Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/87

Contributors - John Opmeer, Henry Van Essen, Bastiaan Nederlof (CRC)

Title - Joint Conference RCA-CRC History of RCA-CRC in Canada

Topic - Church in Canada< Christian Reformed Church

A conference jointly sponsored by the Councils of the RCA in Canada and the CRC in Canada was held at the Reformed Church Centre at Camp Shalom on November 2 and 3, 1987. In later issues we hope to report to you on the actual conference. This month we offer you the three papers on the history of the RCA and CRC in Canada. The Rev. Bastiaan Nederlofhas written about the CRC, Rev. John J. Opmeer about the RCA in Western Canada, and Rev. Henry Van Essen about the R CA in Ontario. These papers were made available to the delegates and were used as background information. We hope you will find them informative too.

The Reformed Church in Western Canada by Rev. John J. Opmeer

Historical Background:

The history of the Reformed Church in Western Canada goes back to the early part of this century, when Classis South Dakota organized two congregations in rural Alberta: Monarch in l9O9, and Alderson (later known as DogPound, Cochrane and Bottrell) in 1912. In 1944, Classis Cascades organized a Reformed Church in Edmonton, but this congregation was disbanded two years later. The experience of the RCA in Canada was entirely limited to contacts with former RCA members from the U.S.A.

When the first wave of Dutch Reformed immigrants hit Canada, the RCA had no contacts to fall back on. Moreover, the "sending" church, the Netherlands Reformed Church, directed all its emigrating members to the United Church of Canada. During the spring and summer of 1948, Dr. J. J. Stam of the Netherlands Reformed Church, at the invitation of the United Church of Canada (UCC), made a trip across Canada in order to facilitate the absorption of the Dutch Reformed immigrants in the UCC. During July he visited the West. At the conclusion of his trip, Dr. Stam observed that there was a great need for Dutch-speaking ministers, and he asked the Netherlands Reformed Church for help. It was his expectation that, after an initial period of settlement, the Dutch would feel at home in the UCC. This opinion was not shared by the majority of the Dutch Reformed who looked longingly to the Christian Reformed immigrants who had their own churches. As it became obvious that the UCC could provide only minimal services and also it was too "light" for most of the Dutch immigrants, many of the latter started joining the Christian Reformed Church, which had clear intentions of becoming a Canadian church. Other started meeting in groups independent from the UCC, including Edmonton and Wetaskiwin in Alberta.

During 1948, contacts were established between such groups in Ontario and the RCA in Michigan. Soon after the Board of Domestic Missions of the RCA appointed a field director for Canada, the Rev. Jacob Blaauw. To my knowledge, the first trip undertaken by the director to the West took place in 195 1. Later that year, the Rev. W. H. VanderMeer, originally of the UCC, was appointed as Western Canadian director of immigration for the RCA. In April of 1952, he began worship services in Edmonton. The next month, services were started in Lethbridge and in July the same happened in Calgary. Toward the end of 195 2, services were started in Vancouver, in the home of a lay leader. Before long, ten of these groups were organized as congregations of the RCA, Classis Cascades: six in Alberta and four in British Columbia.

As can be seen from the Statistical Table (see Appendix), the work grew rapidly during the rest of the 1950s, as immigrants poured in and were directed, no longer to the UCC, but to the RCA, where available. Most immigrants experienced culture shock upon arrival and were in great need of the security and help offered by the often overworked pastors and others. The churches were homogeneous groups in the sense of background in the Netherlands Reformed Church, language and pressing needs. They served both as spiritual home and as welfare centres, providing practical help in settlement, job search and transportation. As long as the immigrants kept coming in great numbers, all energies were focussed on the immediate needs, and few concerned themselves with long-range goals.

Adjustment Problems

As elsewhere in Canada, the Western churches had to cope with a host of problems typical of congregations thrown togther rather quickly and made up a very divergent membership. City and country folk, orthodox and liberal, professionals and blue collar workers all found themselves together in the fledgling churches. The adjustment was made more difficult by the lack of experienced leadership. Moreover, there often was a lack of commitment to Jesus Christ. Unlike the Van Raalte immigration in the mid- 1800s, the motive for the exodus from the Netherlands was secular, not religious. People came to church for all kinds of reasons. The absence of personal commitment to Jesus on the side of many has affected church life in the RCA in Canada significantly for at least the first 15 years!

In the Western churches, an additional problem was the enormous distance from the centres of immigration activity in Ontario. The isolation was felt most in Alberta, augmented by the severe winters and greater distances between the churches, especially Edmonton. This has tended to make the Western churches more open to local co-operation and somewhat less dependent on the RCA. No doubt the isolation played a role in the eventual transfer of two Western congregations to other denominations: Edmonton First to the UCC in 1957, and Lethbridge to the PCC in 1970. No such development took place in Ontario, to my knowledge.

