Colin Vander Ploeg

I have witnessed a number of article 17's from the classis perspective, and the number seems to be increasing (I have no stats to back that up though).  It is not intended to be negative but it is more difficult for a pastor to find a new call to a church with an article 17 on their resume.  I am wondering if this is slowly or quickly becoming a more convenient way for a church and pastor not to work through their conflict and come out the other end together.  What I have seen is that by the time the situation comes to Classis for its input, the pastor and church have already in essence finished their separation agreements.   Would a Classis ever have the courage (if appropriate) to instruct a congregation and pastor to not separate but to work it out, with all the support that would be needed to do that hard work?  My feeling is that Classis delegates are there to give final approval with some instructions, to a process that is going to head in one direction no matter what.  I would welcome some new insight into article 17 processes and perhaps some way that a Council and/or pastor has to seek Classis help at the starting point of considering what to do next.  Who is not asking for the help soon enough in these situations?  Are we willing as sister churches in a Classis to truly submit to the collective wisdom of the larger body in this matter.  We may send in an interim pastor (when available, there are too few of them) after the split is done.  Perhaps we need to send someone into the setting before the split can begin?  Councils, pastors and congregations need help sooner in these situations.

In the congregation I serve, we are working on a review process that will help both Council and myself identify areas needing attention in me and my ministry and in Council's ministry work.  My advice to pastors and Councils is to be proactive and seek out this feedback in a helpful and structured way when things seem to be going well!  My hope is that by doing so, we start building a culture of openness and self-assesment along the lines that Neil mentioned.  As a pastor I have a peer group that I meet with on a regular basis and we have gotten to the point that we can challenge each other when we are wrestling with some aspect of our pastoral work and our lives in general.  That took a couple of years to build up.  I would never do ministry work today without some close and open support group who understands ministry pressures and is willing to be vulnerable and honest (no denial) with each other.  I wonder if perhaps Elders need something similar in their leadership work? 

Anyway ... I would like to hear how that overture goes ...

Colin.

Thanks for your comment Jim.  In the church I serve, we have a little tussle near each Christmas about not singing this song last.  We haven't sung it last for 8 years now, but still some people persist that it has to be sung last, because that is what they grew up with.  We sing it second last in the Christmas day service.  This year a choir will lead us to sing it in Dutch in deference to our senior members who immigrated int he late 1940's and 50's and founded CRC churches in this area and then we will sing it again in English.  It is sung with gusto (or as one young lad once said to me: "We sing that song violently!"   It is not sung with gusto by all though.  There are a few members for whom this song represents a somewhat dark period in the Canadian CRC history where new immigrants pushed a few of our oldest CRC's in the west (CRC's predating the 2nd World War) back into Dutch immigrant mentality when they had already made the transition to being a Canadian, English speaking CRC that were engaged in their communities.  One gentleman even shared the story of his being beaten up as a lad by other boys for not being able to speak Dutch.  We also have recent immigrants from Iraq, Sudan, and Vietnam whose only linguistic connection with this congregation is English.  So a number of years back the Worship Committee with the support of Council decided that the final sound in the ears of worshippers on Christmas day ( a service in which there also attends a smattering of no longer churched family members) would be an English song (usually Hark the Herald Angels Sing).  We do this to try to convey the message that we are not a Dutch church ( a perception still lingering in the community) but are open to anyone. And English is the common linguistic connector right now for the many immigrants arriving in our area.  The little tussle we experience each year is really not about the song but about change and the percieved loss of something.  Sometimes that loss is perceived to be the loss of our "Reformedness" as one lady pointed out to me, which for her was all enmeshed for her in being Dutch.  Thankfully we are in a transition and these little tussles give us oportunity to talk together about who we are, what is God calling us to be and do, and who is our neighbor.  Being a multi-ethnic gathering in Christ certainly does not happen all by itself.  It is a gift to receive and a task to engage.  I wonder if I could get someone to translate "Glory to God" into Armenian? ...

I had to chuckle (sorry) at the Grand Rapids press article in which it was repeated that the CRC is Dutch there.  I am Canadian and I presently serve a congregation whose elderly are actual Dutch immigrants.  And when in Seminary (CTS) I visited a number of G.R. churches.  Believe me, you are not Dutch except for some last names that originated in The Netherlands.  Ever been to The Netherlands lately?  The shift it seems to be is from middle to upper middle class, white western Michiganites (and very "American") to more multi ethnic and multi socio-economic diversity.  I think naming yourselves there as Dutch diverts you from what your real challenge is in mostly wealthy white congregations (with a lot of political same mindedness perhaps?)  This has little to do with a so-called "Dutch Reformed" heritage or something.   Just in case you wanted an outsiders opinion on G.R. CRC's ...

