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Reformed Church Of America Split

Related Updates To The Teams Work

“Reformed Church In America” Splits As Conservatives Form New Denomination!

The Restructuring Teams primary task is to consider the best option for sustainable ministry for a smaller denomination, and make proposals for consideration at General Synod 2024. The Vision 2020 Team, which recommended the Restructuring Team as a step forward, suggested that the new team consider affinity synods among the options for a denominational restructure. The Commission on Theology has prepared a paper, Blest Be the Tie that Binds, digging into the theological implications of affinity synods. Read the full paper here.

In addition to establishing a restructuring team, General Synod 2021 approved a pathway for mutually generous separation for churches and pastors that wish to leave the RCA. In his report this morning, general secretary Eddy Alemán reported that 68 churches have left the RCA since General Synod 2021, 4 have disbanded, and an additional 60 are in the process of leaving the denomination. Alemán named that separation has not always been as generous in spirit as it has been generous in resources, and called all involved to recommit themselves to generosity of spirit. His address was rooted in lament and hope.

In his report on Friday afternoon, General Synod president Phil Assink urged all churchesincluding departing congregationsto continue their support of RCA Global Mission, to sustain its kingdom witness.

The Reformed Church In America Faces Rupture Over Lgbtq Gridlock

This week, one of North Americas oldest denominations will confront its gridlock over LGBTQ ordination and same-sex marriage. Votes cast in Tucson, Arizona, at the Reformed Church in Americas General Synod delayed 16 months due to the pandemic will chart the course for the already-splintering denomination.

In the past year, conservative factions have broken ties with the RCA, with other churches threatening to follow. Delegates to the synod, which starts Thursday and will continue through Tuesday, will determine how the denomination might restructure to entice congregations to stay, if the church will establish an external mission organization and whether departing congregations can plan on taking their church buildings with them.

At General Synod, delegates come from across the RCA to discern the mind of Christ together, said Christina Tazelaar, RCA director of communications. There are difficult decisions on the agenda, along with many things to celebrate, and were praying that the Holy Spirit guides every decision.

The RCA is a historically Dutch Reformed denomination dating back to the 1620s, when New York was known as New Amsterdam. Today, the RCA has fewer than 200,000 members and 1,000 churches. While in theory RCA churches are united by their polity, history and Reformed convictions, they hold a range of political and theological beliefs.

Ron Citlau, senior pastor of Calvary Church near Chicago, frames the question differently.

Reformed Church In America

Reformed Church in America
Coat of arms of the Reformed Church in America
Classification
1628 1754 ” rel=”nofollow”> classis gains independence)
Branched from
Christian Reformed Church in North America
Congregations
138,438 communicants , 152,317 total
Official website
.org
Logo

The Reformed Church in America is a mainlineReformedProtestantdenomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church.

The RCA is a member of the National Council of Churches , the World Council of Churches , Christian Churches Together, and the World Communion of Reformed Churches . Some parts of the denomination belong to the National Association of Evangelicals, the Canadian Council of Churches, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The denomination is in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church , and United Church of Christ and is a denominational partner of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

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Whats Going On: Revival

For the past six years, Rayas has served on the human sexuality committee.

There was a sense that we were working upstream, said Calvin Seminary professor Matt Tuininga, who also served on that committee. Culture was affirming so quickly that we worried our work might be meaninglessthat by the time the report came out, it might be too late.

The committee released a preliminary draft of the report in 2019 and then worried about how it was going to be received.

We canvassed the classes for feedback, and we put it in a huge spreadsheet, Tuininga said. I was surprisedthat feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Den Dulk was in one of those classes. He was also surprised.

I remember saying , How many of you honestly thought the CRC would come out with a report this sound, this biblical, this faithful? he said. And nobody there raised their hand. Nobody knew they would do it. We were like, Thank you, God. This is so good.

That mutual worryof the committee and the churches about each others orthodoxywasnt unfounded. Not only was the public face of the CRC moving left, but the spiritual disciplines of church members were on a 20-year slide. It wasnt crazy to think most CRCers would shrug and prefer to let each church choose its own path on sexuality.

Instead, the committee and the congregations surprised each other.

And finally, clicking through the extensive statistics collected by the CRC over the years, I saw why.

The Christian Reformed Church Corrects Course

Early Churches of Tippecanoe County Indiana_Fairfield township

Youd think, with numbers that decisive, that no one would be surprised by the outcome. Youd be wrong.

No! Seriously! Only 53? one woman tweeted, and she wasnt the only one caught off guard.

I was very surprised! said Mary Vanden Berg, a Calvin Theological Seminary professor who was on the committee asking for the vote. I had no idea there was that level of support.

I was at the TGC womens conference when I got the text from my husband. Wed been watching it closelyit felt like a watershed moment for the denomination wed both been born into.

