Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 11:17:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Darrell128@aol.com Subject: NR 97036: Iakota Objects to OPC Involvement in Doon CRC Secession NR #1997-036: Classis Iakota Objects to Orthodox Presbyterian Church Involvement in Doon CRC Secession; Presbytery Moderator Calls CRC "False Church" When Doon Christian Reformed Church voted by a two-to-one margin to secede from the CRC on February 19, the consequences of the secession rippled far beyond the membership of Doon CRC and further damaged relations between the CRC and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Meeting on March 4, Classis Iakota of the CRC voted to send a complaint letter to the Presbytery of the Dakotas objecting to the role in the secession of OPC pastor Rev. Timothy Perkins, stated supply of the Doon church for the last three years. Now the OPC's Presbytery of the Dakotas has replied with a strong defense of Perkins and the presbytery moderator has warned that the CRC is a false church. The Doon situation can hardly make things easier between the CRC and OPC, whose 1996 General Assembly voted to suspend fraternal relations with the CRC because of its decision to allow the ordination of women and cut off relations entirely at this summer's General Assembly unless the CRC changes its stance on women's ordination and other issues. NR #1997-036: For Immediate Release Classis Iakota Objects to Orthodox Presbyterian Church Involvement in Doon CRC Secession * Presbytery Moderator Calls CRC "False Church" by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service (April 7, 1997) URNS -- When Doon Christian Reformed Church voted by a two-to-one margin to secede from the CRC on February 19, the consequences of the secession rippled far beyond the membership of Doon CRC and further damaged relations between the CRC and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Meeting on March 4, Classis Iakota of the CRC voted to send a complaint letter to the Presbytery of the Dakotas objecting to the role in the secession of OPC pastor Rev. Timothy Perkins, stated supply of the Doon church for the last three years. Now the OPC's Presbytery of the Dakotas has replied with a strong defense of Perkins and the presbytery moderator has warned that the CRC is a false church. The Doon situation can hardly make things easier between the CRC and OPC, whose 1996 General Assembly voted to suspend fraternal relations with the CRC because of its decision to allow the ordination of women and cut off relations entirely at this summer's General Assembly unless the CRC changes its stance on women's ordination and other issues. "We agree with the General Assembly decision, and we've been one of the presbyteries asking for a severance of our relationship," said Rev. Archibald Alexander Allison, outgoing moderator of the Presbytery of the Dakotas. "We believe the Christian Reformed Church is no longer part of the true church and that's why we're cutting off our relationship with them." The OPC presbytery response follows a letter sent by Classis Iakota making four allegations against Perkins: that he exhibited a lack of leadership, a lack of effort and effectiveness in helping the council appreciate that the Doon congregation's leaving the CRC were biblically and confessionally indefensible, a lack of pastoral sensitivity to and support of members who wished to remain Christian Reformed, and a failure to follow proper guidelines of either the CRC or OPC related to secession. In a point by point response to the Classis Iakota concerns, the presbytery defended Perkins' conduct and referred to a letter of support for Perkins by the Doon council. With regard to Doon's decision to leave the CRC, the presbytery letter was especially direct. "We are mystified and perplexed as to what issues are so indefensible," wrote the presbytery. "According to the Doon council these issues are the ordination of women in the CRC, the toleration of those who continue to espouse the acceptability of abortion in the CRC, the teaching of theistic evolution in the CRC, and the gay lifestyle in the institutions of higher learning in the CRC." "If you consider these issues confessionally and biblically indefensible, then a great gulf does exist between yourselves and the Doon congregation," wrote the presbytery. "If you had other issues in mind, then we ask you, 'Did you ever seriously listen to the issues raised by the Doon council?'" Perkins said he was pleased by his presbytery's affirmation of his ministry as an OPC minister on loan to the Doon CRC. "I think this decision that has been made here will be very good for the long-term health of our congregation," said Perkins. "It's always good to be defending the faith, but we also need to be building up the local church." According to Perkins, the secession has already had positive effects on the Doon church, bringing visitors from as far away as 25 to 30 