Office Bearers

GS 1971 ARTICLE 82 – Revision Church Order

Committee IV present

Material –  Agenda 8

T, 6 – Report of  “Committee on the Revision of the Church Order”, appointed by Synod 1968.

Information

The Committee on the Church Order informs Synod that there is a difference of opinion within the Committee, appointed by General Synod 1968 (Acts, art. 179), regarding the interpretation of the mandate given by Synod 1968:

  • a.  just a correction as to the wording and outdated expressions and institutions?
  • b.  or a general revision?

The Committee requests Synod to continue the Committee and to further define the mandate and the authority of this Committee.

Observations

  • 1.  The mandate of Synod Orangeville 1968 was:
    • “a. to improve the wording of the draft-translation wherever necessary;
    • b. to revise the Church Order where such revision would profit the Churches (Art. 86 C.O.)”
  • 2. Revision of the Church Order has been on the table of the General Synods since 1954:
    • a.  Synod 1954 stated the necessity of revision of the Church Order with regard to the “special Canadian situation” (Acts, art. 94) and took decisions.
    • b.  Synod 1958 dealt with proposals of revision regarding nineteen articles of the Church Order. (See Acts, art. 60, 61, 72)
    • c.  Synod 1968 discussed an overture of Regional Synod East, Sept. 1968, to appoint a Committee with the mandate: a general revi­sion of the Church Order.
  • The grounds for this overture (“without pretending to be exhaustive”) were:
    • 1. several articles (5 mentioned) need corrections;
    • 2. several  (ten  are  mentioned)  should  be  changed;
    • 3. some  (four are  mentioned)  “could  be dropped”;
    • 4. additions might be advisable (seven were suggested)
    • 3.  Disagreement within the Committee may have been caused by the somewhat ambiguous character of the  mandate, mentioned before:
      • a.  on the one hand: “improve the wording of the draft-translation”
      • b.  on the other hand: “revise the Church Order”.
    • We observed that the Committee in its report presents itself with a name different from the one given to this Committee by Synod 1968:
      • –     not “Committee on Translation and Revision Church Order.” (Art. 180, e)
      • –     but “Committee on the Revision of the Church Order”
    • Does this mean that “improving the draft-translation” has been com­pleted? Committee IV is under the impression, that the Committee, ap­pointed by Synod 1968 came to the conclusion:
  • if a (general) revision was meant, there is not much sense in spending energy on the present draft-translation.

Considerations

  • 1.  Art. 86 C.O. states –  not only that “these articles may”, but –  that they “ought to be altered, augmented or diminished, if the profit of Churches demand it.”
  • 2.  This “ought” needs to be stressed in order to prevent the danger that a partly outdated Church Order might undermine its own authority in the Churches.
  • 3.  It will be “to the profit of the churches” (Art. 86 C.O.) to have a Church Order that is clear, straightforward, understandable for everyone and in all its parts applicable to the life of the Churches.
  • 4.  This “ought” thus understood, implies that a revision should not be limited to the correction of some outdated expressions, but should be realized in a general revision as suggested to the Gen­eral Synod 1968 by Regional Synod-East and decided upon by this Synod. (Art. 179 2,b)
  • 5.  Such a general revision has to fully preserve the Reformed character of the Church Order in its present form.
  • 6.  A Committee, preparing such a general revision, should have the authority to propose changes “even there where also in the past no proposals have been received.’” (Report Committee)
  • 7.  Because of the extent of such a mandate, a definite target-date should not be set.
  • However, the Churches should be kept informed about the progress of the work.
  • 8.  In the meantime the Churches maintain the Church Order as pre­sently worded in the “draft-translation” provisionally adopted by General Synod 1968.

Recommendations

  • 1.  Synod continue the “Committee on the Revision of the Church Order”, appointed by General Synod 1968.

Ground:

The mandate given in 1968, has not been completed.

ADOPTED

Synod decide to give the following, more specific mandate to this Committee:

  • a.  to undertake a general revision of the presently adopted Church Order, as much as “the profit of the Churches demand it” (Art. 86 C.O.), with preservation of the Reformed character of this Church Order; paying special attention to suggestions, submitted in the past by Churches and major assemblies concerning change, correction, updating and/or deletion of articles, as well as profitable ad­ditions.

Grounds:

  • (a.) Art. 86 C.O. requires that the Churches consider whether “these articles … ought ‘to be altered, augmented or di­minished” for “the, profit of the churches”.
  • (b.) several overtures presented to previous General Synods have not been dealt with, but were included in the man­ date given by Synod 1968 (Acts, art. 179, sub 2 b and 3)

ADOPTED

  • b.  to keep the churches informed from time to time of provisional results, so that constructive criticism from the churches may be expected and digested.

ADOPTED

  • c. to report to the next General Synod on the progress of the work.

ADOPTED