Discussion of Mission at Classis

Some time ago, I shared a mission proposal that the Providence Canadian Reformed Church made at a recent Classis Ontario West.  Sadly, that Classis was not persuaded of the value of such a proposal.  Perhaps a future classis will be.

Meanwhile, I just noticed that, on the other side of the country, a Classis Pacific West discussed and adopted a similar proposal.  It’s in this press release.  Here are the pertinent details:

Proposal from the church of Surrey-Maranatha: After an amendment, the proposal of Surrey-Maranatha was adopted to add to the Classis Regulations a standing item to Appendix A: ‘Mission: Fraternal Apprisal’, giving the churches an opportunity at each Classis meeting to update each other on their various outreach and mission activities.

I like the wording: “Fraternal Apprisal.”  This is exactly the right idea.  I pray this is a blessing for the advance of the gospel in British Columbia and elsewhere.

Mission Proposal for Upcoming Classis Ontario West

The following document has been submitted as a proposal from the Providence Canadian Reformed Church to the upcoming Classis Ontario West (June 15, 2011).  I think it’s self-explanatory.  I’m sharing it in the hope that perhaps other CanRC churches will consider making similar proposals to their classes.  It’s time to give more (and regular, consistent) attention to mission at the classis-level.

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Proposal for Classis Ontario West Re:  Mission

Background

Earlier this year a meeting was held at the Seminary dealing with mission and the many requests for help that are being received throughout our federation.  During the course of this meeting, it was suggested that our churches might be better served by a more federational approach to mission.  While not envisioning a central overseeing body, churches could make mission a regular agenda item at the classical level.  The idea is not to place control of mission in the hands of our broader assemblies, but to allow local churches a regular opportunity for formal collaboration on the missionary task of the church.

Proposal

We propose that each Classis Ontario West have an agenda item entitled, “Mission.”  Each church will be asked to verbally report on its mission activities overseas and in its own community (home mission/evangelism/outreach).  Opportunity will be provided for questions and discussion, as well as prayer.  Consequently we also propose that the Regulations for Classis Ontario West be amended as follows:

Article 6:  Agenda

Amend to include an item between 6 and 7 entitled “Mission”

The addition of a new article 11 stating the following:

At each classis, every church shall be asked to verbally report on its mission activities overseas and in its own community.  Opportunity will be provided for delegates to discuss the report and ask questions and give encouragement.  Prayer shall be offered for these activities by the chairman or by (a) delegate(s) appointed by the chairman.

The present article 11 then becomes article 12.

Grounds

1)      Adopting this proposal will give greater prominence to the missionary calling of the church.  It will demonstrate our commitment to the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 (and parallels).

2)      This will function as a means of accountability.  All our churches need to take our missionary calling seriously and having it on a classis agenda will promote that.

3)      Implementing this will allow the churches to share ideas about how to better advance the cause of the gospel at home and overseas.

4)      This will allow the churches to stay better informed about each others’ activities.  This will serve our capacity to pray in meaningful ways for one another in public worship.

5)      The adoption of this proposal will allow us the opportunity to encourage one another with regard to mission.

6)      Historically (prior to 1951 in the Netherlands), mission has been a classis matter in Reformed church polity.  Changes in 1951 were reactionary and led to independentism in mission.

Foundational Statements of Reformed Church Government

Many of us are disappointed at the outcome of a decade of ecumenical efforts with the URCNA.  However, there were some good things coming from all the time and effort spent.  Some years ago, the URCNA developed a set of “Foundational Principles for Reformed Church Government.”  As ecumenical discussions proceeded, this document was imported into the Proposed Joint Church Order.  Along the way it was tweaked and improved.  Today it stands as an excellent summary of Reformed church polity.  I use it with my preconfession students to orient them to our basic understanding of how the church of Christ is to be governed.  Here’s the document as it appeared in the 2010 PJCO:

1. The church is the possession of Christ, who is the Mediator of the New Covenant.

Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25-27

2. As Mediator of the New Covenant, Christ is the Head of the church.

Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18

3. Because the church is Christ’s possession and He is its Head, the principles governing the church are determined not by human preference, but by biblical teaching.

Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 1:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

4. The catholic or universal church possesses a spiritual unity in Christ and in the Holy Scriptures.

Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20; I Timothy 3:15; II John 9

5. In its subjection to its heavenly Head, the universal church is governed by Christ from heaven, by means of His Word and Spirit, with the keys of the kingdom which He has given to the local church for that purpose.  Therefore, no church may lord it over another church.

Matthew 16:19; 23:8; John 20:22-23; Acts 14:23; 20:28-32

6. The offices of minister, elder, and deacon are local in authority and function.  The Lord gave no permanent universal, national, or regional offices to His church by which the churches are to be governed.  Therefore, no office bearer may lord it over another office bearer.

