Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/91

Contributor - Scott Molebean

Title - Vitalization The Reformed Way?

Topic - Church Growth

It so happened that the other day I came across an eighty year old book to read. It is written by a minister who served churches in both the Netherlands and the United States, (ten years in the RCA). He was a full time pastor for sixty-three years when he was eighty-eight. Then he wrote this book. It is a brief recollection of his experiences as a minister of the Word of God. In one place he describes how, in his view, a denomination gets on the wrong track:

"The church in her endeavour has three purposes which stand in a certain relation to each other. The church may not let go of one of these three, nor may she change their order and place. Those purposes are GOD'S HONOUR, the SALVATION of people, and the EXTENSION of the church as institution. For the Reformed God's HONOUR comes first. Everything has to be directed to that, even if the other two would suffer because of that. The Lutheran church did lay the main emphasis on the SALVATION of people and that gave her in the days of the Reformation seemingly an advantage. But it was wrong and it finally led to inner weakening. And METHODISM has pushed the SALVATION emphasis so much to the extreme, that it becomes objectionable and sometimes even offensive for a full-blooded Reformed person. There God's HONOUR is not done right and that will avenge itself, (For those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed) I Samuel 2:30. Once the emphasis has been shifted from God's HONOUR to SAVING people the pressure keeps increasing to now shift this emphasis to the EXTENSION of the instituted church. And as soon as THIS PURPOSE becomes the main purpose of the efforts of the church, then the squeezing and twisting with the doctrine and with the lifestyle of the members begins until the church is no longer the church of Christ, but an association of people calling itself a Christian church, for now the EXTENSION and the honour of the denomination has become the all-important goal." (Lammert J. Hulst, DRIE EN ZESTING JAREN PREDIKER, = 63 YEARS A MINISTER, p.1 26, transl. S.M.).

Rev. Hulst is saying: When saving people becomes the main purpose of a church, then the goal of extending - increasing - the church is quick to take over first place. The emphasis is soon on the numbers game. The vitalization report (see Pioneer Christian Monthly, May 1991 "Revitalization Report" [pg. 1 31) contains a hint of this when it says that if a congregation is not going anywhere in numbers it is time for Classis to take a close look, and maybe take over and get it going once again When church growth becomes the (hidden) agenda, says Rev. Hulst, then soon it is made easier for people to enter the church. Then we do not ask any questions about Free Masonry. We keep quiet about keeping the Lord's Day. Then we forget about discipline in the congregation. Then we do not preach the full Reformed doctrine as set forth in the Confessions of the church. Then the church becomes much like a business trying to attract as many people as possible, while not turning them off by saying anything that might be offensive, or by being strong on the obedience of faith. Rev. Hulst reports that such motivations controlled the General Synod of the R.C.A. already in 1880 in refusing to take a consistent stand over against Free Masonry. It is so tempting to give a little here and to let go a little there, just to gain some more people to come to our churches or to keep them from leaving. When this happens however, the doctrine and the Biblically required lifestyle are "squeezed" and "twisted" until they are a far cry from what the Lord God has taught us. We are to stand for the truth. The truth is that the LORD JESUS CHRIST gathers His church: "And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed My voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd." (John 10:16) When the emphasis shifts from God's honour to the saving of people and church growth, then that is forgotten. For then it is no longer the Lord Jesus Christ who gathers His church but now people are to do it, especially the church leaders. Now it becomes man's work. When that happens the Reformed doctrine is gone: Good-bye, sovereignty of God and election from before the foundation of the world; Hello, free will and Methodism' When I read the vitalization report I am unable to shake the thought that perhaps the emphasis on God's honour is missing. I keep getting the distinct impression that the main goal is CHURCH GROWTH - the enlargement, the increase of the Reformed Church in Canada. I keep wondering how that old veteran of the Reformed faith, Rev' LammerL J. Hulst, would have reacted to this report. Meanwhile what is YOU , R first goal as a congregation of the REFORMED Church in Canada?

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