Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/95

Contributor - Rev. Jim Moerman

Title - The Annual General Meeting of The Regional Synod of Canada: April 27-29, 1995

The President's Report

Topic - Regional Synod of Canada

INTRODUCTION

The Regional Synod of Canada consists of 49 organized churches, mission churches and new church developments; a mixture of established churches - many without mortgages and without young people - who are celebrating their 40th and 45th anniversaries, plus a substantial number of fledgling baby churches - many without facilities and without strong roots to endure times of trouble - who are presently wondering whether they will have a future at all.

In short, we are a Synod "at risk". Which is exactly the place that good things can start to happen.

BLESSED DESPERATION

Desperate men and women learn to pray desperately. That's good. Desperate men and women learn survival skills. That's good too. Desperate men and women are teachable. They learn to set aside tradition and look at things with different eyes. That's very good.

There seems to be a growing sense of desperation in the Synod. The founding fathers and mothers of the Synod are looking at themselves and their peers and saying "Help! We're 69 years old! Our church is a sea of grey heads! Our children have left the Reformed Church. Who's going to carry on the work of the Reformed Church in Canada once we're gone?"

THE WORK THEN AND NOW

'The Work' of the Reformed Church. What is 'The Work'? In reading the magazines from the 1950's, this was an oft-repeated phrase. "The Work" 'in Canada is moving forward." "'The Work" is going well. The Work. What exactly was 'The Work'? Clearly, it was the RCNs ministry in assimilating the ever-increasing tide of Dutch immigrants from the Ned. Hervormde Kerk during the late 1940's and all through the 1950's. To their credit, the RCA's Board of Domestic Missions did a superb job through the lives of men such as Rev. H. J. Zegerius, Rev. J. Blaauw, Rev. Russell J. Redeker, Dr. R. Vanden Berg and many others, including many highly motivated and gifted lay persons. The explosion of churches during those years was both a spiritual and statistical wonder: churches with 10%-20% annual growth rates were commonplace. In only ten short years of activity, by 1959, there were 31 churches with 3419 active members.

That was 'The Work' then. But what is 'The Work' now?

It seems that for decades now, the majority of our established churches have been wrestling with that question, wrestling with the memories of the Fabulous '50's, wrestling with how they can recover the excitement, the vision, the thrill of growing churches. "Maybe if we get a pipe organ like they have in Holland. Then...""If we can just get the choir up and running again. Then...' "If only Domine so and so was here. Then..." But in our hearts, we all know that the '50's are gone. They're to be remembered and celebrated, but they can never be recaptured.

And so, one of the primary tasks of our established churches is to re-define The Work.

REDEFINING THE WORK

The Work was really an expression of the Great Commission. Jesus reserved His most important words for His final moments on earth when He declared in Matthew 28 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age" (v. 18-20). The new disciples of Christ in the genesis of the Reformed Church in Canada were Dutch immigrants. And it was Great Commission work. New disciples were made. People were baptized and folded into the life of the Body of Christ. And as long as the immigrants came, 'the work' flourished.

But the new disciples of Christ in the '90's are very different. They are our adult children who've fallen away from the Lord; 9 our next door neighbour ("unchurched Harry/Sally"); - the single moms in the poor section of town; o new immigrants to Canada - Spanish, Chinese, Polish; * wounded and disenfranchised Christians from other fellowships ... and so on.

But this too is Great Commission work! And it is the very reason for our existence as local churches, as classes, and as a Regional Synod!

THE GREAT COMMISSION?

Back in the 1950's there was such an abundance of hope, vision and encouragement because the Great Commission was being fulfilled. New disciples were being made. New churches were being planted. Today, there is an oppressive heaviness and hopelessness in many of our churches largely because the Great Commission is not being fulfilled. The evidence for this hard statement is unmistakable. Since 1989, the CRCC-RSC group of churches has averaged just 135 confessions of faith per year, or an average of 3.4 CF's per congregation per year. Most of these, undoubtedly, are teenage and young adult children of believers. In terms of new converts and adult baptisms, since 1989 the CRCC-RSC group of churches has baptized a total of just 142 men and women, or an average of. 71 adult baptisms per congregation per year!

This is not simply a matter of reaping the fruit of covenant theology. Reformed theology is wonderful! It's a matter of failing to re-define The Work' and continue implementing the Great Commission in the context of the 1990's. For decades now we've ceased looking outward and spent far too much time and energy looking inward. Instead of reaching the unreached, liked caged hunting dogs, we've been turning on one another. With no birds to hunt, we nip, scrap and fight with each other about theology, styles of worship, suitable clothes, and salary grids.

The Great Commission has been replaced with garage sales and bike-a-thon fund-raisers. That's why we've been eating and eating but not being satisfied; we've been storing up and storing up but saving nothing; we've been planting and planting but not harvesting; we've been pressing olives but not enjoying the oil; we've been crushing grapes and crushing grapes but not drinking the wine; we've been working and working and working, but not seeing fruit on our labours.