Toward the end of the 1950s, as immigration started to decline, the more long-range concerns began to come into focus. The B.D.M. had undertaken the work in Canada not out of expansionist zeal - as some suspected the CRC - but because there was a major need. There had been a great lack of clarity as to the long-range implications. There was no vision for the future! The RCA was not yet committed to stay in Canada, feeling slightly guilty for being there in the first place. The door was left open for the Dutch immigrants, once settled, to transfer to the UCC or PCC. Some leaders began to promote such direction. Others resisted it. The discussion slowly on heated up, particularly in the West, where there were only a few scattered and very isolated congregations.

Eventually, the matter was settled at the all-Canada workshop held in Hamilton, Ontario in 1959. It was not surprising that the West - led by some able spokesmen became the leading voice for joining the Presbyterian Church. This view, however, did not prevail, as others in the West and most in Ontario favoured staying with the RCA. Thus, the presence of the RCA in Canada was set. Its course, however, was another matter! A small number of mostly struggling scattered congregations, belonging to an American denomination, with primary focus on ministering to new immigrants, had to be forged into a new mould, shifting away from the past and fashioning a vision for the future.

Churches in Transition

The original churches are all experiencing the challenges, pressures and pitfalls of transition, but to varying degrees. The rural, pre-war congregation of Monarch probably experienced the least transition; the urban congregations (Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver) the most. Transition and shift is reflected in many ways.

1. The Canadianization of our Congregations:

Slowly on, our Dutch Reformed congregations are beginning to emerge out of this isolation as ethnic churches. Especially the urban churches are rapidly losing their homogeneity. Although in the three "mother" churches the Dutch still dominate in leadership as well as membership, increasingly the second generation is taking over, and also other ethnic backgrounds are becoming represented. This process has perhaps gone further in the Western churches, which are mostly urban, than in Ontario which has a higher proportion of rural churches which tend to be more homogeneous. (It would be worthwhile to take a survey to ascertain some of these figures.)

These trends, which are inevitable, do not necessarily affect the spiritual direction of the churches. They simply mark the loss of a specifically "Dutch" cultural heritage and the Canadianization of our congregations.

2. The "Greying" of our Original Congregations

The congregations that were founded in the 1950's tended to be in the older, residential areas. In the urban areas, they have experienced a constant drain of their young adults to the suburbs. This lengthened the lines of transportation to the church buildings, often to the breaking point. In Vancouver and Calgary, second churches have absorbed a number of these young families. In Edmonton, the older congregation disbanded entirely and the Emmanuel church moved to the suburbs itself. Surrey and Abbotsford are in major growth areas and have been less affected by a loss of their younger members.

There is no doubt that in all the original congregations the average age of the members has increased markedly from the "pioneer" days, when it may have been under 30 years in some cases. The "greying" trend has led to strong ministries among "Golden-agers", but also to a greater burden for frequent home visitation. Where the original membership dominates, there is usually a tendency to press for worship styles that reflect the past, often leading to a further loss of younger members. Unless this trend is reversed, through spiritual renewal and innovative programs and worship styles, it will lead to a decline the membership of these congregations, following the pattern of many "aging" Canadian churches.

3. Lay Leadership

A significant shift is taking place in our churches, including the West, from the almost exclusive spiritual leadership of the domine to a more shared leadership. Contributing factors in this trend are a better understanding of the biblical model of plural leadership, and the higher educational qualifications of our younger lay leaders.

This trend bodes well for the overall ministry strength of our congregations. It also emphasizes the need for a greater focus on minister and leadership training for our churches. Such could be offered by the CRCC, by the RCA as a whole, or on the local level in co-operation with other denominations and agencies.

4. Philosophy of Ministry

Another positive trend is that almost all churches in the West have by now formulated some philsophy of ministry. I am uninformed as to the extent of this in Ontario.

With few exceptions, the Western churches have experienced a shift in their understanding of what kind of churches they perceive themselves to be, or would like to be. There is a de-emphasis of the past. We are no longer thinking Of ourselves as the spiritual home for immigrants. The Dutch language has almost totally disappeared from official church life and with it various "Dutch" emphases, such as celebration of Ascension Day, Lord's Supper around the table, St. Nicolas on December 5th, and a major service on New Year's Eve.

In many of our churches, the strong involvement of elders in an annual house visitation is giving way to other forms of pastoral care, such as home fellowships.

Philosophies of ministry also tend to reflect the growing awareness that we are in Canada for more than the Dutch. Ethnic churches have little future, unless the flow of immigrants continues. At the same time, unless we genuinely open up to the community, outsiders will not be attracted to our services. It is difficult for a non-Dutch person to be adopted into an ethnic church. Evangelism is now generally mentioned as a top priority in philosophies of ministry, but some churches have begun to realize that our whole congregational style needs opening up if we are to attract outsiders.

