From: Darrell128 <Darrell128@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 17:23:51 EST
Mime-Version: 1.0
Subject: NR 98007: Cl. Chatham Rejects Effort to Revise Property Rules
NR #1998-007: Chatham Rejects Effort to Revise Property Rules
When Wyoming Christian Reformed Church of Ontario split in 1991, the seceders
who formed Covenant Christian Church and the majority remaining in the CRC
didn't descend into a spiral of bitterness. The Wyoming CRC continues to be
conservative, the church sent delegates to the Interclassical Conference, and
its pastor has assisted in pastoral work during the vacancy at Covenant
Christian Church, now a member of the United Reformed Churches. However, none
of that helped Wyoming CRC pastor Rev. Ken Benjamins in convincing his classis
to overture Synod 1998 to revise the procedure for churches leaving the
Christian Reformed denomination.
NR 1998-007: For Immediate Release:
Chatham Rejects Effort to Revise Property Rules
by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer
United Reformed News Service
LONDON, ONTARIO (January 29, 1998) - When Wyoming Christian Reformed Church of
Ontario split in 1991, the seceders who formed Covenant Christian Church and
the majority remaining in the CRC didn't descend into a spiral of bitterness.
The Wyoming CRC continues to be conservative, the church sent delegates to the
Interclassical Conference, and its pastor has assisted in pastoral work during
the vacancy at Covenant Christian Church, now a member of the United Reformed
Churches.
However, none of that helped Wyoming CRC pastor Rev. Ken Benjamins in
convincing his classis to overture Synod 1998 to revise the procedure for
churches leaving the Christian Reformed denomination.
"Seeing that our congregation has already gone through this, we don't want to
see a process in place that makes things more difficult," said Benjamins in
defending his church's overture to the January 27 meeting of Classis Chatham.
"What do we fear? What we fear is this particular process that is in place.
What we are afraid of is that this overturns the bounds of normal church
polity," said Benjamins. "We see the potential of schisms occurring when the
classis gets too involved in something that is really the local church's
business."
Wyoming CRC's overture cited a number of objections to the proposed Christian
Reformed process for seceding from the denomination. "The procedure for
disaffiliation adopted by Synod 1997 violates in crucial ways the stipulations
of Articles 27 (the authority of councils being original, that of major
assemblies being delegated') and 95 (No church shall in any way lord it over
another church') of the Church Order," according to the overture. "Entrance
into and departure from a denominational affiliation are matters that belong
to the original authority of the council. The procedure adopted by Synod 1997
for disaffiliation would allow, perhaps even encourage, the churches of
classis to lord it over the council and church that sought to disaffiliate."
"It is assumed that the denomination is the church and that what we call the
local' council and congregation is dependent for its origin and right to
exist upon the classis and denomination," according to the overture. "That is
a principle that is neither biblical nor historically true."
Despite objecting to the proposed secession procedure, Benjamins made clear
that his church had no plans to follow Covenant Christian Church out of the
CRC. "When we sent our overture to classis we were afraid you would look at
our overture and say, Hey, that's Wyoming, they want to leave,'" said
Benjamins. "That is not at all the case."
Benjamins' argument didn't persuade the classis. "There is no biblical way we
can divide the church; the Bible calls us to be one," said Rev. Peter Nicolai
of Grace CRC in Chatham. "What has happened in a number of situations is that
councils have recommended to their congregations that they withdraw from their
denomination as a congregation. This is unreformed, you can't get more
congregational than to withdraw from a denomination."
Benjamins wasn't the only pastor of a split church to speak on the matter.
Rev. John Hellinga from Aylmer CRC, whose congregation also saw a minority
secede to join what is now the United Reformed Churches, argued that Wyoming's
overture would encourage rather than discourage church splits. "We've heard a
lot about the autonomy of the local church, and that's a doctrine that is
close to our hearts, but we need to be careful when we talk about this," said
Hellinga. "We have indeed as a local congregation said, this is the classis
and synod to which we have delegated our authority."
Rev. Robert Haven of Good News CRC in London compared the synodical procedure
for disaffiliation to procedures for divorce decrees. "I don't think any
churches entered into this denominational covenant with division in mind, but
what do you do when you do have irreconcilable differences?" asked Haven. "The
intent was not to lord it over,' but to plead for an amicable resolution of
our differences."
In the end, Wyoming CRC's overture was rejected by a wide voice vote. Church
representatives said they weren't yet certain whether they would be sending
their overture on to Synod 1998 without classical endorsement.
Cross-References to Related Articles:
#1997-063: Christian Reformed Synod 1997 Faces Crossroads Decision: Will
Seceding Churches Keep Their Property?
#1997-073: Synod Modifies Local Church Property Rights
Contact List:
Rev. Ken Benjamins, Pastor, Wyoming Christian Reformed Church
PO Box 445, 529 Superior St., Wyoming, ON N0N 1T0
O: (519) 845-0244 * H: (519) 845-3442
Rev. Robert Haven, Pastor, Good News Christian Reformed Church
RR #1, Dorchester, ON N0L 1G4
O: (519) 268-3785 * H: (519) 268-8403 * FAX: (519) 268-8403 * E-Mail:
bhaven@sympatico.ca
Rev. John D. Hellinga, Pastor, Aylmer Christian Reformed Church
8 Sinclair Cres., Aylmer, ON N5H 3B7
O: (519) 773-3025 * H: (519) 773-8250 * FAX: (519) 773-3043 * E-Mail:
hellinga@kanservu.ca
Rev. Peter Nicolai, Pastor, Grace Christian Reformed Church
247 Tweedsmuir Ave. West, Chatham, ON N7M 2A7
H/O: (519) 354-3807 * E-Mail: pnicolai@ciaccess
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