Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/92

Contributor - J.P. Drost

Title - On Being Reformed

Topic - Reformed Church

As we come closer to the realization of a Synod of Canada and thereby to a more formal presence in Canada of the Reformed Church, we need to ask ourselves with some urgency what it means to be "Reformed," and what the role of the Synod should be in furthering our theological identity.

There are those who envision the role of a Synod in purely administrative terms. Under these terms its purpose is of a more practical nature, namely to organize the Canadian congregations for greater effectiveness in areas such as church growth. I suppose this is a legitimate interpretation of the responsibility of a Synod as stated in the Book of Church Order RCA, particularly in part 111, Article 2, section 4: "The particular synod shall create whatever organization it desires for the furtherance of the work of the Gospel within its bounds."

However, I believe that the purpose of bringing our Canadian congregations under the organization of a synod extends beyond mere practical considerations. The vision that inspired the organization of the Council of the Reformed Church in Canada, apart from a number of practical reasons, was that we - RCA congregations in Canada - would eventually constitute a Reformed presence in this country. That was, after all, to be our REASON FOR BEING!!

Now that the Council has led the way to the emergence of the Synod of Canada (to be approved by General Synod in 1993 and to be launched in January 1994) that vision is to become reality. In other words, we need to spell out more concretely at this point what we mean by REFORMED PRESENCE and determine how we can best strengthen and nurture our churches in the theology that we embrace. This, at least in part, will also have to be the function of the Synod of Canada..

Let me comment briefly on the term "Reformed presence." "Reformed presence" implies a Church with a distinct identity, an identity which has two dimensions.

1. A Reformed Church is a confessing church. A confessing church is committed to the Gospel, or in the words of John Leith "a Church that lives not by organization and techniques, but by the passionate conviction that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth; that in His death on the Cross our sins are forgiven; that God raised Him from the dead for our salvation; that the Holy Spirit confirms faith in the heart."' It is the Church that answers the question of our Lord: "who do you say that I am," by affirming with the apostle Peter, "You are Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) A confessing Church is also a Church whose faith has dynamic intensity (as opposed to static reality) in the world of which it is a part.

2. A Reformed Church is a Confessional Church. To be reformed has always meant an abiding loyalty to the confessional statements. of the historic Reformed Church: the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of the Synod of Dort. I believe wholeheartedly in the significance of the Standards of Unity. They set forth in a beautiful way the central truths of the Gospel and provide a balanced witness of the full Counsel of God. The Standards lend strength, direction and structure to our confession and to our confessing. Faith (that which one believes) must have a structure else it becomes unpredictable and whimsical like a river that does not follow its riverbed. "Preserving" the doctrines of the Church is in the words of Paul to Timothy: "to guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us." (2 Timothy 1:14)

How can we best strengthen and nurture our churches and thus be built up as the Body of Christ in the theology and the faith we embrace? I still feel that the best way to achieve this is by means of a publication. It is in a sense · unfortunate that just at a time when the Canadian churches are in another critical transition in their history, our monthly magazine, Pioneer Christian Monthly, is in all likelihood to appear in a reduced format. Be that as it may, it is my fervent hope and prayer that our leadership in congregations, and Classes, and eventually the Particular Synod will not lose sight of the central significance of our Reformed heritage for the future of our Church in Canada.

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