All Articles For Decency and Order

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. The office of the president is to state and explain the business to be transacted, to see to it that everyone observe(s) due order in speaking, to silence the captious and those who are vehement in speaking; and to properly discipline them if they refuse to listen. Furthermore his office shall cease when the assembly arises.  Church Order, Article 35. Introduction This article describes the office, or duty of the president of ecclesiastical assemblies. The article originated with the Synod of Embden, 1571. Originally it concerned only the...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado.

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. One of the main duties enjoined upon the elders in Article 23 of the Church Order is family visitation: “The office of the elders (is) . ..both before and after the Lord’s Supper, as time and circumstances may demand, for the edification of the churches, to visit the families of the congregation, in order particularly to comfort and instruct the members, and also to exhort others in respect to the Christian religion.” Family visitation is a distinctively Reformed practice. No other churches that I am aware of regularly...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. Method of Conducting Family Visitation No matter what the specific method followed in family visitation, thorough preparation on the part of elders and ministers is necessary. They must know the specific family situation of the family being visited. And they must be prepared to bring the Word of God to the specific situations in that home and family. Because these are official visits, family visitation must be conducted by a committee of elders, usually two. In some Reformed churches today, family visitation is conducted by individual elders. This...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. The classis has the same jurisdiction over the consistory as the particular synod has over the classis and the general synod over the particular. Church Order, Article 36

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. “The churches shall observe, in addition to the Sunday, also Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, the Day of Prayer, the National Thanksgiving Day, and Old and New Year’s Day.” Church Order, Article 67. History of Article 67 The content of Article 67 does not express the early opinion of the Reformers with respect to the observance of the religious holidays. Well known is the opposition of men like Calvin, Farel, Zwingli, and Knox to the celebration of the myriad of festal days counted sacred by Roman...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. In all churches there shall be a consistory composed of the ministers of the Word and the elders, who at least in larger congregations, shall, as a rule, meet once a week. The minister of the Word (or the ministers, if there be more than one, in turn) shall preside and regulate the proceedings. Whenever the number of elders is small, the deacons may be added to the consistory by local regulations; this shall invariably be the rule where the number is less than three. Church Order, Article...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. The deacons shall be chosen, approved, and installed in the same manner as was stated concerning the elders. Church Order, Article 24. Introduction Articles 24-26 of the Church Order describe the office and work of the deacons. Article 24 concerns the appointment of the deacons. Article 25 describes the work peculiar to the office of the deacons. Article 26 deals with cooperation of the deacons with others who are involved in caring for the poor. There are other references to the deacons in theChurch Order. Article 27 concerns...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. “The deacons shall meet, wherever necessary, eve y week to transact the business pertaining to their office, calling upon the Name of God; whereunto the ministers shall take good heed and if necessary they shall be present.”  Church Order, Article 40. Introduction No mention is made in Article 29 of the Church Order of deacons’ meetings as a distinct ecclesiastical gathering: “Four kinds of ecclesiastical assemblies shall be maintained: the consistory, the classis, (the particular synod), and the general synod.” Deacons’ meetings are not a separate ecclesiastical assembly...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. In places where the consistory is to be constituted for the first time or anew, this shall not take place except with the advice of the classis.  Church Order, Article 38 Introduction This article concerns the re-organizing of congregations and the organization of new congregations. Originally the article referred only to the reconstituting of congregations. This was necessary in the early history of the Reformed churches because of persecution. Often congregations were scattered, sometimes even forced to flee to foreign lands. When conditions improved, many of these believers...