Several of our Western churches have incorporated into their philosophy of ministry a shift away from education for its own sake to an emphasis on training for ministry. Along with this, there is a new consciousness of the place of spiritual gifts in the operation of the church. Often this goes along with a high priority for the development of cell groups or home fellowships in which worship, practical Bible study, intimate prayer fellowship and growing personal relationships provide a natural setting for the training and growth of disciples. This is a well-established trend in most of our Western churches, and promises well for the future. Perhaps this development is equally strong in Ontario.

5. Community Churches

One further trend needs to be highlighted. The West has pioneered for the RCA in Canada the community church approach to church extension. In 1973, Vancouver spearheaded the effort to accelerate the shift toward a more "other directed" and also more "celebrative" style of church life by planting a community church, New Life in Burnaby. Soon Edmonton followed, then Calgary and again Vancouver.

Classis Cascades co-operated in the planting of these churches, but to a lesser extent than would have been the case with a Western Canada Classis. This was not necessarily a disadvantage at the early stages of church planting, as local churches, such as Vancouver, took risks which a tighter control by a CPD Committee would not likely have permitted.

Through a combination of available leadership, vision, a general tendency in the West toward experimentation, and perhaps other factors, the community churches in the West have proven to be a viable way of experiencing church growth by the RCA in Canada. Much of our future growth in the West will take place this way.

A price has to be paid for this approach, however. A price that not all our churches may be willing to pay. Namely, less emphasis on a distinct Reformed witness. Often the rationale for expansion of the RCA in Canada has been the great need for a Reformed witness. This is still true in the area of social witness and such. However, in our Western churches the rationale for church growth has increasingly become a simple obedience to the Great Commission, emphasizing what we have in common with all Christians, and de-emphasizing denominational nuances.

One visible, although perhaps transitional, result of this approach is the vast increase in the number of adherents actively participating in our churches.

Future

It still is not clear what the future of the RCA in Canada will be, or ought to be. The Western churches have a strong family bonding with the RCA, and would like to continue that way. At the same time, there is no doubt that our community churches, and increasingly our urban congregations, under the enormous pressures of a pagan, amoral environment, are beginning to be more Kingdom- than denomination-oriented.

This means, among other things, that premature organization of a Western Canada Classis is not a high priority, as it would divert resources away from church growth to Classis organization. However, Classis formation will be a priority as soon as it will be evident that such will lead to increased strength for church growth. With this in mind, the Canadian delegates to Classis Cascades decided, in 1983, that they would want to proceed with plans to form a Western Canada Classis only when there would be twelve willing and viable churches. We are not that far yet!

Church growth will take place to a large extent through planting of new churches. This will most likely be targeted in the fast-growing metropolitan areas. We do not need to cover all of the West, but we do need the greater strength and visibility that come with clustering in certain areas. This would help reduce one of the major remaining weaknesses in the West, the isolation from each other, as Classis formation would help reduce the isolation from the RCA as such.

No one can say with conviction whether there will be a Reformed Church in Canada 50 years from now. But we owe it to this and the next generation that we work as effectively as we know how to make as many disciples for Jesus Christ in the West as possible, in close co-operation with other churches of like determination. We long to see the Kingdom of God come with greater power in the areas that we can serve. That will be the best way to serve the RCA in Canada!

The Reformed Church in America in Ontario by Rev. Henry Van Essen

Reason for the RCA in Ontario

The existence of the RCA in Ontario is the result of three factors. The first was the theological position of a number of Nederlands Hervormde immigrants living around Chatham and Hamilton. These people, upon arrival in Canada, looked for a church home, but did not find it in the United Church of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, mainly because of language and cultural differences. There was indeed another possibility: to join the fast expanding Christian Reformed Church. But some of the well-established theological positions of these Gereformeerde immigrants kept the Hervormde from doing so. It was the difference between Kuyper and Hoedemaker all over again.

Somehow these immigrants heard about the Reformed Church in America and wrote to Dr. Louis Benes, then editor of the Church Herald in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a result of that letter, a number of elders and ministers set out from the Grand Rapids area for a meeting with the immigrants. After grilling these American brethren on their theology, ecclesiology and church polity, the new immigrants asked the RCA to come into Canada to help them. So, the first initiative for the RCA coming to Canada was taken by the immigrants themselves. The reason for this initiative was a theological one: doctrinal incompatibility with the CRC of those days.

