A recent trend toward full-blown egalitarianism continued to gather momentum in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) this month during the denomination’s annual Synod when delegates made several strategic moves designed to open all church offices to women.
A recent trend toward full-blown egalitarianism continued to gather momentum in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) this month during the denomination’s annual Synod when delegates made several strategic moves designed to open all church offices to women.
Like several mainline denominations, the CRC is deeply divided over the biblical propriety of women in ministry with a number of vocal conservatives opposing the rising tide of egalitarianism within the church.
However, the division did not stop the synod from approving three female candidates—among 34 overall candidates—for the pastorate during its annual meeting June 10-16 at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The denominational leadership also continued to bulldoze a wider path for women to hold pastoral and leadership positions in the future by voting to remove the word “male” from the qualifications for ecclesiastical office listed in the Church Order. The synod must adopt this decision at the 2007 meeting before it takes effect.
The synod gave a cursory nod to conservatives by imposing provisions that women ministers or elders will not be permitted to serve as delegates to synod or as synodical deputies. The synod’s advisory committee told delegates that the recommendation is a compromise that will enable the church to “remain united,” despite deeply-felt differences about women in office.
CRC delegates took a second action clearly aimed at removing obstacles for women who desire to hold pastorates and other leadership offices, a reality which the denomination once opposed on biblical grounds. Candidates for the ministry must now be brought before a synod as a group. In the past, candidates for the office of elder or other pastoral office had been considered and voted on individually.
Voting on candidates individually permits delegates who oppose the ordination of women to abstain from voting for female candidates, the synod said. The synod reported that it had heard from some who said the process of considering candidates as individuals “has been hurtful to female candidates and their families.”
The synod also designated the gender-inclusive Today’s New International Version (TNIV) as acceptable for use in CRC churches. Illustrating that the CRC is anything but united on gender issues, a number of delegates objected strongly to the TNIV’s use of gender-inclusive language.
The CRC began in 1801 in Vriesland, Netherlands. The denomination came to America in 1847 after enduring famine and severe persecution in its mother country. The denomination has undergone a decline in membership in recent years with numbers receding to 295,307 in 1995 from a peak of 316,415 in 1991.
The CRC includes 985 congregations and nearly 1,500 ministers and its churches are located primarily in the Norththeastern and Midwestern United States as well as on the West Coast and in Canada. The CRC owns both Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary.
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