Growing Toward A Common Decision
by Rev. Will Kroon

The making of decisions can be a troubling experience. It can polarize Christians; yes, it can cause divisions in the Body of Christ. However, decision making can also be an enriching adventure; it can bring the faithful to a new way of thinking.

During my years of graduate study in Holland in the sixties, I received the opportunity to be an observer on behalf of the RCA at an international church conference in the Netherlands. Delegates from various corners of the globe, including South Africa, Europe, the U.S.A, and several under-developed areas of the world, were meeting in the Netherlands. Most delegates represented conservative and right wing denominations belonging to the Reformed family of Churches. The agenda included topics such as Apartheid, race relations, Ecumenical Relations, and Women in Office.

Observing how these delegates interacted was an eye-opener. I had never seen as clearly as I did then that Church leaders, many of whom were professors, could hold such opposing points of view.

There was a great deal of compassionate debate. Occasionally, some unholy rhetoric was heard as some delegates attacked views held by others. The interactions were very lively, but somewhat intimidating. At least I felt that courage was necessary before entering into the arena of debate.

As I now reflect on that experience of some 30 years I ago, and on similar experiences since, I ask myself: "What did you learn from this experience? Could the decision making at that meeting have been more fruitful?"

The confrontational method used at that time had limited success. In fact, it led to greater polarization among the delegates. It also resulted in the creation of several minority reports.

One of the interesting observations made at that time came from a fellow observer, an elderly professor from Indonesia. At the closing of a heated debate, he said: " In our church in Indonesia, we don’t deal with issues that way. Our people share and grow toward their decisions." What he meant was that through listening, through the sharing of information and the asking of questions, not to omit prayer and reflection, the people grow toward a unified decision.

Biblical Examples

Immediately after our Lord returned to His Father on Ascension Day, His disciples were scattered in their thinking. Some of them talked about "going fishing"; others expressed a lack of understanding about the purpose of the Lord’s ministry. Furthermore, they were haunted by fear, and they must have held mixed feelings about the actions taken by Judas and Peter, prior to the crucifixion. They were ill prepared to take an united stand in regard to the future mission of the church. But then, a dramatic change took place. In the following 10 days, they grew together and were ready to make an unified response. Through prayer, sharing, and reminiscing, and through listening to each other’s stories, these individual believers grew into a unified body of believers. During that process, a new Apostle was chosen, and Peter’s position as a leader was reaffirmed. It was at the end of such a period of growth that God decided to pour out His Holy Spirit on those who were present.

However, as we continue with that biblical story, it soon becomes apparent that the strength of this unity was soon to be tested. Such a test took place when the Apostle Peter felt called to witness about his Lord at the home of Cornelius, the Roman Centurion. That decision was controversial. Such reaching out was unheard of at that time, and many believers were greatly disturbed by Peter’s actions. So much so that the Church was forced to take a stand on whether to approve or disapprove the reaching out to non-Jews. How did the Church come to this? Well, first of all we see that it took its time to make a decision. Then we notice that it took ample time to investigate what had happened. Peter was given the opportunity to explain why he had gone into the home of Cornelius. He was even permitted to take along the witnesses who could verify to the council what Peter’s preaching had meant to Cornelius and his family. Other accounts of New Testament decision making are also found in the Book of Acts.

What I want to say by this is that no hasty conclusions were drawn; the Church took the time to listen and to investigate before it made its decisions. It gave the people time to grow toward solutions that would be supported by the Church at large.

Furthermore, I share these examples for the leaders in our time are constantly dealing with the temptation to make important faith-related decisions in a hurry. Even at our classis and consistory meetings, we have a tendency to push things through before the items under discussion are properly explained and before the voters have the time to grow toward a common understanding. Such hasty decisions will eventually lead to a greater polarization among our people.

Let us be guided by our own teachings

When our Heidelberg Catechism came into being, its writers worked hard to give the common people a tool to understand the Word of God. They also worked hard to explain that our understanding of the Word of God affects our decision making. For instance, when they interpreted the biblical meaning of the Ninth Commandment, they pointed out that we are not " to twist anyone’s words (nor) be a gossip (nor) condemn anyone lightly without a hearing" but that we ought, as far as we are able, to "defend and promote (our) neighbour’s good name." (See Lord’s Day 43.)

These insights, which are taught in our catechism, are extremely relevant in our time, when "spin doctors" and clever lawyers are hired to twist the truth and to black-mail those who bring out pertinent information.

Other Points to consider

I often wander how our elders (and deacons) feel when they are called upon to make decisions about matters that they do not fully understand, as is at times the case at our meetings of classis and at consistories. It is unreasonable to expect that they happen to be informed about all items on the agenda. There is a need for more input, and there is a need for sufficient time to digest newly acquired information. Furthermore, there is a need for a greater awareness that we need each other’s input. No one has all the pieces of the puzzle, and we need to draw on each other’s gifts to put the puzzle together.

Understanding the need for sharing

When the great Apostle Paul explained that we are members of the Body of Christ and need each other to be able to make use of all the spiritual gifts, he used an example that applies to us here. We all have different gifts. Furthermore, we have our limitations as to what we see and hear, and these limitations effect our decision making. For instance, I believe that how we see things depend on some or all of the following:

l. On our gifts of knowledge. Some of our members have acquired a great deal of knowledge through the experiences of life, through study, reading, and interaction. They are faster in making complex decisions than those who lack the information.

2. Persons who have prophetic gifts often see things long before others see problems on the horizon, or recognize signs of hope and encouragement before others do. They are the visionaries. On the other hand, we know that people who have gifts of compassion may recognize incidents of injustice and signs of a need that go unnoticed by those around them. When some hear a rendition of Handel’s Messiah, they are moved to tears while others barely respond to this beautiful piece of music.

3. Leaders, who have been molded by the experiences of life, or who have been in the Lord’s work for many years, tend to be a great deal more compassionate than those who are just beginning in their ministry. Examples of this are evident in the lives of Moses, Paul, and John, to name only a few.

4. When leaders experience anger, jealousy, or a hardening of the hearts, they see things accordingly. They only tend to see the negative and ignore all that is good. Jesus complained about this when he said: "Because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." Matt. 13:13) On the other hand, those who are guided by love recognize human worth that others overlook, as we see in the Parable of the prodigal son.

What I want to point out is that we all have our limitation in seeing things and that we need time to sort out what we have heard from others. After we have been with those who express different points of view and understand where they are coming from, we tend to become more objective in our thinking. Then we are better prepared to look through the rhetoric, the stuttering, and the grandstanding, as well as through the biases in people’s thinking, and pick out what is relevant and true. It will help us to grow toward more unified decision making.