NR #1996-012B: Kalamazoo Declines to Allow Women Delegates to Classis How can opponents of women in office in a classis that overtured Synod 1995 to allow women in office win a lopsided two-to-one vote against declaring the word "male" to be inoperative in that classis? In Classis Kalamazoo, the key was convincing delegates to the January 23 meeting that supporters of women in office should not force the issue by allowing women elders to be delegated to the classis meetings. NR #1996-012B: For Immediate Release Kalamazoo Declines to Allow Women Delegates to Classis by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service PARCHMENT, Mich. (January 23, 1996) URNS - How can opponents of women in office in a classis that overtured Synod 1995 to allow women in office come back the next year to win a lopsided two-to-one vote against exercising the option given to them by Synod 1995? In Classis Kalamazoo, the key was convincing delegates to the January 23 meeting that supporters of women in office should not force the issue by allowing women elders to be delegated to the classis meetings. Meeting at Parchment CRC in the northern Kalamazoo suburbs, Classis Kalamazoo surprised many by its vote. The classis has generally been supportive of women in office and had been expected to follow the lead of six other classes throughout the denomination by voting to declare the word "male" in the denomination's church order to be "inoperative" - the technical language necessary for the classis to officially approve women in office. Classis' rejection of the overture by South Bend (IN) CRC will not prevent its 24 churches in southwest Michigan and northern Indiana from ordaining women elders to serve local churches. However, it will mean that women may not be ordained to the pastoral ministry in the classis and that no women elders may be delegated to classis meetings. At least three churches in Classis Kalamazoo have already exercised an option given them by the denomination's synod at its annual meeting last June to elect women elders without the approval of classis. In addition to South Bend CRC, Third CRC of Kalamazoo and Lexington Green Community CRC in the Kalamazoo suburb of Portage have notified classis that they have elected women elders. At 787 members, Third CRC is the largest church in Classis Kalamazoo and the combined membership of the three churches totals nearly a fifth of the classis' 6947 members. Much of the discussion in classis focussed on the brevity and perceived lack of adequate grounds for the South Bend overture. South Bend CRC offered only one ground: that "we, along with other churches in the classis, have elected women as elders and believe that their official participation in classis will be of benefit to classis, our congregation, and to the elders." "The ground is that we're doing it and therefore it ought to be done because it is practiced," objected Rev. Harvey Ouwinga of Second CRC in Kalamazoo. Ouwinga noted that in some other classes churches were redirecting their denominational ministry share payments from Calvin Theological Seminary, the denomination's official ministerial training institution in Grand Rapids, to Mid-America Reformed Seminary, an unofficial conservative alternative in Dyer, Indiana. "If that were happening in our classis, would we approve that on the grounds that we are doing it?" asked Ouwinga. Elder Gary Peterson of Grace CRC in Kalamazoo objected on similar grounds. "I don't see any biblical grounds in the overture, I don't see any grounds at all, local needs or anything else," said Peterson. "It is further my conviction that synod erred when it said two opinions honor Scripture; that just can't be, you can't have it both ways." Rev. Len Vander Zee of South Bend CRC responded to the objections by noting that synod's requirement that classes cite "local needs and circumstances" for allowing women in office logically had to apply to the local situation in local churches. "We felt we had to offer local needs and circumstances to classis, and those are that there are churches in our classis which have women elders," said Vander Zee. Rev. Duane Nieuwsma of Battle Creek (MI) CRC sided with Vander Zee's overture. "I believe [women in office] is a secondary issue, and in the matter of secondary issues we as churches must give each other the greatest possible leeway in what we are allowed to do," said Nieuwsma. However, some supporters of women in office in classis opposed the South Bend overture. "Personally, based on Scripture, I think women can serve as ministers and elders, but I cannot find in the Scriptures the right to bind the consciences of those brothers who do not feel they can come to classis with women elders," said Rev. Robert Boersma of Parchment CRC. "In the spirit of Christ, I would ask that we not pass this overture." On a secret ballot vote, Classis Kalamazoo voted by a lopsided 26 to 14 margin against the motion to declare the word "male" to be "inoperative." Minutes later, however, classis voted down an overture from East Martin (MI) CRC asking synod to prohibit women in office throughout the denomination by almost the same margin: 24 to 16. Later in the meeting, the classis elected South Bend's pastor as one of its delegates to Synod 1996. Classis president Dr. Joseph Brinks, pastor of Grace CRC, explained the difference in the two votes by saying that Boersma's sentiments were those of many other delegates in a largely progressive classis. "My understanding of the decision of Classis Kalamazoo is that the classis wants the freedom to ordain elders in its churches, but not offend at the classical level those who conscientiously object to women in office," said Brinks. Cross-References to Related Articles: #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 #1995-074: Synod Rejects Two Efforts to Require 1996 Ratification of Women in Office Decision #1995-075: Synod Permits Classes to Declare Second Church Order Article "Inoperative"; Women May Now "Expound" or "Exhort" #1995-087: Most Christian Reformed Classes Decline Synodical Option to End Prohibition on Women in Office #1995-088: List of Classis Decisions on Women in Office Contact List: Rev. Robert Arbogast, Stated Clerk, Classis Kalamazoo 6138 Ormada Dr., Kalamazoo, MI 49001 * O: (616) 342-2646 * H: (616) 629-5258 Rev. Robert Boersma, Pastor, Parchment Christian Reformed Church 1705 East "G" Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49004 * O: (616) 344-2816 * H: (616) 382-3128 Dr. Joseph A. Brinks, Pastor, Grace Christian Reformed Church 2476 Bronson Circle, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 * O: (616) 345-2864 * H: (616) 342-9717 Rev. Jack Dik, Pastor, Third Christian Reformed Church 3014 Romence Rd., Portage, MI 49002 * O: (616) 343-2400 * H: (616) 329-1189 Rev. Duane Nieuwsma, Pastor, Battle Creek Christian Reformed Church 121 Borden, Battle Creek, MI 49017 * H/O: (616) 963-4903 Rev. Harvey Ouwinga, Pastor, Second Christian Reformed Church 3015 Nichols Rd., Kalamazoo, MI 49004 * O: (616) 344-7128 Elder Gary Peterson, Clerk, Grace Christian Reformed Church c/o Grace CRC, 1724 Whites Rd., Kalamazoo, MI 49008 * H: (616) 349-6058 Rev. Neal Rylaarsdam, Pastor, Lexington Green Christian Reformed Church 5828 Cheshire St., Portage, MI 49002 * O: (616) 327-4206 Rev. Leonard Vander Zee, Pastor, South Bend Christian Reformed Church 1705 Wall St., South Bend, IN 46615 * H: (219) 289-3253 * O: (219) 272-8424 Rev. Stephan Van Eck, Pastor, East Martin Christian Reformed Church 1782 - 5th St., Martin, MI 49070 * O: (616) 672-9071 ------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-012b.txt .