The CRC was founded in 1857, arising from a group of Dutch immigrants who split off from the Reformed Church in America over arguments about sound doctrinal preaching and accommodations to American culture . Since then, the Grand Rapidsbased denomination has grownand then declinedto around 200,000 members in about 1,000 churches, and includes Calvin University and Calvin Seminary among its denominational institutions. Its the third-largest Reformed denomination in the U.S.

Six years ago, a committee was appointed to wrestle through the churchs stance on sexuality. They submitted a 175-page reportin both English and Spanishessentially clarifying and upholding the churchs historical teaching.

Five hours after the first vote, they did.

They told Neland Avenue CRC to immediately void their appointment of a deacon in a same-sex marriage, my husband texted.

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Safe Landing Pad For Churches

Vink said the new alignment will promote growth. We want to be a safe landing pad for churches in the near term, but in the long term, want to be a serious launching pad for the church, in mission, to the world, he said.

The creation of ARC, paired with the RCAs decisions at General Synod, has put many RCA congregations in the position of deciding whether to stay in the RCA.

Yet the RCA is also committed to allowing departing churches to leave on good terms.

We want to bless our brothers and sisters who are choosing to find another denominational family, said Christina Tazelaar, director of communication for the RCA.

The launch of ARC is part of a larger realignment within North American Protestantism. The last two decades have seen conservative Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Lutherans form their own denominations over LGBTQ inclusion and sexuality, and the United Methodists are scheduled to consider a denominational split in the fall.

Another group, the Association of Related Churches, also uses the ARC acronym. The Association of Related Churches, launched in 2001, focuses on church planting and training for new church leaders. The ARC is evangelical and theologically conservative overall, but churches are considered nondenominational.

EDITORS NOTE This story has been compiled with reporting from Religion News Service and The Baptist Paper.

Rca: A Way For A Mutually Generous Separation

The report recommended to restructure the denomination, create a new missions agency, and affirm a way for mutually generous separation.

The Synod approved the first and third recommendations, which allowed those churches transferring to another denomination to retain their assets and buildings. Individual churches, however, will be responsible for any liabilities.

But by a vote of 198 to 9, delegates voted against the recommendation about an external global mission agency to house the RCAs current global missions work, which aimed to allow departing congregations to continue to support RCA missionaries.

The task force report concluded that for those who decide to stay in the RCA, there is a path that holds the potential for the renewal and strengthening of a denomination they love. For those who choose to go a separate way, there is an opportunity to provision them well for their journey, knowing that the work they go to do is for the kingdom we all call home.

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Dutch Reformed Church Split

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The 1834 Dutch Reformed Church split, or the Secession of 1834 , known simply as Afscheiding , refers to a split that occurred within the Dutch Reformed Church in 1834. The federation of churches resulting from this split, the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken still exists in the Netherlands today. The Free Reformed Churches are the North American counterpart.

Reformed Church In America Begins Amiable Separation

Theological divide

In October 2021, after 16 months of Covid-related delay, the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America adopted a plan to allow traditionalist congregations to disaffiliate over the churchs gridlock over LGBTQ ordination and same-sex marriage. That plan has now given rise to a new, theologically conservative denomination called the Alliance of Reformed Churches. Several smaller networks of traditionalist churches also formed prior to the General Synods action.

According to articles by Kathryn Post in Religion News Service , The RCA is a historically Dutch Reformed denomination dating back to the 1620s, when New York was known as New Amsterdam. Today, the RCA has fewer than 200,000 members and 1,000 churches.

Its really about how we view the Bible, how we understand God and the nature of the church, the Rev. Lynn Japinga, professor of religion at RCA-affiliated Hope College, is quoted as saying. Its a fundamental difference in approach to the Christian faith thats the source of all this.

The Rev. Ron Citlau, senior pastor of Calvary Church near Chicago, frames the question this way, The issue for me and many of the people I know is, is it a thing for which Jesus Christ needs to come to redeem us, or is it a blessing he wants us to embrace? If we get sin wrong, there are larger issues at stake.

The delegates overwhelmingly defeated a proposal to create an external global mission agency .

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Whats Going On: The Culture

In the seven years since Obergefell, American culture has embraced not only same-sex marriage but also a host of LGBT+ ideologies.

I cant make the same assumptions about marriage or sexuality that my grandpa could, said Derek Buikema, vice president of synod and pastor at Orland Park Christian Reformed Church . Because of that, this years sexuality report was an improvement on the statement from the 1970s, he said. Its more conservative, more biblically soundand more compassionate, broader, and more direct about the need for the church to love LGBTQ people.

Thats because Christians today are less likely to take Scriptures sexuality teachings for granted and more likely to have thought deeply about them, he said. What does it mean to be a man? To be a woman? Is Scriptures teaching good and beautiful? If so, I need to accept all of it. If not, I need to deconstruct.