The second factor which caused the RCA to enter into work among the immigrants in Ontario was ethnic compassion. The brethren from Michigan were only a hundred years away from the initial immigration by A. C. VanRaalte and his followers to the Holland, Michigan area, and they remembered how these had received much valuable aid from the RCA churches in New York and New Jersey. Their reasoning was that they were now able to do unto others as was done unto them. This desire was so strong that in the end it became the deciding factor for the entrance of the RCA into Ontario. The first thing that the brethren in Michigan did was turn to what was then known as the Board of Domestic Missions of the RCA in New York City. They requested that the Board set up a ministry among these immigrants. However, all this happened around 1948, at which time the World Council of Churches was formed in Amsterdam. The RCA was there as a charter member. The RCA, furthermore, was a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and regularly met with the United Church and Presbyterian Church of Canada in the North American section of this organization. Because of these ecumenical relationships, RCA headquarters let it be known that they did not want to introduce a new denomination into Canada. (The Nederlands Hervormde Kerk has sent a delegation to Canada in 1 94 7 to explore the church scene in this country in order to give advice to immigrants which church they should attend; after a cross-country tour of three weeks the committee and the Synod - before the new Church Order - recommended the United Church.)

The brethren in Michigan did not like the decision of headquarters at all, and decided to proceed on their own. When informed of this, headquarters relented and suggested that they work together. But before they would enter Canada, they would first take up contact with their fellow-Reformed churches in that country: the United and Presbyterian Churches. They proposed to the United Church that she should start a special ministry among the Hervormde immigrants; the RCA would be willing to contribute financially to this work and lend bilingual ministers for the ministry. The United Church turned down this suggestions, because she felt it would set a precedent and she might be called upon to provide ministry for every immigrant group. Then the RCA made the same proposal to the Presbyterian Church, with the same results. It was suggested by the Presbyterians that the RCA should look after the Dutch immigrants, and they would minister to, the Canadians. This was the third factor which brought about the entrance of the RCA into Ontario: the refusal by two Canadian denominations to incorporate work among the hervormde immigrants into their own home mission work. Had they done so there would not have been an RCA in Canada.

Three factors then combined in bringing the RCA into Ontario: the theological persistence of some immigrants, the ethnic compassion of the RCA brethren in Michigan which was not to be denied; and the unwillingness of the United and Presbyterian Churches to incorporate the immigrant work within their structures. It is important to recognize that at no point was there any desire to extend the denomination into Canada, to do some "empire-building" or to improve the church scene in Canada. There usually were excellent relations with local United and Presbyterian clergy and sessions, and it is fair to say that had there not been such a large social, cultural, economic and language gap between the immigrants these Canadian denominations, most of the immigrants would have felt quite at home theologically in at least one of them.

Temporary Character of this Ministry

One result of the ecumenical attitude of the RCA and of the consultations with the Canadian denominations, was that the RCA entered into its Canadian work only temporarily. A decision was made that the work among the hervormde and unchurched Dutch immigrants would be undertaken for a period of ten years (I 949). After ten years the immigrants under the care and ministry of the RCA would be free to unite with the denomination of their choice and be allowed to take their church real estate with them. This decision itself determined the character and direction of the immigrant work to a large extent. The main task was to help the immigrants get settled, help them through the first rough years, assist them not only spiritually but also with housing, employment, clothing, and food. Worship services were held wherever interested groups of immigrants were found. Some of these groups developed into congregations, but others folded again after people moved away. The main purpose of the RCA in those years was to help newcomers, not to permanently expand the RCA. The leadership given by the denomination was basically geared to caring. The main support for this work came from the Michigan area and from the Board of Domestic Missions. But most of the people in the some 450 RCA congregations in New York and New Jersey did not even know that there were RCA churches in Canada. Most of the RCA churches west of the Mississippi River were far more interested in church expansion in California than in Canada.

The Smallness of the RCA in Canada

The caring approach is one reason why the RCA has remained as small as it is in Ontario, and indeed, in Canada. During those years there was often talk of the RCA immigrant churches as a "hotel-kerk" - a church where people passing through to a permanent Canadian church home would stay for a while until they got adjusted to their new country. Three other reasons for her smallness may also be mentioned at this time: one was the fact that the hervormde immigrant was not raised with the idea of belonging to the "only true church". Neither could nor would the pastors and elders in the RCA churches use that concept as an argument to keep people in the RCA. Thus, immigrants often moved quite easily when economic opportunities beckoned them elsewhere. Having an RCA church nearby was not the first priority with many RCA immigrants people; it still is not.

The second reason for the RCA's smallness today was the fact that the RCA simply was not the Hervormde Kerk. The Hervormde Kerk was made up of people with many different theological perspectives (modaliteiten) and for quite a number of the RCA was simply too conservative. Pastors who came from the U. S. Midwest to serve the immigrant congregations were usually theological grandsons of Van Raalte and their spiritual approach had aspects in common with the Afgescheidenen of 1834.

