file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr94-053.txt ------------------------------------------------ For Immediate Release October 14, 1994 Release #1994-53 For Further Information Contact: Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer Reformed Believers Press Service Voice: (616) 674-8446 FAX: (616) 674-8454 E-Mail: Darrell128@AOL.com PO Box 691, Lawrence, MI 49064-0691 Al Siebring, Contributing Editor Christian Renewal Office: (712) 722-6322 Home: (712) 722-3152 4034 Indian Ave., Orange City, IA 51041 One Motion Too Many Leads to Split in "Mother Church" of Classis of the Heartland by Al Siebring c 1994 Christian Renewal Distributed by Reformed Believers Press Service Editor's Note: The text following is copyrighted by Christian Renewal but available for reprint in whole or in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given. Orange City, Iowa (October 14, 1994) RBPS - Less than a month after its first experience with a split from the Christian Reformed denomination, Classis of the Heartland has lost part of a second congregation in a similar secession. This time, the separation involves the oldest and largest congregation in the classis. First CRC of Orange City, one of the oldest churches in the denomination, was first organized in 1871 and counted 744 members before the split. On October 5, council members in the church were presented with a motion that they "relinquish [their] position as trustees [in the local church], while not forsaking [their] offices of minister, elder, and deacon." When the motion was defeated, six members of the council, including the pastor, resigned their trusteeship and left the meeting. The next morning, the seceding group sent a letter to all members of the congregation, inviting them to join a reorganizing church under the leadership of the departing officebearers. Close to fifty of the church's 184 families attended the inaugural services on October 9. The seceding council members cited numerous reasons for their decision, grounded primarily in dissatisfaction with doctrinal directions of the denomination. "The denomination is no longer united in its confession of the teachings of the Bible as summarized in the Reformed Confessionsx The authority of the Word of Godx has been increasingly compromised by synodical decisions and by unbiblical practices in many of our sister churches," wrote the seceders. The letter then cites numerous examples, including references to women in office, theistic evolution, and homosexuality. The split is not exclusively tied to denominational issues, but rather is the culmination of a long and sometimes bitter battle over positions the local church has taken in response to those issues. The conflict has centered on the pastor, Rev. Ralph Pontier, and his sometimes vocal opposition to denominational trends. That opposition peaked in August, when more than 70 church members signed a petition demanding that the council publish a date for Pontier's departure from the church. The council refused, and instead published a statement of full support for Pontier's continued ministry. The petitioners then took their case to classis, asking that the council be advised to release the pastor under terms of Article 17 of the church order. The appeal was heard on the evening of September 28 at the conclusion of a day-long classis meeting. One of the petitioners, Dennis Eekhoff, told classis that an "emergency situation" had developed in the church. "There is a serious split within our church," he told classis. "In recent weeks, we've had at least one consistory member resign, and others are considering [their resignations]. Past council members don't want to serve under Rev. Pontier again." Eekhoff conceded that the removal of Pontier would not solve all the problems, but he said the problems could not be resolved under his continued leadership. "We can't go on this way," Eekhoff said. Classis did not deal directly with the appeal. Rev. Jay Wesseling, who earlier in the day had been approved for retirement, defended Pontier as one of his last official acts in the classis. At his suggestion, a motion was passed to not make a judgment on the appeal. "If we sustain the appeal tonight, we are taking sides," Wesseling said. "Any action we take directly on the appeal would only make things worse in First Orange City." Instead, Wesseling moved that classis appoint a committee to try to effect reconciliation in the church without taking sides in the dispute. Classis approved the second motion with several amendments, all made by classical stated clerk Rev. Jack Gray. The committee would be made up of two church visitors and three elders, and would report its progress back to a special classis meeting in seven weeks time. Gray also moved that classis advise the council to place Pontier on a leave of absence while the committee was doing its work. The final amendment led to the separation. Pontier strenuously objected to the suggestion that he be put on leave, telling classis that this amendment was "out of order because it runs counter to the intent of the main motion, which says the committee will do its work 'without taking sides.'" His objection was overruled, although the amendment was later changed to a substitute motion on the same grounds. While the advice was presented to the Orange City council, it was never formally decided because the move to secede from the denomination came at the very beginning of the council meeting that was to discuss the leave of absence. Pontier says the split "probably wouldn't have happened" if classis had reject ed the suggestion about the leave. "If classis had truly stayed out of it and not taken sides, we could probably still be together," said Pontier. "By classis taking sides with the appellants against the council, it legitimized rebellion against the council, and made it impossible for reconciliation to take place." Pontier insists he tried to avoid a split over his personality or ministry style, and says the suggestion of leave was only "the straw that broke the camel's back. There was a huge load on the camel's back before that." Elder Harlyn Jacobsma, who made the initial motion for the entire council to leave, insists the split involves much more than Pontier's ministry. "I was prepared to call whomever out with me in terms of the council and the congregation with or without Pontier. My primary concern and reason for doing what I did was denominational. That was what I saw as the original concern in the church. If [classis] had gone the route of appointing a committee for the sake of reconciliation [without recommending Pontier's leave of absence]x it still wouldn't have addressed the denominational problems. The classical committee was going to address the strain between Pontier and the congregation, but that strain is rooted in denominational issues. We still would have had to deal with that." That view is shared by some of the appellants, who say they weren't surprised at Jacobsma's motion. Eekhoff concedes that the timing was a bit of a surprise, but "we were probably thinking that there would be a split coming, because the two sides couldn't get together any more. I just thought that it would drag on for quite a bit longer." Officebearers in the continuing CRC declined comment on the situation but Eekhoff, who is a former council member, expects the church to remain conservative. "I think it will be just as conservative as it has been, but I'm not sure that we're going to be as critical as we have been in the past," said Eekhoff. "We'll probably be a little more moderate in our attacks." Eekhoff says the split comes as a relief to both sides. "We can each go our own way now. I don't feel any animosity toward anyone," said Eekhoff. "The people who left want to go their way; we want to stay CRC, and we should be able to exist in the same community together." Pontier says he is leaving the CRC congregation with mixed feelings. "I'm not happy that this had to happen. It's not what I wanted, but it became necessary and inevitable," said Pontier. "There is sadness with respect to leaving people behind that I love dearly, but there is also joy with respect to having the freedom to do what churches are supposed to do, and not being hassled by all the denominational problems." Contact List: Dennis Eekhoff, Member, First Christian Reformed Church 519 Delaware Ave. SW, Orange City, IA 51041 - H: (712) 737-4454 Rev. Jack Gray, Stated Clerk, Classis of the Heartland 708 - 5th St., Orange City, IA 51041-1804 - O: (712) 737-2797 - H: (712) 737-2997 Elder Harlyn Jacobsma, Alliance Reformed Church 209 Kentucky Ave. SW, Orange City, IA 51041 - H: (712) 51041 737-3554 Rev. Ralph Pontier, Pastor, Alliance Reformed Church 207 Kansas Ave. NW, Orange City, IA 51041 - H/O: (712) 737-2202 Rev. Jay Wesseling, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church 919 E. 9th St., Sheldon, IA 51201 - H/O: (712) 324-3913