Classis Michigan Classis Midwest 1st Meeting Agenda Classis Michigan Classis Midwest 1st Meeting AgendaUNITED REFORMED CHURCHES IN NORTH AMERICA
CLASSIS MID-WEST
MEETING ON APRIL 8 & 9, 1997
LOCATION: COVENANT UNITED REFORMED CHURCH - KALAMAZOO, MI.
FORMERLY: FREE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
REGISTRATION: April 8, 12:30 - 1:30 PM
MEETING TO BEGIN AT: 1:30 PM E.S.T.
1. WELCOME - COVENANT URC CONSISTORY - ANNOUNCEMENTS
2. OPENING PRAYER - REV. E. J. KNOTT
3. PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS AND ROLL CALL OF DELEGATES
4. DECLARATION OF PRESIDENT PRO-TEM THAT FIRST CLASSIS MID-WEST IS CONSTITUTED
5. RECEIVING OF NEW CHURCHES
6. ELECTION OF OFFICER: (EACH SESSION?) (TERM?)
A. PRESIDENT
B. VICE PRESIDENT
C. CLERK/SECRETARY
7. ADOPTION OF TIME SCHEDULE FOR MEETING AND MEALS
(Suggested: Tuesday 1:30 - 5:30, 7:00 - 9:00
Wednesday 8:00 - 12:00 Noon
Fifteen minute breaks at 3:30 PM and 10:00 AM)
8. TWO REQUESTS FOR EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES
CANDIDATE: MR. PHILIP VOS
CANDIDATE: MR. STEVE DEBOER
EXAMINATION SCHEDULE:
PRACTICA - Rev. Jerome Julien (45 - 60 minutes)
CHURCH POLITY - Rev. R. Pontier (45 - 60 minutes)
CONFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE - Rev. R. Kuiken (45 - 60 minutes)
REFORMED DOCTRINE - Rev. J. Wessling (60 - 90 minutes)
ETHICS - Rev. A. Besteman (45 - 60 minutes)
9. GUEST REPRESENTATIVE OF "INTERNATIONAL AID"; Rev. Russell Sybesma to address classis (10 minutes)
10. GUEST REPRESENTATIVE OF "CHRIST FOR RUSSIA"; Mr. Lidwig to address classis (10 minutes)
11. THE COUNCIL OF OAK GLEN COVENANT COMMUNITY REFORMED CHURCH SEEKS
THE ADVICE OF CLASSIS REGARDING THE FOLLOWING MATTERS:
A. The exclusion of a baptized member according to Article
57 of the Church Order
B. The second step of ecclesiastical discipline for a
professing member according to Article 53 of the Church Order
12. OVERTURE TO CLASSIS MID-WEST TO PURSUE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ECUMENICAL RELATIONS (copy enclosed)
13. SCHEDULE OF CLASSICAL MEETINGS ..... MANNER OF ROTATION
14. CONSIDERATION OF FINANCES ..... (TREASURER?)
15. CLOSING AND ADJOURNMENT
OVERTURE TO THE CLASSIS OF THE MIDWEST OF THE UNITED REFORMED CHURCHES IN NORTH AMERICA
Overture:
The Council of the Oak Glen Covenant Community Reformed Church overtures
the classis of the Midwest of the United Reformed Churches in North America to pursue the
establishment of ecumenical relations with the following ecclesiastical federations:
1. The Canadian Reformed Churches
2. The Free Reformed Churches
3. The Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches
4. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
5. The Presbyterian Church in America
6. The Reformed Church in the United States
7. The Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America
Grounds:
1. The Lord calls us to manifest visibly our unity with congregations sharing our common bond of faith. Furthermore, this unity should strive for the mutual edification of member congregations as well as the development of an effective witness to the world. [John 17:20-23; I Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:1-6; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:1-2].
2. Our Reformed confessions reflect the ancient ecumenical creeds concerning "one holy catholic and apostolic Church." [Belgic Confession, Articles 27, 28 and 29; Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 21].
3. By engaging in ecumenical relations, as defined in Articles 33, 34, and 35 of the Church Order, we intend to accomplish the following:
a. To advise one another regarding questions and problems of import pertaining to the spiritual welfare and the Scriptural government of the churches;
b. To confer together, as far as advisability or necessity may require, regarding missionary work of the churches at home and abroad;
c. To strive to attain a common course of action with respect to common problems; likewise to issue joint declarations regarding movements, practices or dangers, when joint statements are deemed necessary.
d. To give united testimony to our common Reformed faith in the midst of a world living in error and groping in darkness, particularly to the many churches which have so lamentably departed from the truth of God's Holy Word, and which are in dire need return [sic] to the faith of the fathers.
e. To express our precious unity in Christ and our oneness as Reformed churches, thoughscattered over the earth [Cf. Acts of the Reformed Ecumenical Synod, 1963, p. 130.]
In submitting this overture, the Council of the Oak Glen Covenant Community Reformed Church also wishes to draw attention to the following excerpt from Professor John Murray's article, entitled "The Biblical Basis for Ecclesiastical Union" [Collected wrtings of John Murray, Volume 1: The Claims of Truth, pp. 270-271]:
The Ethnic Universalism of the Gospel:
In Christ Jesus there is no longer Jew nor Gentile, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free (cf. Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). The New Testament does not suppose that the differences natural to individuals nor those arising from ethnic identity, cultural background, and historical circumstances are to be obliterated by the gospel. But it does mean that the unity in Christ transcends all diversity arising from language, race, culture, history. What is more, this unity embraces and utilizes all the diversity that is proper and that is created by God's providence. If we should maintain that the diversity is in any way incompatible with the unity of which the church is the expression, then we should be denying that unity which the ethnic universalism of the gospel implies. Implicit in the universalism of the gospel is the same kind of universalism in that which the gospel designs, the building up of Christ's church.
The Universalism of the Apostolic Church
The church of the apostolic days embraced all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues. There is no evidence in the New Testament for the diversification of distinct denominations, and anything tending to such diversification was condemned (cf. I Cor. 1:10-13). The emphasis falls upon the oneness of faith (cf. Eph. 4:5) and the oneness of the fellowship of the saints (cf. Eph. 4:2-4, 11-16; Phil. 2:2,3; 4:2).
Jesus' Prayer for Unity
It is a travesty of this text, as of all others bearing upon the unity of the church, to think of the unity of which Christ prayed apart from unity of faith in the bond of truth. Verse 21 must not be dissociated from verse 20. To divorce the unity for which Christ prayed from all that is involved in believing upon him through the apostolic witness is to sunder what Christ placed together. Furthermore, the pattern Jesus provided in this prayer -- "as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee" -- makes mockery of the application of this text when unity is divorced from the characterization which finds its analogy in trinitarian unity and harmony. But while these and other distortions of this text are to be shunned, the prayer of Jesus does bear upon our question in two respects.
1. The fragmentation and consequent lack of fellowship, harmony, and co-operation which appear on the ecclesiastical scene are a patent contradiction of the unity exemplified in that to which Jesus referred when he said, "as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee."
2. The purpose stated in Jesus' prayer -- "that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" -- implies a manifestation observable by the world. The mysterious unity of believers with one another must come to visible expression so as to be instrumental in bringing conviction to the world.
Adopted Unanimously by the Council, March 3, 1997
Rev. Paul R. Ipema, President of Council
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