All Articles For Decency and Order

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. To ward of false doctrines and errors that multiply exceedingly through heretical writings, the ministers and elders shall use the means of teaching, of refutation, or warning, and of admonition, as well in the ministry of the Word as in Christian teaching and family-visiting. Church Order, Article 55 Banning heretical writings The original article is almost unrecognizable in our present Article 55. Originally the article concerned the censorship of books and the banning of heretical writings. The fathers were aware of the power of the pen. They had...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. Every church shall administer the Lord’s Supper in such a manner as it shall judge most conducive to edification; provided, however, that the outward ceremonies as prescribed in God’s Word be not changed and all superstition be avoided, and that at the conclusion of the sermon., and the usual prayers, the form for the administration of the Lord’s Supper, together with the prayer for that purpose shall be read. Church Order, Article 62 Article 62 continues the Church Order’s treatment of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. “Funeral sermons or funeral services shall not be introduced.” Church Order, Article 65 Conducting funerals—one of the more difficult aspects of the ministry. The deceased may be an aged saint who has lived a full life. Or a young father or mother taken suddenly from the family. Or a teenager or child who dies before ever coming to maturity. Usually the deceased is a member of the church. At times this is not the case. Often the family has the comfort of everlasting life and glory because the...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. “In time of war, pestilence, national calamities, and other great afflictions, the pressure of which is felt throughout the churches, it is fitting that the classis proclaim a day of prayer.” Church Order, Article 66. The Original Article of Dordt As is well known, the Roman Catholic Church multiplied special days of fasting and prayer. The Reformed churches condemned this multiplication of days. At the same time, they saw the spiritual benefits of fasting and prayer. They believed that there were certain times when circumstances called for the...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan.

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. The ministers of the Word of God and likewise the professors of theology (which also behooves the other professors and school teachers) shall subscribe to the three formulas of unity, namely, the Belgic Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dordrecht, 1618-’19, and the ministers of the Word who refuse to do so shall de facto be suspended from their office by the consistory or classis until they shall have given a full statement, and if they obstinately persist in refusing, they shall be deposed...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. The ministers shall on Sunday explain briefly the sum of Christian doctrine comprehended in the Heidelberg Catechism so that as much as possible the explanation shall be annually completed, according to the division of the Catechism itself for that purpose. Church Order, Article 68 Heidelberg Catechism preaching—a time-honored tradition in Reformed churches. Over the years sermons on the Heidelberg Catechism have been a regular part of the spiritual diet of Reformed Christians around the world. Generations of men and women have lived out their 70 or 80 years...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. Those who are delegated to the assemblies shall bring with them their credentials and instructions, signed by those sending them, and they shall have a vote in all matters, except such as particularly concern their persons or churches.  Church Order, Article 33. This article concerns three things: credentials (“Those who are delegated to the assemblies shall bring with them their credentials…”); instructions (“‘…and instructions…”); voting (“…and they shall have a vote in all matters…”). Credentials Credentials are the official letter of authorization of the delegates to our broader...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. “A minister, once lawfully called, may not leave the congregation with which he is connected, to accept a call elsewhere, without the consent of the consistory, together with the deacons, and knowledge on the part of the classis; likewise no other church may receive him until he has presented a proper certificate of .dismission from the church and the classis where he served.” Church Order, Article 10. Introduction There are several articles of the Church Order which deal with the calling of a minister. Articles 3 and 4 warn against...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. “Places where as yet no consistory can be constituted shall be placed under the care of a neighboring consistory. ” Church Order, Article 39. History of This Article This article dates back to the early history of the Reformed churches in the Netherlands. Already the Synod of Emden, 1571, concerned itself with the gathering of scattered groups of Reformed believers. The Synod urged classes and consistories to labor in nearby cities and villages where congregations had not yet been established. Special attention was to be paid to dispersed...