Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/89

Contributor - Case Koolhaas

Title - Celebration in Nanaimo

Topic - Church in Canada

Classis Cascades Holds Welcoming, Celebration in Nanaimo (Vancouver Island), B.C. on September 24,1989

The Reformed Church is growing in Western Canada! On September 24, four new congregations were organized and six ministers were received into the Reformed Church in America. One more congregation plans to join the R.C.A. later this year. Members of these new congregations and their pastors were all former members of the United Church of Canada.

"New Opportunities With Christ" was the theme for the gathering. Members from the various Reformed Churches in B.C. and Northern Washington joined in the festive welcoming service. Delegates from churches in Ontario, Manitoba and California were also present.

In his welcome as host pastor, Rev. Las Clark observed, 'This is Canadian church history in the making. I believe we are the first wave of many congregations who will swell a growing Reformed Church."

The gathering was planned by Classis Cascades and hosted by three of the newly formed Reformed congregations on Vancouver Island, Woodgrove Christian Community of Nanaimo, Arbutus Grove Church of Parksville, and Cedar Grove Church of Port Alberni.

For the new congregations and the new pastors the event was a celebration of a new and joyful beginning which was about a year in the making. In the- Fall of 1988 several pastors of the United Church of Canada contacted the former president of the Reformed Church General Synod, Dr. Robert Wise, for information about the R.C.A, He in turn put them in contact with Rev. John Opmeer and Rev. Murray Moerman. After the initial meetings with these pastors and members of their congregations, the Classis formed a special committee to process the applications for membership in the R.C.A. The applying pastors and congregations then spent the following three to four months studying and reading about the R.C.A, in the area of its Confessions, Theology, History, Church Order and Government, as well as general programs, agencies and educational institutions.

During that same period of time, members of the "Classis Ad Hoc Committee", spent many hours in travel and meetings to answer questions, give information and eventually to examine the applying pastors. Meetings were also held with each congregation to make sure that members of the congregation were fully informed about the denomination they were seeking to join.

The United Church of Canada (U.C.C.) has not yet devised a process by which one of its congregations can transfer to another denomination within the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Therefore, applications for transfer from congregations were rejected. Church members had to individually request their membership transfer.

Consequently, each of these congregations lost their church building and its furnishings.

The celebration was preceded with a dinner for the six hundred or more people in attendance. It was a beautiful opportunity for the people to meet and visit with each other.

Worship leader for the evening was Rev. John Opmeer, Pastor of the Hope Reformed Church in Vancouver and chairperson of the committee appointed by Classis to oversee the transfer and welcoming process of the new congregations and their past6is. Rev. David Hensley, as President of the Classis was in charge of the installation and welcoming of the pastors and their congregations.

Dr. Jonathan Gerstner, the newly appointed Executive Secretary for the Emerging R.C.A. Synod of Canada, was the devotional leader for the day. In his sermon he reflected on the words of Psalm 118:22-23 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...... He encouraged these "rejected" members of the church of Jesus-Christ to see themselves as becoming the cornerstones in the R.C.A- in Canada. He encouraged them to believe that the heavy price they paid for their faithfulness to the Master, was not in- vain. He encouraged them to share with others what happens when Christ is stripped from His Lordship over the Church and replaced by other priorities. He encouraged the worshippers to see the new members of the-R.C.A. family as God's blessing to help them remain true to their mission as the Church of Jesus Christ.

WHY DID THEY LEAVE THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA?

The great driving force for leaving the United Church of Canada was a desire to be part of a church order which was faithful to the authority of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures in all its life and practice. The Basis of Union accepted in 1925 as the foundation for the then newly formed United Church of Canada, very clearly spelled out the centrality of Christ and scripture. "In the last few years, however, the United Church lead has discarded the doctrines of the Basis of Union and began pushing doctrines which are opposite to the Basis of Union," said one former United Church Pastor.

Hundreds of pastors and congregations have demanded that the U.C.C. return to its foundation doctrines. Attempts at such "reformation" of the church so far have been strongly rebuffed or blatantly ignored. Over the past ten to fifteen years numerous issues Were debated and protested. Finally it came to a decision to either "hide in our little part of the United Church or move out", said Rev. Stephen Swift, who served a U.C.C. congregation near Victoria. He and a core of members of his congregation chose to "move out" and applied for membership in the Reformed Church.

