NR #1996-033: Reformed Church in America, Christian Reformed Top Executives Explore Closer Staff Cooperation The two largest Dutch Reformed denominations in North America, the 316,000-member Reformed Church in America and the 292,000-member Christian Reformed Church in North America, held a first-ever joint meeting of their top denominational staff members to explore common areas of ministry and mission. The RCA is the oldest continuously-established Protestant denomination in North America, dating back to the foundation of the Collegiate Dutch Reformed Church in 1628 in New York City, then the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. The CRC dates back to an 1857 split among the Dutch immigrant congregations of Holland, Michigan, when four of the nine congregations of Classis Holland seceded from the RCA. "We already have substantial cooperation on several matters," said CRC Executive Director of Ministries Dr. Peter Borgdorff, citing the TRAVARCA joint audiovisual library, RCA use of educational materials by CRC Publications, and support of CRC World Relief ministries by some RCA congregations. "The question that naturally comes out of that is how is it going and are there other areas in which similar kinds of cooperative efforts can be adopted." NR #1996-033: For Immediate Release Reformed Church in America, Christian Reformed Top Executives Explore Closer Staff Cooperation by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service (May 4, 1996) URNS - The two largest Dutch Reformed denominations in North America, the 316,000-member Reformed Church in America and the 292,000-member Christian Reformed Church in North America, held a first-ever joint meeting of their top denominational staff members to explore common areas of ministry and mission. Hosted by the Reformed Church in America at Marble Collegiate Church on March 14 and moving the following day to the RCA offices at the Interchurch Center on Riverside Drive, the meeting brings together staff members from denominations which have been separated since 1857. The RCA is the oldest continuously-established Protestant denomination in North America, dating back to the foundation of the Collegiate Dutch Reformed Church in 1628 in New York City, then the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Marble Collegiate is one of four congregations operating under the authority of the collegiate corporation. The CRC dates back to an 1857 split among the Dutch immigrant congregations of Holland, Michigan, when four of the nine congregations of Classis Holland seceded from the RCA. According to a joint news release issued by the two denominations, "this meeting of the two denominations brought together staff who represented many areas of ministry, including world missions, church planting and evangelism, administration and finance, education and spiritual growth, radio and television ministries, ecumenical relations, and Christian stewardship." "The participants explored the biblical framework for mission as it relates to gospel and culture, then met in ministry groups that focussed on practical program strategies," continued the joint news release. "A number of affirmations of common ministry emerged, including overseas and North American evangelism and church planting, the possibility of joint mission work in Russia and Eastern Europe, and city ministry in the United States and Canada." A total of nine CRC staff and eleven RCA staff met for the two days of discussions, led by RCA General Secretary Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson and CRC Executive Director of Ministries Dr. Peter Borgdorff. "We already have substantial cooperation on several matters," said Borgdorff, citing the TRAVARCA joint audiovisual library, RCA use of educational materials by CRC Publications, and support of CRC World Relief ministries by some RCA congregations. "The question that naturally comes out of that is how is it going and are there other areas in which similar kinds of cooperative efforts can be adopted." "When Wes Granberg-Michaelson and I met to talk about it, we felt that the best way would be to arrange a meeting of our staff personnel," said Borgdorff. "It was the first time anything of this kind had been arranged and for that reason it deserved some publicity, but we're not highlighting this as the ecumenical event of the year, it was exploratory." According to Rev. E. Wayne Antworth, RCA Director of Stewardship and Communication, idea for the meeting began when the RCA's 1995 General Synod rejected an overture from North Grand Rapids Classis to work toward full merger with the CRC by the year 2000. "Last year's overture that came to our General Synod asked us to work toward merger with the CRC," said Antworth. "That overture was denied, but it was decided that we should continue to work together programmatically." Like Borgdorff, Antworth cited current joint ministries and said part of the goal of the meeting was to determine how best to expand current areas of cooperation. "We've worked closely together in diaconal ministries and relief programs," said Antworth. "We definitely want to promote and encourage further areas of cooperation and joint ministry." Borgdorff said the meeting produced three "immediate results" in the areas of cooperation in urban diaconal ministries in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, cooperation in cities where each denomination has one church or a single church drawing membership from both denominations, and cooperation in international ministries. In addition to the currently existing RCA and CRC partnership in the Kalamazoo Diaconal Conference, Borgdorff said the meeting explored the possibility of closer cooperation in the work of Bethany Christian Services and the Guiding Light Mission in Grand Rapids. On the international front, Borgdorff said the fact that the RCA does not have a relief agency offers an opportunity for cooperation. "If the diaconal cooperation domestically is enhanced, are there areas where the Reformed Church is active in mission activity where the relief agency of the CRC could he helpful?" asked Borgdorff. "Not necessarily in place of Church World Service, but in addition to or as an alternative to, since some congregations would feel a greater affinity for Christian Reformed World Relief than for Church World Service." According to Borgdorff, the issue of closer cooperation in US cities with only one or two RCA or CRC congregations has also been raised elsewhere. "There is an overture to the synod of the RCA asking that the CRC amend its church order to allow for joint membership of congregations in both denominations," said Borgdorff. "That overture came entirely outside of our meetings and entirely on the initiative of the RCA." Antworth said the RCA denominational offices could not confirm the overture mentioned by Borgdorff. "The regional synods are in the process of meeting now and forwarding [overtures] on," said Antworth, noting that there are already a number of RCA congregations maintaining dual affiliation with other denominations. "Usually in our structure the congregations that have dual membership are two congregations that have merged, so you would have a Presbyterian and a Reformed congregation that would have dual affiliation," said Antworth. Borgdorff and Antworth both emphasized that the meetings were exploratory and that closer organizational cooperation would not necessarily lead to denominational merger. "[Merger] was not discussed at the meeting and it has not been a part of our private discussions," said Borgdorff. "Organic union of any denomination with another is the domain of the church and its assemblies and its interchurch relations committees, and not the domain of agencies." "If as a matter of fact in the history of other churches, the experience of closer programmatic cooperation encouraged the discussion of organic union later, that would be a very different thing than promoting programmatic cooperation to facilitate organic union," said Borgdorff. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1995-044: Reformed Church in America Overtured to Consider Merger with Christian Reformed Church by Year 2000 #1995-063: Reformed Church in America General Synod Replaces Proposal for Merger with Request for Closer RCA-CRC Cooperation Contact List: E. Wayne Antworth, Director, RCA Stewardship & Communication Services 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 * O: (212) 870-2954 * FAX: (212) 870-2499 Dr. Peter Borgdorff, Executive Director of Ministries, Christian Reformed Church 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 * O: (616) 246-0832 * H: (616) 957-3288 Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America 49 Yawpo, Oakland, NJ 07436 * O: (212) 870-2845 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-033.txt .