03 Aug GS 2010 art 43
GS 2010 Article 43 – Appeal from Attercliffe re: NAPARC
1. Material
Appeal from the Attercliffe consistory against the decision of Synod Smithers 2007 re: NAPARC (8.5.m).
2. Observations
- 2.1 Attercliffe appeals the decision of Smithers 2007 to join NAPARC.
- 2.2 Attercliffe received NAPARC’s “Golden Rule Comity Agreement” subsequent to Synod 2007 and believes that this document gives evidence of a defective, denominationalist view of Christ’s church.
- 2.3 Attercliffe received NAPARC’s “Agreement on Transfer of Members and Congregations” subsequent to Synod 2007 and believes that this document works with what it considers the invalid assumption that all member churches of NAPARC are in a relationship of EF.
- 2.4 Attercliffe is concerned that the “Agreement on Transfer of Members and Congregations” allows for geographically overlapping member churches without any sense that these churches ought to seek organic unity or EF.
- 2.5 Attercliffe states that had the implications of membership in NAPARC as set forth in the “Golden Rule Comity Agreement” and the “Agreement on Transfer of Members and Congregations” been known prior to Synod 2007, this would have “alerted the churches to the wrong consequences of NAPARC membership.”
- 2.6 Attercliffe objects to the word “distinctives” used in the CCCNA Report to Synod regarding NAPARC. Attercliffe asserts that the term “distinctive” may only be used to show how some churches are faithful in comparison to those which are not.
- 2.7 Attercliffe believes that the decision of Smithers to join NAPARC conflicts with Article 145 of Synod Cloverdale 1983, Article 144 of Synod Burlington 1986, Article 161 of Synod Winnipeg 1989 and Article 122 of Synod Lincoln 1992.
3. Consideration
The self-described “appeal” of Attercliffe is more like an overture than an appeal in that it challenges the decision of Smithers 2007 not in terms of the stated grounds of that decision but in terms of information that came to light subsequent to Synod 2007. For this reason, the appeal should be denied but the relevant content of Attercliffe’s submission can be considered along with other letters from the churches relating to the CCCNA Report on NAPARC.
4. Recommendation
That Synod decide to deny the appeal of Attercliffe.