10 Aug GS 1992 art 122
GS 1992 ARTICLE 122 – Appeal of the Church at Abbotsford, BC re Acts General Synod Winnipeg 1989
Committee III presents: Agenda item VIII D17
I. MATERIAL
Letter from the church at Abbotsford, BC re Acts General Synod 1989, Article 161.
II. OBSERVATION
The church at Abbotsford, BC claims that “changing ‘Apostles Creed’ to ‘confession’ in the second question in the form for Baptism and in the form for Public Profession of Faith was illegally dealt with by previous Synods.” The ground adduced is “that the change in the above named forms has never been dealt with by any minor assembly, as per what is required in the last paragraph of Church Order Article 30.”
III. CONSIDERATIONS
- A. The church at Abbotsford, BC is mistaken when it states that the forms for Baptism and Public Profession of Faith used to speak of the “Apostles’ Creed.” In fact, these forms spoke of “articles of the Christian faith.”
- B. The church at Abbotsford, BC wrongly concludes that this change in the wording of the forms is a matter of the minor assembly since the forms in our Book of Praise are a matter of the churches in common.
- C. General Synod 1977 mandated the Committee for Liturgical Forms to update the language of the forms in the Book of Praise. Subsequent Synods have maintained that the resulting change from “articles of the Christian faith” to “confessions” was a linguistic revision. This is not a matter which has to be initiated at the minor assembly.
IV. RECOMMENDATION
Synod decide not to accede to the request of the church at Abbotsford, BC.