RE-DEFINING "'THE WORK"

It's high time to re-define The Work, Synod-wide. It's high time to put our hand to the plow and do 'The Work'. It's high time to lead our churches back to the Great Commission. The people of the Synod of Canada are desperate enough to survive to go beyond their tradition and fulfil the mission of the Great Commission.

BEING RIGHT BEFORE DOING RIGHT

But it is necessary for us to BE right before we can DO right. This has been and should continue to be the function of 'Draw Near To God'. Some congregations are ready to implement the Great Commission immediately, and in fact, some have already been fulfilling it to varying degrees for years now. Their churches are warm, loving, contemporary expressions of the Kingdom of God where Jesus Christ is glorified and the people walk humbly with God and with one another. They are reasonably healthy and have a hope and a future.

But other congregations still need to do a great deal of James 4 work: "washing hands, purifying hearts, changing laughter into mourning and joy into gloom", breaking up the hardened, fallow ground of cold hearts where theological precision and the letter of the law has killed life, youth, worship, joy, unity and more. Foe some, 'the Work' is simply to be reconciled with one another, bearing with one another, forgiving one another, being clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience in their everyday living. For some, unless humility and repentance comes soon, their congregation will become a statistic of history. But with calling on God and a willingness to do whatever to do whatever He says in His Word, there is hope. This hope cannot be extinguished because God cannot be extinguished!

OUR NEW CHURCHES

What about our new churches? Our mission churches? Our new church developments? What about our new congregations without buildings and living on a shoestring budget who wonder whether they'll ever be able to move from the tabernacle to the Temple? These congregations are marvellous opportunities to see desperation in a laboratory.

One mission church has recently purchased a warehouse and converted it into a useable facility, leasing out office space upstairs to pay for the mortgage. Another mission church has befriended a brand new, multi-million dollar funeral home and is able to use that facility indefinitely on Sunday mornings - for free! A third mission church has purchased a house as a base of operation. A fourth has purchased land and has saved and borrowed funds to build soon.

Other new churches are in need of tangible help in order to secure a facility. This need, we pray, will be one of the exciting opportunities to 'do good to the family of believers" in the very near future.

CONCLUSION

So our hope is exclusively in drawing near to God. Psalm 145:18 proclaims that "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." Our hope will rise as we earnestly draw near to Him and wane as we casually move away from Him. It's really that simple. Some of our churches are getting desperate enough to do whatever it takes to survive: to pray like they've never prayed before; to be honest and unpretentious to the Lord as never before; to be humble before members of His body as never before; to wash hands and purify hearts like never before; to BE right and DO right like never before.

So --

Isaiah 35:

3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear, your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

This is the Glorious Hope for those who Draw Near To God.

Respectfully Submitted

Jim Moerman, President

Regional Synod of Canada, 1995

Discussion Questions Based on The 1995 Regional Synod of Canada President's Report

1. How would you characterize your church? Is it one of the "Established churches" celebrating their 40th or 45th anniversary that is mortgage-free and (largely) youth-free? Is it one of the "baby churches" of the Synod - without facilities and without many resources? Or does your church fit another category? Describe.

2. If what way, (if any) is your congregation "desperate"? Do you view this a blessed desperation or an unwanted desperation? What good things can you see coming out of this desperation?

3. According to Matthew 28:18-20, what is "the work" of The Church? How does Jesus statement compare with reality, i.e. your churches' work as you see it right now? In one or two sentences, define 'the work of your church as Jesus would like it define!

4. Would you say that the work of reaching out to Dutch immigrants performed by the Reformed Churches of Canada during the 1940's and 1950's was genuine 'Great Commission work? Why or why not? (Relate personal anecdotes if possible.) Can these 'glory days' be recaptured? How?

5. The President's report stated that "since 1989, the Reformed Churches of Canada have baptized a total of 142 adult men and women, or an average of .71 adult baptisms per congregation per year." What is your reaction?

6. Does your church look inward more than it looks outward? Why? What are the consequences of looking inward too much? In your view, does your church spend more energy on maintaining the Kingdom or on expanding the Kingdom? Where should the balance properly be?

7. Where are the next ten 'new disciples" that your church will reach, teach and baptize? In what ways is your church able to accommodate these babies? In what ways is your church a dangerous place for baby Christians to be? Discuss.

8. What are the essentials involved in "BEING RIGHT" for a local church? (See Ephesians 4:1-6 for a starting point). What are the essentials involved in 'DOING RIGHT" for a local church? (See Ephesians 4:7, 11-13 for a starting point).