Children of both conservative and liberal churches walk away from the faith. But data shows that over time, mainline churches lose more members than evangelical churches . Former mainliners tend to either move to more evangelical churches or walk away from the faith altogether.

One could argue that the children of liberal CRCs are less likely to stick around or less likely to go into the ministry. But thats hard to prove.

Its true that in 2021, nine of the 10 churches with the most professions were associated either with Abide or with The Gospel Coalition.

Something else is going on.

Entertainment And Performing Arts

Grand Rapids has several popular concert venues in which numerous bands have performed, including 20 Monroe Live, the DAAC, the Intersection, DeVos Performance Hall, Van Andel Arena, Royce Auditorium in St. Cecilia Music Center, Forest Hills Fine Arts Center, The Pyramid Scheme, and the Deltaplex.

The Schubert Male Chorus of Grand Rapids was founded by Henry C. Post on November 19, 1883 the chorus continues to perform a variety of music.

The , founded in 1930, is the largest performing arts organization in Grand Rapids with a roster of about 50 full-time and 30 part-time musicians. In addition to its own concert series, the orchestra under music director accompanies productions by Grand Rapids Ballet and Opera Grand Rapids, presenting more than 400 performances a year.

Grand Rapids Ballet Company was founded in 1971 and is one of Michigan’s few professional ballet companies. The ballet company is on Ellsworth Avenue in the neighborhood, where it moved in 2000. In 2007, it expanded its facility by adding the LEED-certified Peter Wege Theater.

Opera Grand Rapids, founded in 1966, is the state’s longest-running professional company. In February 2010, the opera moved into a new facility in the Fulton Heights neighborhood.

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Reformed Church In America Faces Rupture Over Lgbtq+ Gridlock

This week, one of North Americas oldest denominations will confront its gridlock over LGBTQ ordination and same-sex marriage. Votes cast in Tucson, Arizona, at the Reformed Church in Americas General Synod delayed 16 months due to the pandemic will chart the course for the already-splintering denomination.

In the past year, conservative factions have broken ties with the RCA, with other churches threatening to follow. Delegates to the synod, which starts Thursday and will continue through Tuesday, will determine how the denomination might restructure to entice congregations to stay, if the church will establish an external mission organization and whether departing congregations can plan on taking their church buildings with them.

At General Synod, delegates come from across the RCA to discern the mind of Christ together, said Christina Tazelaar, RCA director of communications. There are difficult decisions on the agenda, along with many things to celebrate, and were praying that the Holy Spirit guides every decision.

The RCA is a historically Dutch Reformed denomination dating back to the 1620s, when New York was known as New Amsterdam. Today, the RCA has fewer than 200,000 members and 1,000 churches. While in theory RCA churches are united by their polity, history and Reformed convictions, they hold a range of political and theological beliefs.

Ron Citlau, senior pastor of Calvary Church near Chicago, frames the question differently.

Ron Citlau. Courtesy photo

The Churches Leaving The Reformed Church Of America Say It Is Important To Affirm That The Bible Is Gods Written Word And Those Who Follow Jesus Live Under The Bibles Authority

Letter from America: Womens roles in the Presbyterian Church in ...

Forty-three congregations of the Reformed Church in America announced on 1 January that it will break away to form a new body called the Alliance of Reformed Churches .

The website describes the new group as a community of biblical congregations who believe that it is important to affirm that the Bible is Gods written Word and those who follow Jesus live under the Bibles authority as written.

There are at least 125 churches from several denominations that are also in conversation with ARC leaders about joining the Alliance.

Furthermore, other groups are also emerging, such as the Kingdom Network, a group of five churches in Indiana and Illinois, which expect to absorb conservative churches leaving the RCA.

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Some Who Remain In The Rca Are Concerned For The Small Nearly 400

On New Years Day, 43 congregations of the Reformed Church in America split from the national denomination, one of the oldest Protestant bodies in the United States, in part over theological differences regarding same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy.

The departure of the theologically conservative congregations to the new group, the Alliance of Reformed Churches, leaves some who remain in the RCA concerned for the denominations survival. Before the split, the nearly 400-year-old denomination had fewer than 200,000 members and 1,000 churches.

At least 125 churches from various denominations are in conversation with ARC leaders about joining.

Realistically, its a large group of conservative churches that are also providing a lot of income to the denomination. I really think the mass exodus of all these conservative churches is going to throw the RCA into a really difficult financial situation, said Steven Rodriguez, an RCA church planter in Brockport, New York. I doubt the RCA will be financially sustainable for much longer.

The move follows the RCA General Synods to adopt measures for grace-filled separation with departing churches and to appoint a team to develop a restructuring plan for those that remain.

Tim Vink. Photo courtesy of ARC

Other groups, such as the Kingdom Network, a group of five churches in Indiana and Illinois, have formed and expect to absorb conservative churches leaving the RCA.

Dan Ackerman. Photo courtesy of ARC

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