NR #1995-096: Classis Illiana Reserves Right to Discipline Churches Electing Women Elders Classis Illiana voted on September 12 to disobey the 1995 Christian Reformed synodical decision preventing classes from disciplining churches with women elders. The possibility of a classis which has led the fight against women in office being forced to ignore women elders in its own bailiwick was too much for Momence CRC to take. As a response, the church asked classis to go on record with a declaration that it would enforce the church order's ban on women in office regardless of the 1995 synodical decision. A slight revision by classis permits but does not automatically commit the classis to discipline such churches. NR #1995-096: For Immediate Release Classis Illiana Reserves Right to Discipline Churches Electing Women Elders by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service (September 19, 1995) URNS - "There were more hands in the air than at a charismatic meeting. Every time we had a vote it was so close they had to have a hand count." That's how things went when Classis Illiana voted on September 12 to disobey the 1995 Christian Reformed synodical decision preventing classes from disciplining churches with women elders, according to Rev. Tim Turngren of Momence (IL) CRC, author of the overture in question. Although Synod 1995 received widespread publicity for its decision to allow each of its 46 classes to declare two portions of the church order inoperative for the purpose of allowing the ordination of female ministers, elders, and evangelists, another closely related synodical decision has received less attention. According to Synod 1995, even a classis which refuses to declare the church order inoperative "shall not exercise its disciplinary authority to enforce compliance provided that the role of women elders is restricted to the local church in which they hold office." The possibility of a classis which has led the fight against women in office being forced to ignore women elders in its own bailiwick was too much for Momence CRC to take. As a response, the church asked classis to go on record with a declaration that it would enforce the church order's ban on women in office regardless of the 1995 synodical decision. Although modified by a classical advisory committee, Momence's overture emerged from committee and was adopted with only one substantial change: classis voted to "reserve the right to discipline churches within its bounds that ordain women to the offices of minister, elder, or evangelist" on the grounds that such ordinations are "contrary to Scripture" and "contrary to Church Order Article 3." The revision permits but does not automatically commit the classis to discipline such churches. The modification didn't do much to dampen Turngren's enthusiasm. "I'm extremely happy with the grounds because Classis Illiana did say the ordination of women is contrary to the Scripture and the Church Order, so what they've done is placing themselves squarely on the Bible and taking an action contradictory to Synod 1995," said Turngren. "As one delegate stood up and said, 'Synod said you can't do that,' and that's fine with me." Obviously, not everyone in Classis Illiana thinks the classis made the right decision. Three delegates recorded their negative votes and one was particularly annoyed by the decision. "Just in church order terms adopting that was in direct opposition to an act of synod this past summer," said Rev. Jim La Grand of Beacon Light CRC in Gary, Indiana. "If we believe it's God's will for us to do something that makes us look ridiculous, that's not a reason not to do it, but if you're being persecuted for the sake of the cross you need to make sure you're not being persecuted for your own foolishness and pigheadedness." La Grand noted that synod was unlikely to look favorably upon Classis Illiana's vote. "This classis may well be prepared to defy synod, I don't know, but in terms of the fourth item on the overture, as a matter of fact that's moot," said La Grand. "If a church decides to elect women elders, then according to this statement we reserve the right to discipline, which if we do they will immediately appeal to synod and be exonerated. A classis reserving the right to discipline when it will not have much effect, well, that's not much of a reservation." La Grand also said Classis Illiana's decision will have little effect for another reason: La Grand said he knew of no congregations in the entire classis with women elders. At least for now, that means Classis Illiana will have no opportunity to implement its newly-asserted rights. 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" Contact List: Rev. James La Grand, Pastor, Beacon Light Christian Reformed Church 3745 Keck Pl, Gary, IN 46408 * O: (219) 838-0586 * H: (219) 923-4682 Rev. Tim Turngren, Pastor, Momence (IL) Christian Reformed Church 4132 N. Rte. 1-17, Momence, IL 60954 * O: (815) 472-2943 * H: (815) 472-4592 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-096.txt .