Office Bearers

GS 1983 ARTICLE 116 – lnterchurch Relations Committee of  the Council of the Christian Reformed Churches in Canada

Committee Ill presents:

A.  MATERIAL – Agenda K, 1

The Council of the Christian Reformed Churches in Canada re appoint a contact committee.

B.  OBSERVATIONS

  • 1.  The lnterchurch Relations Committee of the CCRCC “enters into conversations with other denominations based in Canada” and the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church “has agreed to our request that we approach you within the restricted terms of Council’s committee.”
  • 2.  The Committee  further states that theirs is a “new and Canadian initiative, with a new focus” and adds “given that there are issues that have kept our denomina­tions apart, which issues it is not our task to resolve since we are only a seg­ment of the Christian Reformed denomination. nevertheless we question seriously whether these issues absolve us from the calling to seek contact with the Cana­dian Reformed Churches In short. the lnterchurch Relations Committee of the CCRCC desires to begin informal discussions with a committee of your appointing.”

C.  CONSIDERATIONS

  • 1. Synod 1972 of the Christian Reformed Church decided to discontinue the Con­ tact Committee with the Canadian Reformed Churches, and assured “the Cana­dian Reformed Churches of its willingness to continue discussion with them in the future. whenever they feel conditions will be conducive for a fruitful exchange” ( Acts 1977. Coaldale, Art. 77. Cons. 3).
  • 2.  In the past the Canadian Reformed Churches have appointed a committee for contact with the Christian Reformed Church with the mandate to speak about specific obstacles. As a result, a number of obstacles were removed; however, the main obstacle. which is the relationship between the Christian Reformed Church and the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (Synodical-GKN), remains to this day.
  • 3.   The IRC of the CCRCC in its letter states that ii is not able to deal with issues that keep our “denominations” apart, and that they are more interested in hav­ing informal discussions; hence it would be impossible to deal with the main obstacle as well as other obstacles that may have arisen in the meantime be­ tween our respective Churches.

D.  RECOMMENDATION

Synod decide:

Not to enter into informal discussions with the lnterchurch Relations Committee of the Council of the Christian Reformed Churches in Canada.

ADOPTED