Hendrik "Henry" de Vries
I am a retired pastor and missionary now living in Kalamazoo with my beautiful wife, Judy. We recently have been working for Christian Reformed World Missions as Regional Mobilizers for Regions 10 and 11 (all of Michigan, Ohio and part of Indiana -- which comes to about 245 churches) helping connect churches to missionaries and mission efforts around the world--but this is changing with the union of CRWM with CRHM. We served as missionaries in the Philippines from 1970 through 1982. We pastored Winfield Christian Reformed Church from 1983-1990. We ministered on Guam and in Micronesia from 1990 through 2003. We pastored the Paw Paw Christian Reformed Church from 2003 through June, 2008 when I retired and the church disbanded in favor of the thriving Red Arrow Ministries in the same building. I also volunteered for Love In the Name of Christ of Kalamazoo County as a board member and for information management for a few years. I also served as worship elder in Westwood Christian Reformed Church http://www.westwoodcrc.org. Now I am volunteering for Wycliffe Associates as a reviewer for notes that go out on the internet to help local people translate the Bible into their language or dialect. You can reach me at [email protected] or at (269) 501-3537 or check the Yearbook. There's more, but that's enough for now.
Posted in: Healthy Boundaries and the Billy Graham Rule
Great article discussing a necessary issue. But what about the power of gossip and innuendo that leads to the maligning of a person's reputation? I've seen a few cases of this where a pastor lost their reputation, position and even calling. This applies to any person in positions of authority sometimes for as little as an off-handed comment. The sensitivity to offenses, whether real or perceived, leads to muzzling and inability to communicate.
The Billy Graham rule was set up to avoid any possible maligning when their team realized how prominent Billy could become and thereby a target for malice.
Posted in: Healthy Boundaries and the Billy Graham Rule
Thanks, Mike, for relating the experience that exactly describes the dilemma we all face. We men either treat women as full equals without any boundaries and thereby provide the context needed for full implementation of their gifts; or, we place limits on interaction to prevent misinterpretation or even exploitation by less charitable persons. In well-populated, professional settings the first is easier to implement but in informal contexts with fewer people interaction between genders always seems to have traps that we need to avoid to maintain integrity in ministry. It's not just a matter of male hormones or propensities but includes that of community realities.
One of my concerns in my first response was to the sensitivity to such limitations being perceived as offenses. I really don't know how to deal with that. Somebody may be able to develop a way to accommodate every need.