9. Are you willing to re-define 'the work' of your church in terms of the Great Commission?

Report of the Draw Near To God Ad Hoc Committee

INTRODUCTION

"Draw Near To God", an eight-stop ministry tour calling the churches of the Regional Synod of Canada to repentance and humility in its relationships within the Body of Christ, was by the Grace and Goodness of God, a wonderful 'success". The most important definition of success, however, is "the glory of God". Was God glorified through Draw Near? A resounding YES.

A total of 985 people attended the eight services, with an estimated 300-400 people making a solemn vow before God that they would be seizing the first available opportunity to humble themselves before a brother/sister/group in the Body of Christ where there currently is a "wall of hostility". Much grace is about to be poured out!

(Note: there are 4180 members in the Regional Synod of Canada, so approximately 23% of the adult membership attended the events.)

PUBLIC REPENTANCE

As the tour progressed, more and more prayer participation was observed during the public repentance time following the delivery of the message and the songs of repentance. A Breakthrough on the tour came in Woodstock (Draw Near #3) when one of the Draw Near Team (retired dairy farmer and full-time intercessor Rick Timmer) interrupted the benediction to request a united prayer time. That's when even more of the Spirit's Presence came to an already beautiful service and people began to repent publicly. This spirit of humility continued with the services as the Tour continued across Canada.

RAISING A BANNER OF HOPE

It seemed that another of the positive benefits of Draw Near was that hope was stirred up among the hearts of the people. Hope for the future. Hope for the Reformed Church. Hope for their church. Hopelessness and despair hang over too many of our congregations but Draw Near To God seemed to push that oppression back somewhat. One elderly woman, a pioneer of the Reformed Church in Canada even publicly prayed to that effect. Others, in prayer and in personal conversation, spoke of their encouragement that this group of "young people" (average age = 35!) was travelling across Canada to bless the people of this Synod. Another elderly member specifically mentioned both her surprise and great pleasure that the Synod had "so many young pastors!"

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF PRAYER

There is no doubt that the primary reason the Draw Near meetings were such a wonderful success ... is prayer; an intercessor's guide was distributed already in January and some leaders began to earnestly pray; several days of prayer and fasting were set aside. Some fasted for the first time in their lives and commented on the positive effect on their prayers; o the intercessor's guide was incorporated into one of the Draw Near Bulletin Inserts so the opportunity to specifically pray could filter down to the grassroots; o some churches prayed publicly for Draw Near, beginning two months before the events began! Other churches added Draw Near to their intercessor's network. One church signed up a special SWAT-Team of nine intercessors.

- at one meeting, a couple prayed for four hours immediately prior to the start of their Draw Near meeting;

- one member of the Draw Near Team (Rick Timmer) came specifically to pray at and during the meetings;

- significant prayer gatherings were held immediately before each meeting, attended by the Draw Near Team and any one or two pastors from the area who went hunting for a prayer meeting.

A FOOTNOTE ON PRAYER

It is instructive to note that on the evening of April 02, 1995, Pastor Jim Moerman was invited to a congregation from another denomination and delivered the same Draw Near To God message (for the ninth time). There was virtually no positive response whatsoever from the congregation present in terms of commitments to humility. While a 30-40% response was the norm on the tour, only two people indicated a need to humble themselves at this meeting. Why the minimal response? No prayer.

Effective, serious prayer was the difference between failure and success on this risky venture.

UNITY IN THE SPIRIT

Unity in the Spirit is a powerful thing. The Draw Near To God campaign was a unity kick-starter. Unity in the Spirit is the beachhead from which all manner of good things can come. Draw Near picked up a golden rope in St. Catherines, carried it to Whitby, then to Woodstock, Winnipeg, across the prairies to Edmonton, down to Calgary, over the mountains to Surrey and on to Vancouver Island, tying this Synod together in love, unity and common purpose. In written evaluations from Area Directors, the unity and love that Draw Near built was an encouragement to many, particularly those in isolated geographical areas.

It was unfortunate, however, that about 7 of the churches chose not to participate at all.

THE FUTURE OF DRAW NEAR TO GOD

Should Draw Near be repeated? The Draw Near Ad Hoc Committee thinks so. Should Draw Near be identical in focus? No. Should the Draw Near Team be identical? Not necessarily. What is necessary now is to seek the Face of God for a new vision, a new Word that will help identify and eliminate another limiting factor that hinders this Synod from glorifying God in the way it can and should.

One of the best suggestions to come out of the feedback process is to open up future Draw Near tours to any Godly brother or sister in the entire Synod who would like to travel along (at their own expense) helping to carry this golden rope of love, unity and common purpose, arriving at each locale to bless one another, pray for one another and encourage one another! This will help make the bond of love and unity of purpose grow stronger still, to the Glory of our blessed Lord.

Isaiah 60

18. No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. 19. The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.. 20. and your days of sorrow will end. 21. Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendour

Respectfully submitted,

The Draw Near To God Ad Hoc Committee

Please click the "Back" button of your browser to return to previous page.