Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 10:46:19 -0500 From: Darrell Todd Maurina Reply-To: Darrell128@aol.com Organization: Christian Renewal/United Reformed News Service Subject: NR 99009: CRC's Classis Holland Votes to Accept Indiana Church with Women Elders from Classis Kalamazoo NR #1999-009: CRC's Classis Holland Votes to Accept Indiana Church with Women Elders Pending Votes by Classis Kalamazoo and Synod Classis Holland lost Pine Creek Christian Reformed Church to Classis Zeeland in 1997 because the classis wanted women's ordination but the church rejected women ministers, elders, and evangelists as unbiblical. Now Classis Holland may get a new church: South Bend CRC, located near the campus of Notre Dame University in Indiana. The South Bend CRC includes a number of the denomination's more prominent professors teaching at Notre Dame, some of whom previously taught at Calvin College. Among them are nationally recognized historians, theologians, and Bible scholars such as Dr. George Marsden, Dr. Alvin Plantinga, and Dr. Jim Vander Kam. "We have women as elders and deacons, as do some of the churches here, and it has become an increasing embarrassment at our council meetings to say we cannot have women delegated to classis," said South Bend pastor Rev. Leonard Vander Zee at the January 21 meeting of Classis Holland. "Over the last four years we have overtured three times to allow women to be delegated to classis. When it became obvious that Classis Kalamazoo was not going to change its mind, we looked around and said, 'Could we really become part of Classis Holland?'" NR #1999-009: For Immediate Release: CRC's Classis Holland Votes to Accept Indiana Church with Women Elders Pending Votes by Classis Kalamazoo and Synod by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service SOUTH OLIVE, MICH. (January 21, 1999) URNS - Classis Holland lost Pine Creek Christian Reformed Church to Classis Zeeland in 1997 because the classis wanted women's ordination but the church rejected women ministers, elders, and evangelists as unbiblical. Now Classis Holland may get a new church: South Bend CRC, located near the campus of Notre Dame University in Indiana. The South Bend CRC includes a number of the denomination's more prominent professors teaching at Notre Dame, some of whom previously taught at Calvin College. Among them are nationally recognized historians, theologians, and Bible scholars such as Dr. George Marsden, Dr. Alvin Plantinga, and Dr. Jim Vander Kam. "We have women as elders and deacons, as do some of the churches here, and it has become an increasing embarrassment at our council meetings to say we cannot have women delegated to classis," said South Bend pastor Rev. Leonard Vander Zee at the January 21 meeting of Classis Holland. "Over the last four years we have overtured three times to allow women to be delegated to classis. When it became obvious that Classis Kalamazoo was not going to change its mind, we looked around and said, 'Could we really become part of Classis Holland?'" While South Bend is over two hours away from Holland, it isn't that far away from Classis Holland's southernmost church in St. Joseph, Michigan. "We have some good neighbors in St. Joseph, and it would be a good change for us to be part of the same classis with them," said Vander Zee. Vander Zee has never served a church in Classis Holland, but he's no stranger to West Michigan. From 1983 to 1990 when he accepted the call to South Bend, Vander Zee pastored Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids. Rev. Wayne Brouwer of Harderwyk CRC told classis that a formal vote by Classis Holland wasn't technically necessary, but that it would help to know if Classis Holland wanted the church before South Bend CRC petitioned Classis Kalamazoo to leave. Classis voted by nearly unanimous voice vote to "grant acceptance into Classis Holland pending approval by Classis Kalamazoo and Synod 1999 of the Christian Reformed Church." Vander Zee said he was pleased by the vote. "We feel that Holland is a progressive, forward looking classis, not only on women in office but in classical organization and in its commitment to outreach," said Vander Zee. "We regret leaving Classis Kalamazoo, but they understand we really have no choice." Classis Kalamazoo will meet next January 26. If it agrees to transfer South Bend CRC to Classis Holland, Synod 1999 will make the final decision at its annual meeting this June. Classical transfers are ordinarily routinely approved if both classes desire the transfer. South Bend CRC would be the third church transferred due to disagreement with its classis on the ordination of women. In addition to Pine Creek CRC, Synod 1997 transferred Trinity CRC of Mt. Pleasant to Classis Muskegon because Classis Northern Michigan wasn't willing to allow the ordination of Trinity CRC's female pastor. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1994-043: Second Woman Pastor to Serve Christian Reformed Church; Mary-Lee Bouma to "teach, expound the Word of God, and provide pastoral care" as an unordained solo pastor of Trinity CRC, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan #1995-070: Christian Reformed Classes Permitted to Declare Church Order Ban on Women's Ordination "Inoperative"; Synod Decision Given Immediate Effect without Two-Year Ratification Process #1996-024: CRC's Classis Muskegon Approves Women's Ordination #1996-051: Classis Holland Rejects Effort to Ban Women Delegates #1996-123: Pine Creek CRC Petitions to Leave Classis Holland for Zeeland #1997-008: Classis Zeeland Votes by 72% Margin to Receive Pine Creek Christian Reformed Church Pending Synodical Approval #1997-010: Classis Holland Acquiesces in Pine Creek Request to Transfer to Classis Zeeland Due to Opposition to Women in Office #1997-029: Classis Muskegon Admits Trinity CRC of Mt. Pleasant; Vote Allows Ordination of Mary-Lee Bouma as Third Christian Reformed Woman Pastor #1999-007: Classis Zeeland Rejects Denomination-Wide Women's Ordination by 86% Majority Contact List: Rev. Mary-Lee Bouma, Pastor, Trinity Christian Reformed Church 211 W. Broomfield, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858-3805 O: (517) 772-0664 * H: (517) 772-1029 Rev. Wayne Brouwer, Pastor, Harderwyk Christian Reformed Church 1627 West Lakewood Blvd., Holland, MI 49424 O: (616) 399-9190 * H: (616) 399-4645 * FAX: (616) 399-8808 * E-Mail: brouwer@triton.net Dr. Ronald De Young, Stated Clerk, Classis Holland 3596 - 47th St., Hamilton, MI 49419 O: (616) 751-8487 * H: (616) 751-6901 * FAX: (616) 751-7389 * E-Mail: hcrc@accn.org Pine Creek Christian Reformed Church 635 Riley St., Holland, MI 49424 O: (616) 399-1413 * E-Mail: pinecreek@i2k.com Rev. Neal Rylaarsdam, Stated Clerk, Classis Kalamazoo 5828 Cheshire St., Portage, MI, 49002-2220 O: (616) 327-4206 * H: (616) 669-9876 * FAX: (616) 327-0128 * E-Mail: REV123@aol.com Rev. Steven Sytsma, Stated Clerk, Classis Zeeland 4452 - 38th St., Hamilton, MI 49419 O: (616) 688-5290 * H: (616) 688-5603 Rev. Leonard Vander Zee, Pastor, South Bend Christian Reformed Church 1855 North Hickory Rd., South Bend, IN 46635 O/FAX: (219) 272-8424 * H: (219) 233-2044 * E-Mail: lenvz@michiana.org ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive99: nr99-009.txt .