A third reason for the RCA's smallness was the fact that the Hervonnde immigrant usually did not know how to offer for the work of the Lord. Many immigrants came from rural areas where their congregations had landholdings which more or less paid for the minister's salary. Any further necessary finances were collected for the local congregation through an assessment by the local trustees based on income tax figures. Most people in the RCA churches have had to learn how to give after arriving in this country; that was a wearisome learning process. This lack of financial stewardship hindered the development of local congregations.

Decision to Stay

Meanwhile the work undertaken by the RCA developed. Contact was made with the Hervormde Kerk which, not all that happily, accepted the ministry of the RCA among her members in Canada. A number of ministers came from the Netherlands to serve in the immigrant churches. Then, as 1959 approached, the RCA, true to her word, planned a meeting of representatives of all RCA immigrants churches in Canada (held in Hamilton, Ont., March 3 1, April 1, 2) known as "The Workshop". The purpose of the meeting was to reach a decision regarding the future of the RCA in Canada. To facilitate that decision-making process, two sets of papers were presented: one set concerned the work and witness of the RCA through its various boards and agencies; another set dealt with the future of the RCA churches in Canada. At that time, RCA churches in Canada belonged to different Classes in the U.S.; the 19 congregations in Ontario were divided over seven Classes. One of the papers at The Workshop dealt with the pros and cons of uniting all Ontario RCA churches into one local Classis.

The result of this meeting was a nearly unanimous decision by the immigrants to remain permanently with the RCA. Some voices urged joining the Presbyterian Church in Canada, but only two votes were cast for that possibility. The decision was made: The RCA churches were here to stay! But this, of course, brought with it the need to switch from ministering temporarily to the immigrants to ministering to the nation. The decision to stay was made, but during the following years it became clear that the discussions of the consequences of the decision had just started.

In the fall of 1962 Classis Ontario was formed. By this time the ministers in Ontario came from four different sources: the American, who, as we said before, were grandsons of Van Raalte; the Dutch, nourished by such men as Barth, Brunner, Haitjema, Van Niftrik, Van Ruler, and familiar with the Gunninks and Hoedemaker; and the immigrant graduates from the RCA Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI and the RCA Seminary in New Brunswick, NJ. It made for lively debate from time to time. In the early 1960s some ministers again proposed some kind of close co-operation with the Presbyterian Church in Canada. A Particular Synod of Michigan Study Committee was set up to give direction for the future of the churches in Ontario. Among the congregations themselves there was much discussion as to why they were here in Canada. There was no overall goal apart from trying to survive. Neither was there any leadership by particular synods or General Synod to help the RCA churches in Ontario develop such goals. As a matter of fact, some denominational leaders in the Synod of the West would sooner have closed the churches in Canada than extend the work. Four churches west of Ontario disappeared. Many congregations were still on ecclesiastical welfare, receiving salary assistance from the U.S. The 1960's were in many ways difficult years of transition from dependence to self-governing, financially independent Classis, from a temporary caring ministry to finding a long-range purpose as a permanent church in Canada.

The Seventies

It was not until the 1970s that some determination developed to strengthen the weak knees and lift the drooping hands. It actually began in 1969 with what, at that time was considered by many to be an irresponsible action by the classical youth organization, who with hardly any funds, but lots of optimism, "bought" well over 100 acres between Cambridge and Paris - now Camp Shalom. Classis had to step in financially and although at the time there was considerable hard feelings about the purchase, it has served to bring the churches of Classis Ontario together. The unifying force of Classis Ontario. In the early 1970s, the "Council of the Reformed Church in Canada" was formed. In the late 1970s positive steps were taken to begin new church work in various places in Ontario and Winnipeg. A "field secretary" position was created, with Rev. Cor Bons becoming its first occupant in September 1980. Atone point, Classis Ontario, which by that time included Winnipeg, had five outreach projects on the go. But outreach among the general Canadian population proved to be very difficult and slow, sometimes disappointing, work. Of those five outreach projects, each of which were staffed by a full-time minister, two have been permanently closed, two are presently questionable, while one (Welland) is now small but stable. It should be noted, however, that the Welland project did not become viable until a number of people from other RCA congregations joined the group.

Three other developments must also be mentioned. One was (is) the impact of the charismatic movement on the RCA churches in Ontario. It deeply affected one congregation already in 1965, and another congregation suffered greatly in the 1970s. Other congregations also had to deal with this movement, but were not as severely affected as these two.

Another development was the inability to revitalize two small congregations. Both the churches in Montreal and Barrie were disbanded after a long struggle to attract more people through their ministries. These experiences, together with the developments in the outreach projects, have raised the question as to how conversion growth is to be facilitated in immigrant churches. The number of totally non-Dutch background families in the RCA churches in Ontario appears to be well below 10%, i.e., established RCA churches with ongoing programs do not attract community people. This is a fact which, especially in view of the smallness of the RCA in Canada, causes concern. Many young people leave their home church and end up working and living outside the geographical pale of an RCA congregation. As a result biologial growth is rather small, and together with little conversion growth, might forbode a slow decline in the number for the future.

