Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/93

Contributor - John Opmeer

Title - A Reformed Synod Of Canada- Historic Vote In Vancouver

Topic - Reformed Church In Canada

It took only ten minutes to deliver this baby. But labour pains began several years ago, and the pregnancy itself lasted some 20 years!

As the historic vote took place on June 7th, the first day of the General Synod, memories flooded my mind. When I arrived in Canada in 1956, the few scattered Reformed congregations had been assigned to no less than nine different U.S. Classes. There simply was no Canadian identity, apart perhaps from the office of the Canadian director of the Board of Domestic Missions, filled by an American minister! But soon the Pioneer was born. Working with scarce resources, it kept alive the contacts between the widely scattered, fledgling congregations from British Columbia to Ontario, and provided at least a modicum of input on matters of Canadian identity.

As the years went by and the flow of immigrants became a trickle, congregations tended to turn inward. Several times during that period, we came close to losing a sense of national vision. Then, in September 1972, it all came together, in Hamilton. At a meeting of R.C.A. Canadian leaders, the question was raised once more: How do we want to be present in Canada? That was a question of vision. I wrote at the time, in a letter to the Canadian churches: "At the (Hamilton) meeting. - .. a direction was set which, if approved by the churches and Classes involved, will, by the grace of God, be used to UNIFY and STRENGTHEN the overall presence and ministry of our churches (in Canada)." It was proposed that a small, representative Council should be created for our Canadian churches by January 1, 1974.

The Council, significantly called the Council of the Reformed Church in Canada, was formed in 1973. 1 have vivid memories of the founding meeting. I had hoped and promoted that the Council would be given a mandate to deal with the unique, national presence required in Canada. As it turned out, that was premature. As a result, the new Council was destined to be an interim body, confined to matters of advice and coordination, and waiting for a future structure that would tit in with the way the R.C.A. operates.

Soon, the Rev. Cor Bons, the first 'field secretary' of the C.R.C.C., introduced the concept of the "emerging Synod of Canada". That was 1981. Nine years later, knowing that the 1993 General Synod would providentially be held in Canada, the All-Canada Leadership Conference set its sight on the Vancouver Synod as goal for the birth of the regional Synod of Canada.

And so, the historic vote took place in Vancouver. Historic in terms of the past. But was the vote also historic in terms of the future?

Only God knows the answer. But let me make two observations:

1. Yes, historic in the sense that we finally will be where we wanted to be in 1974 and before: with a mandate to make decisions in and for Canada; able, structurally, to unify and strengthen the overall presence and ministry of our churches in Canada. Ready or not, the birth was inevitable. You can only "emerge" for so long! We have a vision for our churches in Canada, and for the nation, that is unique in the R.C.A. We are the Reformed Church in Canada. Our Synod will not just be a regional Synod. It will be a national Synod.

2. At the same time, the Synod of Canada will be a baby! A premature baby perhaps, according to some, but a baby in any case. It needs all the nourishment and support it can get in order to grow and "increase in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52). It will be a minimal Synod for a while, hopefully making up in vision for what it necessarily will lack yet in structure, strength, experience and finances. Let not the churches or the Classes put unrealistic expectations on the baby Synod. The only way for the baby to learn to walk is to let it crawl first! I pray that people of vision and faith will make up the Synod, for we need leadership. Administrative skills are helpful, but we don't want to major on the minors. We don't need nor want a top-heavy structure. We need vision: biblical, creative and practical.

The motto of the province of Zeeland in The Netherlands, which lies below sea level, is Luctor et Emergo - "I struggle and emerge". We have struggled and now are emerging as a national Synod within the setting of the R.C.A. That is historic and cause for thanksgiving in the context of the denominational setting. But let's keep perspective. Our real struggle and victory, together with the rest of the Body of Christ in Canada has to do with the struggle for the soul of Canada, The devil has thrown down his gauntlet. He is reaching aggressively for the soul of Canada. Our nation is in such trouble, on every front, that no political agenda, not even a Christian political agenda, can make more than a dent! We need a visitation from on high! Nothing else will do. I pray that the Synod of Canada, by way of biblical vision, planning and responsible stewardship of resources will help our existing and newly-to-be planted congregations to be actively involved in waiting for and hastening the sure to come, first ever, national revival in Canada.

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