Office Bearers | GS 2001 art 36

10 May GS 2001 art 36

Posted at 13:05h in CanRC, GS 2001 by Roy Janssen

GS 2001 Article 36 – CRCA: Presbyterian Church in Korea

Committee 3 presented its proposal with respect to the PCK.

1. Material

1.1. Report of the Committee on Relations with Churches Abroad regarding the Presbyterian Church in Korea (PCK).
1.2. Letters from the Churches at Burlington-Ebenezer and Willoughby Heights.

2. Admissibility

The letters from Burlington-Ebenezer and Willoughby Heights are declared admissible because they deal with the report of the CRCA, which was sent out to the churches.

3. Observations

3.1. The report of the CRCA re the PCK, which is included as an appendix in the Acts, serves as Observations.
3.2. The CRCA recommends that synod decide to:
- 3.2.1. Conclude that the matter of exchange of professors had been sufficiently dealt with but this point was inadvertently overlooked in the report to Synod 1998.
- 3.2.2. Mandate the committee to continue to pursue the questions concerning the fencing of the Lord’s supper and confessional membership.
- 3.2.3. Continue ecclesiastical fellowship with PCK under the adopted rules.
3.3. The Church at Burlington-Ebenezer submitted two letters to Synod. In its first letter of September 10,2000,Ebenezer points out that the mandate to the CRCA did not include a decision by the same Synod, “To include in the mandate of the CRCA a further investigation of the practices regarding the fencing of the Lord’s supper and confessional membership in the PCK and report to the next Synod.” Ebenezer requests Synod Neerlandia to include this instruction in the mandate of the CRCA if the committee has not already taken note of this intention of Synod Fergus. In its second letter, the Church at Burlington-Ebenezer recommends that Synod instruct the CRCA to discontinue contact with the PCK if no meaningful correspondence can be established over the next three years.
3.4. The Church at Willoughby Heights recommends that Synod mandate the CRCA to inform the PCK, that should there be no improvement in communications, cessation of the relationship would have to be considered.

4. Considerations

4.1. The CRCA points out that Synod Fergus considered that there was no evidence in the committee report that the mandate to investigate the suggested exchange of professors between Hamilton and Pusan was fulfilled. The committee shows from its minutes that the matter was discussed. It also noted that, for instance, Prof. Dr. J. Faber visited Korea in August/September, 1998. Thus it appears that the committee had dealt with and investigated the matter of professor exchange as mandated by Synod Abbotsford 1995.
4.2. ]The Churches at Burlington-Ebenezer and Willoughby Heights are correct in stating that there is no meaningful communication with the PCK and no response to our enquiries. Our committee also regrets this lack of communication and response. This has also prevented our committee from learning about the PCK’s practice with respect to fencing the Lord’s supper and the matter of confessional membership. However the committee evaluates this regrettable situation with an important consideration, as we see in 6.4.2 of the CRCA Report, “From the information provided it is hard for us to determine exactly what is transpiring in Korea. With a view to cultural and language differences perhaps this is all we can expect. However, with a view to the churches having an awareness of the Lord’s work in that part of the world filled with its false religions, it is important to maintain the relationship.” With this in mind, our churches should not be too quick in discontinuing contact. At the same time, in line with the recommendation of Willoughby Heights, it would be good to let the PCK know that a lack of communication is preventing a meaningful relationship.
4.3. It is known from the secretary of the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC) that four PCK delegates will be attending the ICRC in Philadelphia in June 2001.Two members of the CRCA committee are also delegated to this ICRC meeting. This would seem an opportune time to discuss communication issues with the PCK and open the channels for discussing further the matters of fencing the Lord’s supper and confessional membership.
4.4. Regarding the request of the Church at Burlington-Ebenezer about the mandate of the CRCA to make a further investigation of the practices regarding fencing the Lord’s supper and confessional membership, it is noted that the committee understood the intention of Synod Fergus and included this as part of their mandate.

5. Recommendations

Synod decide:

5.1. That the matter of the exchange of professors has been dealt with sufficiently.
5.2. To provide the CRCA with the following mandate:
- 5.2.1. To seek contact with the PCK delegates who are attending the ICRC in Philadelphia with a view to opening the lines of communication;
- 5.2.2. To discuss the questions concerning the fencing of the Lord’s supper and confessional membership.
5.3. To continue the relationship of ecclesiastical fellowship with PCK under the adopted rules.
5.4. Not to follow at this time the recommendations of the Churches at Burlington-Ebenezer and Willoughby Heights regarding discontinuing or considering a discontinuation of contact with the PCK, but to communicate to the PCK that a lack of communication is preventing a meaningful relationship.

The following amendment was proposed and seconded:

Add to Considerations: “At the same time numerous Synods have consistently declared that the differences between the Westminster Standards and the Three Forms of Unity are not impediments to ecclesiastical fellowship but need to be discussed within the bounds of it. A listing of such differences can be found in the Acts of Synod New Westminster, 1971,Appendix, pp 64 – 71; and Synod Burlington, 1986, pp 142-151. “Permanent contact in the unity of true faith and continual discussion of divergencies may express the catholicity of the Church of God and enrich the body of Christ by the grace of the Holy Spirit, until we all attain to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Acts 1986,p.151).
Add to the Recommendations: “To await and, where feasible, make use of opportunities to discuss the existing differences in confession and church polity as noted in Consideration 4.5.”

The amendment was adopted.

The amended proposal was adopted as follows: