The 1994 synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC) met from Tuesday, June 7, through Tuesday, June 14. The calling church was Faith, Jenison, MI. Rev. James Slopsema, president of the previous synod, preached the pre-synodical sermon on Monday evening on I Timothy 3:14, 15, “The Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth.” The officers of synod, chosen by the delegates at the first session on Tuesday morning, were Rev. Ron Van Overloop, president; Rev. Dale Kuiper, vice-president; Rev. Barry Gritters, first clerk; and Rev. Charles Terpstra, second clerk.

Missions

Most of Wednesday and Thursday of the first week was devoted to missions. Synod received a report of a very active and fruitful work being carried on in Northern Ireland through the energetic missionary, Rev. Ron Hanko. It approved the decision of the Covenant Reformed Fellowship (CRF) – the mission group in Northern Ireland- to organize eventually on the basis of both the Westminster Standards and the “Three Forms of Unity.” The CRF informed synod that at organization the church will express dissent from the statement of the Westminster Confession on divorce and remarriage in Chapter 24; Articles 5 and 6. The members of the CRF are committed to contribute $10,000 a year to the work in Northern Ireland.

In a major decision, synod authorized calling a home missionary to work in North America. He will begin working with a group of five families and four individuals in the San Luis Valley in Colorado. Loveland, Colorado will be the calling church. According to the carefully crafted proposal of the Domestic Mission Committee (DMC), the home missionary will be available to investigate other possible fields of labor, while he is working in Colorado. He is also to be involved in radio work and writing that promote the mission labors of the PRC. Members of the PRC ought to pray for God’s guidance of the DMC and the consistory of Loveland in the calling of a man and for God’s direction of a qualified man to take up this important work.

Significant work by the DMC in radio was approved. The DMC will prepare a series of radio broadcasts that introduce the Reformed faith and the PRC. The purpose of the programs will be the discovery and preparation of mission fields. These broadcasts will be distinct from those aired by the Reformed Witness Hour.

As they requested, the Foreign Mission Committee (FMC) was authorized to send another delegation to Ghana, Africa in the next eight months in order to investigate whether Ghana might be a foreign field for the PRC. Some spoke on behalf of directing our foreign work at present toward Singapore and the fields that the Evangelical Reformed Churches of Singapore (ERCS) are exploring. This would be done in cooperation with our sister churches in Singapore.

Synod spent much of Thursday considering several appeals against the decision of 1993 closing the Jamaica field. Synod 1993 closed the Jamaica field on the grounds that

a. . . . All the methods which have been attempted over the course of over thirty years (missionaries, emissaries, conferences) have not resulted in strong indigenous churches. 

b. The annual reports over the past several years give no indication that the life in the churches of Jamaica has progressed as a result of all our labors (“Acts,” Articles 26, 27).

Synod -1994 rejected the appeals against this decision. It declared that the actions of synod 1993 were both legal and warranted by the lack of fruit after some thirty years of labor in Jamaica, particularly the lack of sound, strong, Reformed Jamaican churches. Indeed, judged synod, “there has been no significant progress toward this goal.”

The budget for denominational mission work in i995 adopted by synod is $197,587. If the denominational support of the minister-on-loan to the ERCS, who is also involved in missions to some extent, is added, the mission budget of the PRC in 1995 is $261,367. This is a sizable amount for the small denomination and is indicative of its zeal for missions in obedience to the command of Christ.

Theological School

On Friday, synod gave final approval to plans for an addition to the seminary building. The Theological School Committee (TSC) has obtained bids and awarded the construction contract. Construction will begin soon. Synod recommended that the TSC appoint a committee of experienced contractors to oversee the construction of the new addition. About $320,000 of the cost has already been donated. About $100,000 is still needed. This money is to be raised by personal notes or by a bank loan. Repayment will be by collections in the churches. Synod adopted the TX’s proposed policy for seminary internships and approved the internships of seminarian Douglas Kuiper in Doon, Iowa and of seminarian Allen Brummel in Singapore during the coming school year. Mr. Nathan Brummel of Edgerton, Minnesota was admitted into the seminary in the fall of this year. There will be eleven students in seminary this coming year. According to the rule of a rotating rectorship, synod appointed Prof. David Engelsma rector for three years.

Contact

On Monday of the second week, synod took up matters of contact with other churches as presented in the report of the synodical Committee for Contact with Other Churches (CC). Again, synod authorized the sending of an observer to NAPARC, if the PRC receive an invitation.