Acts 14:23; 16:4; 20:17, 28; Ephesians 4:11-16; Titus 1:5

7. In order to manifest our spiritual unity, churches should seek contact with other faithful, confessionally Reformed churches for their mutual edification and as an effective witness to the world.

John 17:21-23; Ephesians 4:1-6

8. The exercise of a federative relationship is possible only on the basis of unity in faith and in confession.

I Corinthians 10:14-22; Gal. 1:6-9; Ephesians 4:16-17

9. Although churches exist in certain circumstances without formal federative relationships, the well-being of the church requires that such relationships be entered wherever possible.  Entering into or remaining in such relationships should be voluntary; there is however a spiritual obligation to seek and maintain the federative unity of the churches by formal bonds of fellowship and cooperation.

Acts 11:22, 27-30; 15:22-35; Romans. 15:25-27; 1 Corinthians 16:1-3; Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; Revelation 1:11, 20

10. Member churches meet together in broader assemblies to manifest ecclesiastical unity,  to guard against human imperfections and to benefit from the wisdom of many counselors. The decisions of such assemblies are settled and binding among the churches unless they are contrary to Scripture, the Reformed Confessions, or the adopted Church Order.

Proverbs 11:14; Acts 15:1-35; I Corinthians 13:9-10; II Timothy 3:16-17

11. The church is mandated to exercise its ministry of reconciliation by proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth and by administering the sacraments in the congregation.

Matthew 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 2:38-39; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; II Corinthians 5:18-21

12. Christ cares for and governs His church through the office bearers, namely, ministers, elders, and deacons, whom He chooses through the congregation.

Acts 1:23-26; 6:2-3; 14:23; I Timothy 3:1,8; 5:17

13. The Scriptures require that ministers, elders, and deacons be properly qualified for the suitable discharge of their respective offices.

I Timothy 3:2-9; 4:16; II Timothy 2:14-16; 3:14; 4:1-5

14. Being the chosen and redeemed people of God, the church, under the supervision of the consistory, is called to worship Him in reverence and awe according to the scriptural principles governing worship.

Leviticus 10:1-3; Deuteronomy 12:29-32; Psalm 95:1,2,6; Psalm 100:4; John 4:24; Hebrews 12:28-29; I Peter 2:9

15. Since the church is the pillar and ground of the truth, it is called through its teaching ministry to build up the people of God in faith.

Deuteronomy 11:19; Ephesians 4:11-16; I Timothy 4:6; II Timothy 2:2; 3:16-17

16. The church’s evangelistic and missionary calling consists of preaching and teaching the Word of God to the unconverted at home and abroad with the goal of establishing new churches or expanding existing churches.  This calling is fulfilled by ministers of the Word ordained to be missionaries, and by equipping the congregation to be the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14-16; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 4:11-13; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Peter 2:9-12; 3:15-16

17. Christian discipline, arising from God’s love for His people, is exercised in the church to correct and strengthen the people of God, to maintain the unity and the purity of the church of Christ, and thereby to bring honor and glory to God’s name.

I Timothy 5:20; Titus 1:13; Hebrews 12:7-11

18. The exercise of Christian discipline is first of all a personal duty of every church member, but when official discipline by the church, to whom the keys of the kingdom are entrusted, becomes necessary, it must be exercised by the consistory of the church.

Matthew 18:15-20; John 20:22-23; Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 5:13; I Peter 5:1-3

 

Friends You Should Meet (4) — W. W. J. Van Oene

It’s no secret that I love books.  Here in my study I often feel like I’m surrounded by good friends.  In this series of posts, I’d like to introduce you to some of my friends, both the old ones from centuries ago and the more recent ones.  I’ll describe their strengths and, where necessary, their weaknesses.  The aim is to help you find good friends for yourself — in other words, to find edifying reading that will give you a better understanding of the Christian faith, a greater grasp of the gospel, and a deeper love for Christ.

It’s a sad fact that Canadian Reformed pastors and professors just haven’t written a lot in terms of books.  We don’t really have any authors that could be described as “prolific.”  Nevertheless, some of what has been written is unique and of exceptional quality.  I would include the books of Rev. W. W. J. Van Oene in that category.  Let me briefly introduce him to you.

Willem Van Oene was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 1920.  He attended the seminary of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands in Kampen and graduated in 1943.  He was ordained in November of that year in Oud-Loosdrecht.  Shortly after he arrived there, the ecclesiastical liberation (vrijmaking) took place.  After serving another church in the Netherlands, in 1952 he immigrated to Canada to become one of the first ministers of the Canadian Reformed Churches.  He served congregations in New Westminster, BC and Fergus, ON.  In 1973 he received a Master of Theology degree from Knox College in Toronto.  His thesis was in the area of church polity, comparing Canadian Reformed and Christian Reformed systems of church government.  From 1979 to 1985, besides his regular pastoral duties, he also taught church history and church polity at the Canadian Reformed Seminary in Hamilton.  He retired from the ministry in 1985 and currently resides in Abbotsford, BC with his wife.  This nonagenarian continues to occasionally preach in the Canadian Reformed Churches of the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.

