file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr94-054.txt ------------------------------------------------ Reformed Believers Press Service An independent source of news on developments in the Reformed and Presbyterian world Sponsored by Reformed Believers United News Release For Immediate Release October 20, 1994 Release #1994-54 For Further Information Contact: Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer Reformed Believers Press Service Voice: (616) 674-8446 FAX: (616) 674-8454 E-Mail: Darrell128@AOL.com PO Box 691, Lawrence, MI 49064-0691 Lake Michigan Churches Ratify "Articles of Fellowship" by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer Reformed Believers Press Service Grand Rapids, Mich (October 20, 1994) RBPS - Meeting on October 8 at Dutton Independent Reformed Church, the fifteen independent Reformed churches clustered around Lake Michigan assembled for their fourth session as a regional assembly and welcomed three new member congregations: Faith IRC of Borculo, Grandville-Jenison IRC, and Messiah's Congregation of Brooklyn, New York. Messiah's Congregation came with a special request: that the fellowship schedule time to hear a presentation on developments surrounding the resignation of Rev. Wayne Leigh from the Urban Nations ministry in New York City. After the request was voted down, Rev. Steve Schlissel of Messiah's Congregation noted that he and Elder Jonathan Martin had flown in specifically for the meeting and received permission to make a presentation for interested delegates after the meeting adjourned. Organizational matters dominated the Saturday morning session. Following receipt of reports that eleven of the fourteen churches attending the fellowship's spring meeting had ratifed the "Articles of Fellowship" which were proposed at that meeting, the assembled delegates passed a motion to declare the fellowship formally constituted. One portion of the articles of fellowship remains controversial, however - a section stating that the purpose of the regional fellowship includes providing "regular church visiting to encourage, advise, and confirm the local churches in their ministry." Concerns about potential abuse led to considerable dissent and formal notice that four of the ratifying churches - Dutton, Immanuel Fellowship Church of Kalamazoo, Messiah's IRC of Holland, and Reformed Heritage Community Church of Holland - would not accept the provision on church visitation. Numerous delegates voiced concerns that the language of the articles of fellowship could lead to a repetition of Christian Reformed practices in which classically-appointed church visitors actively worked to prevent secessions or oppose decisions of local church councils. One of the four churches, Messiah's IRC, went a step further by overturing the fellowship to add specifications that "participation by local churches shall be strictly voluntary" and that "no authority shall be given to either church visitors or the Regional Fellowship other than granted to them by Christ as brothers and fellow officebearers in His Church," citing as grounds that it would "protect the autonomy of the local congregation" and "protect against hierarchicalism." "It's my understanding that as it stands, the church visitors would be officers or agents of the regional assembly rather than of their local church," said Elder David Kloosterman of Immanuel Fellowship Church. "I have no problem submitting to the authority of officebearers of other churches as our brethren in Christ, but submitting to the authority of men delegated by regional assemblies, I really have problems with that." Other delegates, however, said that a rule specifying the voluntary character of church visitation was unnecessary. "What we have here in no way threatens the autonomy of the local church," argued Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen of Eastmanville Reformed Bible Church. Even Rev. Ray Lanning - well-known as an ardent anti-synodocrat - defended the original language. "What the overture does, to my mind at least, is it spells out what was always assumed about the work of the church visitors," said Lanning. After extended discussion, the fellowship amended the Messiah's IRC overture by deleting the specification that church visitation was voluntary but adopting the remainder of the overture. Although the change passed as amended, Rev. Steve Schlissel noted that the final language was unclear since different Reformed denominations have different understandings of what authority is granted to church visitors "as brothers and fellow officebearers." In other organizational steps, the fellowship moved toward election of a permanent recording clerk to replace Rev. Ken Eiten, former pastor of Lynwood CRC (independent) who since the last meeting had been granted honorable emeritation for reasons of health. Lanning proposed that the fellowship elect Rev. Steve Arrick, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Hudsonville, stating that although Arrick was not present at the meeting he had access to competent secretarial assistance and had agreed to serve. However, Schlissel objected to the nomination on the grounds that Arrick, who joined the Great Lakes Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America following his secession from the CRC and is now a member of the PCA, might be violating his presbyterian ordination vows if he accepted a position as an officer of the Lake Michigan Regional Fellowship. After debate, Elder Pres Hopkins from Cornerstone Church was elected by an overwhelming margin. Delegates enjoyed a brief moment of laughter as Hopkins cast the only vote in favor of his pastor. In other business, the fellowship adopted overtures to sponsor conferences for officebearers and to endorse a request by Beverly CRC (Independent) to organize mass meetings and retreats for the general membership of the area churches. A final motion may mean that the Lake Michigan Regional Fellowship will expand to include the more scattered churches elsewhere in the United States. With little discussion, the body approved a proposal to send invitations to independent congregations in the Alliance of Reformed Churches located south of the Canadian border. Currently, the Alliance has three independent congregations in California, two in Iowa, and one each in Washington state, Florida, New Jersey, and New York City. Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church in New Jersey had sent delegates to the previous meeting, but the other congregations have so far not joined or attended any regional fellowship of the Alliance. Contact List: Rev. Steve Arrick, Pastor, Cornerstone Church 6606 - 42nd Ave., Hudsonville, MI 49426 * O: (616) 669-2190 * H: (616) 669-3457 * FAX: (616) 669-4321 Elder David Kloosterman, Vice-President, Immanuel Fellowship Church 5630 Powderhorn, Kalamazoo, MI 49009 * (616) 375-5751 Rev. Ray Lanning, Chairman, Lake Michigan Regional Fellowship 1088 Harvester Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508 * H/O: (616) 554-0001 Rev. Wayne Leigh, Former Overseer, Urban Nations 1805 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY 11230 * (718) 692-4260 Rev. Steve Schlissel, Pastor, Messiah's Congregation 2662 E. 24th St., Brooklyn, NY 11235 * (718) 332-4444 Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen, Pastor, Eastmanville Reformed Bible Church 16353 - 68th Ave., Coopersville, MI 49404 * H/O: (616) 837-8645 --