Two significant decisions were made with regard to the Alliance of Reformed Churches (ARC). ARC is an association of Christian Reformed churches and of independent churches that have recently left the Christian Reformed Church. Synod authorized its CC to send observers to the next meeting of the ARC “provided that the ARC gives our observers the time to address the real issues between the ARC and the PRC.” In the past, the observers from the PRC have not had the opportunity to do much more than extend greetings to the ARC. Synod 1994 decided that the representatives of the PRC must have the opportunity to set forth to the ARC the issues of the doctrine of common grace adopted by the Christian Reformed Church in 1924.

In response to the strange question that the ARC addressed to the PRC, “Are they (the PRC) interested in working toward a federative unity with the independent churches?,” synod adopted the following answer:

1. A Reformed denomination is bound to the biblical principles stipulated in Articles 30 and 31 of the Church Order of Dordt which call for the formation of ecclesiastical assemblies regulating the work of the churches in common and whose decisions are regarded as settled and binding. Independent Reformed congregations which are not committed to or fail to see the necessity of the truths of Articles 30 and 31 make “federative unity” in the Reformed sense impossible. 

2. Reformed “federative unity” is confessional unity, that is, based upon full and explicit agreement to the “Three Forms of Unity” (see the Reformed “Formula of Subscription”). 

3. Before the PRC could seek any federative unity with independent churches which have seceded from the CRC, the PRC’s conscience before God is bound to discuss those issues which caused the CRC to expel the PRC from their fellowship. These issues (the doctrine of common grace as adopted by the CRC in 1924, especially, the “well-meant offer”) belong to explicit confessional unity and could never be ignored by the PRC in any federative unity with other churches. 

4. If the ARC is interested in discussing these matters, the CC of the PRC stands ready to do so.

Synod rejected a proposal by the CC that Protestant Reformed pulpits be opened to ministers of churches with which the PRC do not have a sister-church relationship. One ground for rejecting the proposal was that the constitution of the CC (in V, B) restricts the pulpits of the PRC to ministers of churches with which the PRC have a sister-church relationship. Another was that “the preaching of the gospel in our pulpits is the very heart of the life of our churches and must be safeguarded by being limited to ministers of churches whose oneness with the PRC has been affirmed by the synod in a sister church relationship.”

Closer contact with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia (EPC) was encouraged. The PRC trained two young men of the EPC for the ministry in that church in the past three years. Synod again offered the EPC the use of the seminary without tuition cost and with financial help from the PRC in the support of its students. Synod expressed the “deep love of our churches for the EPC . . . and the desire of our churches to assist them in their battle for the truth.” In the interests of closer contact, synod instructed the CC to address the issues in which we differ with the EPC. These issues are chiefly the EPC’s application of the regulative principle of worship to the condemnation of the use of instrumental accompaniment of congregational singing.

The CC reported that the work of minister-on-loan to the ERCS, Rev. Jason Kortering, is fruitful under the blessing of God. Through the work of Rev. and Mrs. Kortering, the already close ties of the PRC with the ERCS become even closer. At present, the PRC are training a seminarian from one of the Singapore churches for the ministry in those churches. The PRC are helping in his financial support.

In closed session, synod advised a sister-church on the discipline of a member.

Varia

Synod also made the following decisions:

– adopted Hudsonville’s overture that a supervising consistory make the nomination for officebearers in the organizing of a new congregation (formerly, officebearers were chosen by free election of the male membership of the organizing group);

– adopted the overture of Mr. Don Lotterman that a minister from another church seeking admission into the ministry of the PRC must become a member of a PRC before he applies to a classis for such admission;

– adopted the overture of Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma that synod appoint a standing committee (Catechism Book Committee) for work with the churches’ catechism curriculum;

– adopted Doon’s overture that a qualified elder or ex-elder may be chosen as stated clerk of synod;

– re-elected Mr. Joel Zandstra as synodical treasurer and Rev. Meindert Joostens as synodical stated clerk;

– adopted a synodical budget for 1995 in the amount of $949,553 – almost a million dollars for this little but devoted band of churches. The annual budget in 1995 for each family for synodical work will be $595, up $25 from 1994.

At the invitation of the PRC of Hull, Iowa, synod will meet next year in Hull.

Let us pray for the blessing of God upon the decisions of synod, the synodical work, and the churches of our fellowship.

– DJE