in Korea (a church federation of a different tradition) furnishes ample proof that it is exceedingly difficult to do justice to the rules for correspondence with foreign churches who do not belong to the same historical, ecclesiastical, confessional tradition;
- f) that part of these difficulties relate to linguistic, social, cultural and geographical factors;
- g) that notwithstanding these difficulties ii is still desirable to have contact with faithful churches of our Lord Jesus Christ in other parts of the world in order to lend mutual support to one another, to expand the missionary activity of Christ’s church and to testify to the catholic character of Christ’s church.”
C. Considerations
- 1. The oneness and unicity of the Catholic Church implies the calling of the Churches, which recognize one another as true Churches, to support one another mutually, to the best of their ability, not in the least in the matter of taking heed of one another’s faithfulness to the Word of God.
- 2. The oneness and unicity of the Catholic Church must find Scriptural expression in the common proclamation of the death of the Lord at the Lord’s Supper (one bread, one body).
- 3. It is not proven that the differences mentioned in the considerations of the Church at Surrey sub d, e, f, and g are Scriptural impediments to a relationship as regulated in our rules for correspondence and as practiced, for Instance, between the sister-churches In Holland and the Korean Presbyterian Church.
- 4. Rules for permanent interchurch relations must be dictated by Scripture and not by reality, like the differences existing between the Churches; however, these Scriptural rules should be applied realistically, to the best of the Churches· ability.
- 5. Adoption of different rules expressing different degrees of closeness to various Churches would lead to an undesirable distinction between Churches which are all equally true Churches of the Lord Jesus Christ.
D. Conclusions
- 1. There is no reason to establish a different form of permanent ecclesiastical relationship with other Churches in the world than as regulated in the rules for correspondence.
- 2. These rules can be applied realistically according to the circumstances, like the lesser or greater degree of difference between the Churches.
E. Recommendation
Synod decides not to accede to the request of the Church at Surrey.