From: Darrell128@aol.com Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 07:45:43 EDT Subject: NR 98050: RCA Rejects Effort to Restudy "Conscience Clauses" Defending Women's Ordination NR #1998-050: RCA Rejects Effort to Restudy and Rescind "Conscience Clauses" Defending Opponents of Women's Ordination The Reformed Church in America has allowed the ordination of women deacons and elders since 1971, failed to stop the irregular ordination of its first woman minister in 1973, and by a 54% vote, General Synod 1979 again failed to stop three irregular ordinations of women ministers in 1978. As a result, General Synod 1980 and 1981 adopted a series of "conscience clauses" protecting the right of RCA members to conscientiously oppose the "licensure, ordination, or installation of women as ministers of the Word" provided they "not obstruct the classis in fulfilling its responsibility to arrange for the care, ordination, and installation of woman candidates and ministers." That compromise came in for criticism at this year's RCA General Synod, but the synod rejected efforts to change the policy. One of the original drafters of the concience clauses, Rev. Tom Stark of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, cited the Christian Reformed Church as an example of a denomination that has been decimated by divisions over the women in office issue. "I don't want to be judgmental about this, but they think it has to be all or nothing, and once one side won, a lot of churches had to leave," said Stark. "The Lord perhaps has spared us that for eighteen years." NR #1998-050: For Immediate Release: RCA Rejects Effort to Restudy and Rescind "Conscience Clauses" Defending Opponents of Women's Ordination by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service HOLLAND, MICH. (June 8, 1998) URNS - The Reformed Church in America has allowed the ordination of women deacons and elders since 1971, failed to stop the irregular ordination of its first woman minister in 1973, and by a 54% vote, General Synod 1979 again failed to stop three irregular ordinations of women ministers in 1978. As a result, General Synod 1980 and 1981 adopted a series of "conscience clauses" protecting the right of RCA members to conscientiously oppose the "licensure, ordination, or installation of women as ministers of the Word" provided they "not obstruct the classis in fulfilling its responsibility to arrange for the care, ordination, and installation of woman candidates and ministers." That compromise came in for criticism at this year's RCA General Synod, whose Theology Commission asked General Synod "to request the Commission on Church Order to clarify if and how the understanding of the authority of officeholders implicit in the conscience clauses... is consistent with the understanding of the authority of officeholders in the Preamble of the Book of Church Order," and to request the same commission "to formulate a more general process of dissent for inclusion in the Book of Church Order, for report to a future General Synod." "We have to deal with the conscience clauses, and we have to do it soon," said Rev. Ruth Hawley-Lowry of Ivanhoe Reformed Church in Riverdale, Illinois. A number of RCA women ministers took the floor of General Synod to protest the conscience clauses. "The reality is every time we push off the conscience clauses, we say, 'peace, peace, where there is no peace,'" said Hawley-Lowry. "Many churches, perhaps if I'm honest with myself, perhaps a majority of the denomination, will never call me as a pastor, perhaps never in my lifetime, but I do believe that when I am called as a pastor my call needs to be honored by other churches in the classis." That argument didn't go down well with Rev. Tom Stark of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, who helped draft the conscience clauses two decades ago and this year submitted a nine-page overture to the Classis of South Grand Rapids defending its continued inclusion in the RCA. "There are going to be people, pastors, and churches that are going to be pushed out of the denomination by this recommendation; I'm not exaggerating here," said Stark. "This is the beginning of the purge." "You can push us out, but someone has to speak out," said Stark. "We are such an ecumenical denomination, our president has labored in Chiapas where they have no women ministers, no women elders. Surely we don't want to say that's just a third-world undeveloped culture?" Stark cited the Christian Reformed Church as an example of a denomination that has been decimated by divisions over the women in office issue. "I don't want to be judgmental about this, but they think it has to be all or nothing, and once one side won, a lot of churches had to leave," said Stark. "The Lord perhaps has spared us that for eighteen years." Opponents of women in office weren't the only people to defend the conscience clause. Rev. Doug Van Bronkhorst of First Reformed Church in Grandville noted that the Presbyterian Church (USA) had created serious dissension by requiring ministers to support women's ordination. "In the Presbyterian Church it was very easy, and we were told what percentage of women we had to have in our next election," said Van Bronkhorst. "It was very easy, and very painful as we saw a large segment of our congregation leave." After delegates complained about "blackmail" by those warning they might leave the RCA over women's ordination, Stark took the floor again to clarify his intentions. "I'm not going anywhere, I am not saying I might not get pushed out before I die, but I am not going anywhere," said Stark, who said the problem was more a matter of concern to younger ministers and seminarians. "This is going to give a signal, young seminarians, you'd better not apply for ordination in this denomination," said Stark. That signal won't be given, however. By voice vote, the General Synod defeated the attempt to study the conscience clause, which means that for now, the denomination won't even consider whether it should be eliminated. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1998-033: Three Reformed Denominations to Hold General Assemblies or Synods this Year in West Michigan #1998-047: RCA General Synod to Begin Main Business Monday Morning Contact List: Rev. E. Wayne Antworth, Director, RCA Stewardship & Communication Services 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 O: (212) 870-2954 * FAX: (212) 870-2499 * E-Mail: ewantworth@worldnet.att.net Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America 49 Yawpo, Oakland, NJ 07436 O: (212) 870-2845 * E-Mail: wes_granbergmichaelson.parti@ecunet.org Rev. Ruth Hawley-Lowry, Pastor, Ivanhoe Reformed Church 14242 Wabash Ave., Riverdale, IL 60827 O: (708) 849-1208 * H: (708) 841-1002 Rev. Tom Stark, Senior Pastor, University Reformed Church 231 Oakhill, East Lansing, MI 48823 O: (517) 351-6810 * H: (517) 351-7164 Rev. Douglas Van Bronkhorst, Senior Pastor, First Reformed Church 3060 Wilson Ave. SW, Grandville, MI 49418 O: (616) 534-5465 * H: (616) 532-7191 Rev. Charles Van Engen, President, RCA General Synod 1998 948 S. Bradish Ave., Glendora, CA 91740 O: (818) 914-3038 * H: (818) 963-9399 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive98: nr98-050.txt .