A third development was the movement of the churches in Classis in the direction of congregationalism, not as far as church government is concerned, but theologically. The diversity of positions of the ministers in Classis, noted earlier, continued with a result of a lack of common theological outlook. There is indeed a great deal of unity in Classis, nevertheless, the diversity is noticeable in Classis committees and other inter-church functions. The result is that Classis does not really have one philosophy of ministry for its work which could direct areas such as church planning and development and Christian discipleship. It is interesting to note that Classis, in the fall of 1986, requested each congregation to develop its own philosophy of ministry, which would all be presented at a conference in 1988.

Transition

This lack of a Classical philosophy of ministry underlines the incomplete transition from immigrant church, committed to caring on a temporary basis, to a church with clearly delineated theological positions and a bold purpose distilled from intelligent reflection by her leaders on contemporary Canadian culture in the light of the church's theological position. Classis and its churches remain practically totally occupied with themselves, their own survival and growth; the same is true for the Council of the Reformed Church in Canada. There is little indication that issues such as abortion, pornography, the R.C. Bishops' Economic Statement, etc. raise any concern in Ontario RCA churches. It appears that redemption is seen more and more as relating solely to the inner person, with the church as an instrument by which this inner salvation is nurtured and preserved for the life hereafter. Reformed theology, in contrast to this, always resists the separation of redemption from creation. The salvation through Jesus Christ is to lead to the restoration of all things. The church is seen as the continuation of God's covenant people which, in the Lord's Name and by His command, presses for a reordering and restructuring of society according to His Law/Word. The entrance into Canaan was not in order that each Israelite family might have its private cottage but to bring the whole country under the Lordship of their Saviour.

During the last few years, RCA church leaders in Ontario have spoken of what has been called "confusion" among the people in the congregations. Discussion concerning the future of the RCA in Canada has resurfaced in Ontario. These two items are an indication that the transition period from a temporary caring ministry in a hotel-type situation to a bold and purposeful existence in this country has not yet come to a close for the RCA churches in Ontario. Basically, the congregations and their leaders are still wondering how, as relative newcomers, they shall sing the Lord's song in this land.

Positive Aspects

It might be thought that nothing positive was accomplished by the RCA churches in Ontario during the last forty years. Such a conclusion is unwarranted and not intended. There has been faithful ministry on the local and classical level to the people of all ages under RCA care. One only has to mention the ministry at Camp Shalom, made possible through the enthusiasm and liberality of the Ontario RCA churches. Stewardship of time and money has greatly increased. An emphasis on the inner faith life and the inner work of the Holy Spirit has led to a more experiential type of believer as opposed to the more dogmatic type in the early immigrants. (This however has not always been net gain for the life of the churches.) Interest in and support of overseas and national (LAMP) missions has greatly increased. There is mostly a wholesome fellowship in and among the congregations. The smallness of the RCA in Ontario has the advantage of allowing a family atmosphere with its concomittant strong commitment to one another and common causes. But such an experience of being so comfortable with each other has sometimes proven to be a hindrance to necessary change, development and growth.

Conclusion

The request was "to write a background paper containing an historical description of our denomination in Ontario. The life of the church up to today is to be told. Strengths, weaknesses, main concerns and impacts are to be listed. How did the denomination follow Christ in building His Kingdom?"

The truth is that the story of the RCA in Ontario has not yet progressed far enough to evalute her faithfulness to her prayer that "God's kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Today we see twenty organized congregations, who originally were formed by Dutch people from different provinces, and different, sometimes conflicting, modaliteiten (theological modalities); strangers in a huge land who now fully function in the language of their adopted country, who have a great deal of spiritual unity among themselves, who love their Lord and Saviour, who are not narrow-minded about Christians in other denominations, but who nevertheless also love their church. It is indeed true that redemption has become more or less separated from creation, but it is a fair question to ask whether the smallness in numbers originally caused this, since all available leadership was (and is!) needed to maintain the basic functions of the churches and of Classis. (The original mandate of the Council was to present Reformed positions on Canadian secular issues, while Classis Ontario also started out with a Christian action committee which just recently has been revived. But the pressure of other in-house matters, lack of finances and leadership made realization of the original intent impossible.)

It is therefore impossible to judge whether the RCA churches in Ontario have been faithful in following Christ "in the building of His kingdom". Living in the midst of this whole development makes it difficult to determine whether the years since the Workshop in Hamilton in 1959 have been a time of preparation and learning for future ministry to society around her or a time of discovery that by herself the RCA in Ontario will be unable to be the kind of church the Lord wants His people to be.