Why is W. W. J. Van Oene important? As mentioned above, his special interests lie in the areas of church government and church history.  In both areas, there is not a lot written in English.  That’s particularly true with regards to the government and history of churches with their roots in the Netherlands.  A lot of our history and heritage is still locked away in Dutch, inaccessible to many of us.  Van Oene has helpfully made some of that material available in English.

Where do I start? Like our other CanRC authors, Van Oene was not prolific.  He wrote many occasional articles for Clarion (and served as its editor for many years), but only authored three books.  However, each of these three is important in its own right.  The first edition of Inheritance Preserved: the Canadian Reformed Churches in Historical Perspective was published in 1975.  It describes the early history of the CanRC — it is must reading for everyone who is CanRC or who wants to understand the CanRC.  It’s replete with pictures and there is really nothing that compares with it.  A second revised and updated edition was published in 1991.  Van Oene’s second book was With Common Consent: A Practical Guide to the Use of the Church Order of the Canadian Reformed Churches.  Published in 1990, this is the definitive work on CanRC church polity.  Every CanRC elder and minister should have a copy, read it carefully, and keep it handy as a reference.  People from other churches with a polity based on Dort (i.e. URCNA) would also benefit from this volume.  Finally, Van Oene’s most important work is his 1999 book, Patrimony Profile: Our Reformed Heritage Retraced, 1795-1946.  This is an expansive treatment of a neglected, but important period in Dutch church history.  One of the most valuable features of this book is the fact that the author provides translations of key primary source documents not found anywhere else.  All three of these books continue to be available from Premier Printing (books@premierpublishing.ca).

What to look out for? Van Oene is the most senior of all my CanRC colleagues.  I don’t have any reservations about wholeheartedly recommending his writings.  Like with other authors, I may not always agree with his conclusions, but that is to be expected.  The only thing I would mention is that his books do not include footnotes or endnotes.  So if you are to follow up on some points, you either have to contact the author or do some detective work.  I should say, however, that Patrimony Profile does feature an extensive bibliography that helps in this regard.

W. W. J. Van Oene might be described as the Jay Adams of the Canadian Reformed Churches, though with an emphasis on church polity rather than counseling.  He doesn’t mince his words.  He’s bold and typically calls things for what they are.  John Frame wrote some years ago about “Machen’s Warrior Children” in the OPC.  Can I say that Van Oene is one of the last of “Schilder’s Warrior Children”?   Though Frame may have been slightly (?) derogatory, I mean it in a more complimentary way.  Van Oene and others who came through church struggles like the Liberation realize that there are things worth fighting for.  The key is to identify those right things and then have the courage to fight.

Visit to OPC Presbytery

On Saturday morning I had the pleasure of visiting a meeting of the OPC Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario.  It was held in Sheffield, just down the road from Hamilton here.  I’d never been to a presbytery meeting before, so this was a new experience.  Of course, you hear things but to see it in action is quite different.

A presbytery is in some ways like a classis in continental Reformed polity.  It is a largish group with people from various local churches in attendance.  However, in other ways it is more like a consistory.  For instance, it is a permanent body.  The presbytery is always in existence, whereas as a classis only exists when it is meeting and then it ceases to exist.  The only permanent body in continental Reformed polity is the consistory.  Also, in the OPC, while the ruling elders are all members of their local churches, the ministers (teaching elders) are members of the presbytery.  Therefore, the presbytery is responsible for the oversight of ministers.

This was especially in evidence on Saturday morning.  The presbytery was dealing with a disciplinary matter involving a minister.  In our churches, such a matter would have been first dealt with by the local consistory and then, if necessary, brought to a classis for approbation or appeal.  But in the OPC (and other presbyterian churches, I assume), the discipline of a minister starts at the presbytery.

Another noteworthy difference was that this matter was handled in open session.  There were quite a few visitors in attendance and all the details of the case were shared openly.  If a matter like this were to come to a Canadian Reformed classis, it would be handled in closed session since it deals with persons.  One could debate the virtues of transparency versus protecting reputations, but (as they say) it is what it is.

There are other differences, of course.  Yet despite the differences, I felt at home with these brothers.  There is obviously a shared commitment to Christ and his Word, and a deep love for the Reformed faith.  We can be thankful for our relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.  May God continue to bless them richly.