As to the main topic: "evening services"  the attendance trends are certainly not in question.  I am wondering however, whether we are asking the right question.  It seems that different congregations (the one I am in included) tinker with times and formats, wondering about use of resources and priorities of ministry activities.  Is not the heart of the question, how are we teaching the Reformed world and life view including the historic creeds and confessions in an effective way, i.e., so that members actually learn and retain and take to heart what is taught? 

It matters not to me if you have a second service, or a small group format, or a home study project, or an online course, so long as the goal is accomplished: growing in knowlege and wisdom in life from the Reformed perspective.  By the way, for me, Reformed perspective is a synonym for Biblical perspective.  The creeds and confession and teaching sermons or whatever, are tools to teach that.  The Historic Creeds we accept as faithfully reflecting the Scriptures are a good foundation to build on. 

So perhaps the question is not, "what to do about the second service", but "how do we teach the Reformed (Biblical) faith from generation to generation"?  And tied to that question is, how to we assess or test the effectiveness of our efforts?  You can have a full church in a PM service and still have no one learning or taking to heart what is being taught.  For some congregational cultures, double church attendance is simply mandatory, so, if you don't do that, you leave or are forced to leave.  You are simply guilted into being there.  But are you growing in your knowlege and faith?  Counting attendance does not answer that question.

Having or not having a 2nd service, it being full or seldom attended, is not yet to know about "apostacy."  With all due respect to Rev. Engelsma, it would seem that the immense wealth and ease we North American Christians live in in the face of large scale suffering and poverty would be a far greater indicator of apostacy in the church.  And claiming that teaching effectiveness in the 1500s is the same for today, that you can continue the identical peagogical approach and end up with the same results is simply traditionalism in my eyes.  Need for constant exposure to and learning of the creeds and confessions and Reformed (Biblical) teaching?  Yes.  Have to do that in a PM worship service because that's what the reformers were doing in the 1500's?  No.  I wonder if Calvin would have started a blog ... if his congregation ranged farther than walking or horseback distance?

Anyway ... are we being effecitive in teaching the Reformed perspective?  How do we know if we are?  (I better get back to my teaching service message on Our World Belongs to God.)

Anyone know what is the point of registering a negative vote at an ecclesiastical assembly?  Why do we allow this?  Where did it originate?   In secular parliamentary process is it not to show constituents which way their elected official voted, an accountability loop so to speak?  Is that what is going on at church assemblies?   I'm not a fan of using this at Council, Classis or Synod. 

I have always wondered about this.  I would say "yes".  CFA may do great work (I am in Canada, so is there a Canadian equivalent to this?), but it feels like WR is sending us to someone else to learn and grow in this?  Just thinking out loud here, what if WR worked directly with diaconates somehow to engage congregations in  this work in local clusters of churches (not meaning Classis wide here) that are in the mix of the same local realities of need etc?  What if, along side doing ministry globally "on our behalf" as many say, WR worked right here, in my town or area, with my congregation and leadership, with me, to learn about issues and respond in healthy ways.  Churches are doing that work, but to my knowledge (limited as it is) I don't think WR is involved in those projects?  How would such an approach deepen the connection between WR and (especially) the younger sectors of the congregation who are right now connecting with all kinds of other organizations out there to do this work locally?  Just thinking out loud ... in my ignorance of what happens in churches other than the ones I have been a part of ;)

Thanks for the question!

Colin.

You can just cut and paste those thoughts right into the network sites for other pastors!  I think most of us pastors of all kinds struggle with the same reality.  Our jobs as pastors fill as many hours as we let it right up to 24/7 if we let it.  And our circles of relationships are almost completely within the church community we serve.  How missional is that?  I know of one church situation with a coleague a while back where the church complained because their pastor was coaching hockey (on his off time of course).  "If he has spare time, it should be doing something with the church!"  Then on the other hand, I also know a pastor who has discussed with his Council the matter of being an active presence in the town community the church is in and of having Council hold him accountable to doing that so he can lead by example as well as in word what they hoped would be the reality for the church members.  Thanks for raising the question.

Colin.