The Christian Reformed Churches in Canada by Rev. Bastiaan Nederlof

Identity

Any introduction of the Christian Reformed Churches in Canada has to begin with the Christian Reformed Church in North America (U.S.A. and Canada), of which they are an integral part. The Christian Reformed Church (further referred to as CRC) originated in a wave of immigration to the U.S.A. from the Netherlands in the middle of the 19th century. The history of their organization in 1857 is outside the scope of this paper and is well-documented. The CRCs were, and are, bound together by the Doctrinal Standards and Church Order. They define and express the meaning of the name "Reformed". Till this day, all officebearers have to subscribe to these standards. This framework may allow for many variations, but no deviations. The CRC is not only historically, but consciously and conscientiously, a member of the family of churches, born of the Calvinist Reformation of the 16th century. With similar churches in other parts of the world, the CRC has been a charter member of the Reformed Ecumencial Synod.

Development

The first CRC in Canada was organized in Alberta in 1905. Their number increased to about a dozen by the end of World War II in 1945. Soon afterwards another wave of immigration from the Netherlands occurred. The existing CRCs - spread thinly from Ontario to British Columbia opened their doors, and their hearts, but could not have done much without significant help from the denomination. A number of ministers fi-om the USA came to serve as Home Missionaries, to gather these immigrants, minister to them and help them organize their churches. As a result of this church building as well as later growth, the CRC now number 206 organized churches in all Canadian provinces except Newfoundland and the Territories. Their membership is 28% of the total membership of the CRC in North America. There are 11-1/2 classes in Canada. Aside from their delegations to the annual Synod of the CRC, most of these Classes work together in the Council of CRCs in Canada which meets every other year.

Diversity

The membership of many CRCs organized between 1945 and 1965 was undoubtedly Dutch. There were strong ties with "the old country". In some cases, half the worship services were conducted in the Dutch language, and this language was the main vehicle of communication for the members. The process of transition to English was stimulated by incorporation into the existing CRC in NA, and enthusiastically promoted by the younger generation. A certain nostalgia among the older generation for their former churches in the Netherlands has turned into apprehension upon discovering that those churches "are no longer what they used to be". Whenever a change takes place in the CRC some of the older members are now inclined to lament: "We are going the same way as the churches in Holland", which means abandoning the faith of the fathers. On the other hand, this also means a greater appreciation for what the CRC has come to mean for those members. In this context it should be noted that the immigrants who were united in CRCs did not all come from the same denomination in the Netherlands, the Gereformeerde Kerken. There are also former members of Hervonnde, Vrijgemaakte and Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken. Though some of the latter, when strong enough in number and so inclined, also founded their separate Canadian or Free Reformed Churches, however, many stayed in the CRC where they found confessional identity and unity. This internal diversity stimulated rather than hindered a forward rather than a backward look.

However, another diversification took place. Inspite of its "Dutchness" and because of its confessional identity and ministry, the CRC attracted people of different ethnic backgrounds as well. A German Reformed congregation joined the CRC. There are some Korean and Chinese CRCs in Canada, and there is development of French-speaking congregations in Quebec. The ministry of the CRC among Indians and Metis in Winnipeg and Regina may well result in the organization of CRCs among native peoples. While worship services are no longer conducted in Dutch or German, they are now held in English, French, Cree, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese. The multiethnicity of the CRC in the United States has now found a counterpart in Canada.

To make the picture complete, mention should be made of the ministry among seafarers in Montreal and Vancouver, the ministry on a number of university campuses and the hospital chaplaincies.

Commitments

The characteristics and signatures of CRCs vary significantly across the vast expanse of Canada, from Charlottetown, PEI to Victoria, BC! Some churches are close to each other but others are far apart. Yet they have things in common besides their faith in the Lord: preaching that is biblical and confessional with a strong emphasis on expository preaching as well as preaching (in the second service) on catechism, confession, Canons of Dordt or contemporary testimony.

Secondly, love and action for Christian schools. This is both a Dutch and American CRC tradition. In several cases immigrants built a school first, using it on Sundays for worship, and later erected a church building. This commitment to Christian education was and remains the most visible contribution to the Canadian scene. Lately this commitment resulted in the addition of two Christian colleges - Redeemer College in Hamilton (Ancaster), Ontario and The King's College in Edmonton, Alberta, and well as the Institute for Christian Studies (post-graduate) in Toronto, Ontario. In the meantime, schools founded by CRC parents for their children have attracted fellow-Christians from other churches. A school in Western Canada has over 140 children, of which only one third are CRC.

Thirdly: a strong movement in the 1970s led to greater emphasis on congregational evangelism. From Vacation Bible School to Coffeebreak programs, CRC members try to minister to their neighbours. Receiving new members through these and other programs adds to the diversity and expansion of the CRC.