For many, the beginning of the struggle was the adoption of a new denominational curriculum in the early sixties. For others it was the insistence on inclusive language at the expense of scriptural teaching, referring to God as a person of the female mender in liturgy and church Publications. One of the pastors was tired of being hassled for his desire to evangelize the community. "Every time we wanted to more actively reach out and evangelize we faced stiff opposition."

THE BEGINNING OF AN EXODUS

In February of 1988 a joint commission of the U.C.C. recommended a change in the requirements for ordination. The commission asked the General Council to affirm "that sexual orientation in and of itself is not a barrier to participation in all aspects of the life and ministry of the Church, including the order of ministry." Such a change would allow for the ordination of practising homosexuals. Furthermore, the Council was asked to affirm that: "Questions seeking to. elicit information regarding sexual orientation are inappropriate in all interview situations." In other words, a candidate for ordination or a pastor seeking a call to a congregation could refuse to state his or her sexual orientation.

Understandably, there was a loud and angry protest to such recommendations. In spite of the fierce protest, however, the General Assembly (the equivalent of our General Synod'), at the urging of denominational leadership, voted to approve the recommendations.

The reaction was predictable. It is estimated that over seventy pastors have left the U.C.C. Well over fifty new congregations have been formed by people who have left the denomination. Most of these new congregations have joined the Congregational Church of Canada. Five of them have come to the R.C.A and still more have made inquiries for information.

WHY JOIN THE RCA?

A number of issues were of great concern to the pastors and congregations who applied for membership in the R.C.A. The authority of scripture in the policy making structure of the church was a key concern. The fact that the R.C.A strives to be faithful to scripture made us attractive. Our affirmation of the Biblical teaching condemning the practice of homosexuality at the 1974 and 1978 General Synods was an important indicator.

Several of the congregations which applied were concerned about going from "Order to Order" as opposed to going to a congregational structure. Our system of checks and balances within the denominational structure in terms of the decision and policy making process within the Classis and General Synod, also made us attractive. The fact the Synod delegates are selected by rotation rather than elected by the controlling majority, was seen as a much safer practice than the method used in the United Church of Canada. In the U.C.C. some ministers will never get to go to the national meeting during a fife-time of ministry.

Our commitment as a denomination to evangelism as a priority was also an important consideration for turning to the Reformed Church.

The approach to inclusive I anguage in the R.C.A, was also studied. The fact that we have not gone to the extreme with the inclusive language issues was also an important point in favour of the R.C.A.

A frequently asked question was, "how much autonomy does the local congregation have?" Because of their experience with denominational staff who have a great deal of legislative and policy making power, local autonomy was an important issue. This was especially important in such areas as curriculum, hymnals, style of worship, resource materials and the expenditure of mission offerings. The freedom of congregations to make choices in these areas was seen as another attractive feature of the R.C.A.

The addition of all these new congregations to the R.C.A. in Western Canada brings with it new possibilities and changes. One of those possibilities is the formation of Classis B.C. At the September meeting of Reformed Churches in B.C. ('B.C. Unit') it was agreed that such a proposal be brought to the 1990 Spring meeting of Classis Cascades. No doubt such a proposal will be most welcome by that Classis. In the 1988-1989 calendar year the classis delegates spent a whopping $10,600 just for travel to two meetings, so much, that it could not afford to hold a meeting in the fall of 1989. Travel expenses could be reduced to minor expenses by forming a separate Classis B.C. and Classis Central Canada.

The following churches and pastors were welcomed into the R.C.A:

Rev. Leslie Clark, Pastor of Woodgrove Christian Community of Nanaimo

Rev. Jack VanHolst, Pastor of the Arbutus Grove Church of Parksville

Rev. William Hudson, Pastor of the Cedar Grove Church of Port Albemi

Rev. Robert Jackson, Pastor of the Christ the King Community Church of Kamloops (whose congregation has requested R.C.A. membership effective in November)

Rev. Robert Trotter was welcomed, without a congregation

We extend our heartfelt welcome to these pastors and their congregations as they join the Reformed church family!

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