Tensions

The former sections have tried to give objective descriptions of past and present realities. Tensions and challenges can only be indicated from a more subjective viewpoint. Some of these are: First, the relationship between the American and Canadian segments of the CRC. This relationship has had its own history. Like in a marriage, first the honeymoon period, then the time for discovery of differences and thereafter the adjustment that makes for partnership. There was a time - some 25 years ago - when one could hear the call for severance of the ties with the U.S. and especially Grand Rapids. At the present time, a separation seems unthinkable. The two segments have grown together and together have grown into a truly international body. The same is true for the ministry of the pastors. The time of Home Missionaries from the U.S. and immigrant pastors from the Netherlands is past. The large majority of the pastors come out of immigrant homes, but have studied at Calvin College.

Secondly, even a relatively small church as is the CRC in Canada (with 87,000 members) is large enough to have quite a variety of differing viewpoints. They are also found across the border and are not surprising. Just as Corinth had its weaker and stronger members, so has the CRC, even with widely divergent opinions as to what or who is weak and strong. Among the churches and within the congregations can be more progressive and more conservative sides. At the extreme poles can be traditionalists, who hold on to fifty and hundred-year old traditions, not knowing how different these may be from the age of the Reformation or the Apostolic age. On the other hand may be those who want to innovate and experiment with what is noticed but hardly understood of customs and practices of contemporary Christians and churches of a different stripe or colour. Action breeds reaction and then there are reactions to the reactions. It is a fascinating, but at times frustrating and threatening, phenomenon. All of this calls for a great deal of love and wisdom which are not always in great supply. By a (blessed) lack of hierarchy, the church has to move and act by majoritydecisions of the annual Synod. They usually tread very cautiously, decide only after one or a number of study committees have explored every angle of an issue. Even then, majority-decisions do not always find unanimous acceptance; the decision to allow women to become deacons is a recent, but not the only, example. In an atmosphere of some distrust and polarization, decisions, whether positive or negative, can become divisive.

Aside from these tensions there are other divergences. Especially in the metropolitan areas, were the CRC has a significant number of congregations - mainly Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Edmonton, Alberta and Vancouver, B.C. - similar differences can be found between them: some congregations are worshipping according to established orders of worship, while others disregard these and allow for freedom and experimentation. As a result, one can join whatever type of CRC suits best. This can only lead to an erosion of homogeneity what in turn is applauded by some and deplored by others.

What then, for all practical purposes, is Christian Reformed? If the answer would be a commonly held understanding of Scripture and adherence to the Confessions, as well as united in the other commitments mentioned above, the tensions can be accepted as aspects of the character of a living part of the body of Christ. However, some other tensions may be observed. They may not be widespread or alarming, but should not be overlooked. Some members, some congregations and, in the future maybe a considerable portion of the CRC, come under the spell of a deconfessionalized evangelicalism. There are several reasons for this: (1) some of first postwar immigrants were fed up with the doctrinal controversies in the Netherlands; (2) the antiauthoritarian spirit of our times has influenced especially the second generation with distrust of doctrine and rules, and stressed the importance of feeling and doing over knowing and confessing; and (3) the growing contacts with nonReformed Christians has blurred the distinctions, this is especially true with respect to pentecostalism, dispensationalism and personalism.

For some members it does not seem so important to be Reformed, as long as the basics of the Christian faith are present. Catechism-preaching is considered unnecessary and better to be replaced by testimonies of personal experiences. Coupled with decreased appreciation of the sacraments, this erodes the loyalty that made the CRC a strong and homogeneous church in the past. As stated, this is not widespread or alarming, but it does exist. At the same i time, it has to be said that we may contend for the Lord and not know what it means to walk with Him.

It should be emphatically stated that the CRC is strongly united in the belief that the Bible is God's inspired, infallible Word. The historical background in the Secession movements of 19th century has so far proven to be a strong immunization against historic liberal theology. Educational materials, seminary training and periodicals are united in this respect. Numerous study-reports in the Acts of Synod prove one point - the CRC wants to be sure that what it says and does is according to that Word.

Challenges

Most of the items mentioned under "Tensions" are already challenges as well. But some must be added: First, the relationship toward other churches in Canada. We entertain ecclesiastical fellowship with the RCA and some Presbyterian church in the U.S., but not with mainline Protestant churches in Canada, except contact at the local level in ministerial associations. There is a good deal of cooperation with Baptists, Mennonites and others in areas of Christian education, relief and contact with governments. Thus, there is the challenge of ecumenical contacts in Canada.

Secondly, our responsibility for the nation and people of Canada. There are individual responses - some of our members have entered the professions and even serve in provincial legislatures, but the CRC in Canada has to ask, "What is the message of our being here and being Reformed for Canada?" The RCA-CRC conference may help in this respect.

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