miles. "We've had visitors from Rock Valley, we've had visitors from Hills, Minnesota, and we had five families visiting us from the Hills area, we even had some visitors from Hull," said Perkins. "We're kind of in a good spot because we have churches in Rock Valley which are close by, and then Hills and Hull and Rock Rapids, and those who have been disturbed by what's happening in the Christian Reformed Church will find us not too far away." Perkins said the Classis Iakota objections to the procedure used by Doon were groundless. "In effect they asked us to come back so we could secede by a different process; I think it reflects more of a concern for process than a concern for people," said Perkins. "Once is really enough, I would say." What process did Doon CRC use to secede? "We went to the South Holland meeting [of CRC conservatives in November 1996] and came away with very little helpful direction," said Perkins. "We decided secession was our only alternative; we voted as a congregation to secede from the Christian Reformed Church in order to join the United Reformed Churches." Perkins said the council vote to secede was unanimous and the congregational vote was 44-22, following established procedure allowing only male confessing members and female heads of household to vote in congregational meetings. "I think we acted in accord with the authority that is given to us by the Word of God and also we find in the church order," said Perkins. "We clearly thought that it is our role as officebearers to lead the congregation in this way." According to Perkins, while 22 families voted against the secession, no formal requests have been made for transfer out of the church and only ten families are visiting elsewhere. "Unlike some of the secession where you have a whole group of likeminded people coming out, we have some people who are going to stay with us but are upset at us," said Perkins. "We're working on that sort of thing." Perkins won't have to contend only with persons inside his church who are upset at him. "At least from a distance, it certainly appears as if the OPC minister had a very strong influence in the congregation and might even be described as having a very strong hand in stealing the flock from the CRC," said CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard. "Sometimes you get wolves in sheep's clothing -- sometimes you think of those as liberals, but in this case it is conservatives who are the wolves stealing the sheep." Engelhard said he was particularly offended that two ministers of other denominations serving on loan to the CRC had recently led their congregations out of the denomination. According to Engelhard, both ministers -- Perkins and Rev. Douglas Holmes of Wellsburg, Iowa, who had dual standing with the Presbyterian Church in America and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference until resigning his PCA standing -- have commited "thieveries." "If the Doon congregation wishes to disaffiliate with the Christian Reformed Church they are perfectly free to do that; when there are clergymen who are invited in by special arrangement, that's unconscionable," said Engelhard. "I think they should have removed themselves and when that discussion was going on they should have said this conversation about secession is something in which I cannot participate." Engelhard, however, noted that the supervising classes shared at least partial responsibility by allowing the churches to have non-CRC ministers preaching in the CRC without closer supervision. "I do think it points up that our classes need to have greater involvement and oversight when such men are put in the pulpit," said Engelhard. "We though these were people of integrity but lacked the central integrity of faithfulness to their mission within the Christian Reformed Church." That's water over the dam as far as the OPC's Presbytery of the Dakotas is concerned. "Our presbytery stands behind the decisions of the OPC General Assembly, and I think indicated to the classis that wrote to us that this being the case we must have a rather favorable attitude toward people who think as we do," said presbytery stated clerk Rev. Ed Eppinger. "The secession in Doon was not unanimous but it was decisive." 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 #1996-065: Women in Office Leads Orthodox Presbyterians to Suspend Ties with CRC, Will Terminate in 1997 Unless CRC Changes #1996-071: Orthodox Presbyterian Fraternal Delegate Announces Suspension of Ties With Christian Reformed Church #1996-076: CRC Synod Rejects 25 Overtures and Communications Calling for End to Classical Option on Ordination of Women #1996-080: Record of Previous Synodical Votes on Women in Office #1996-088: Interclassical Conference of Christian Reformed Conservatives to be Asked to Create Nongeographical Classes; Minority Urges Immediate Secession from Christian Reformed Denomination #1996-104: New Denomination Born: Most Christian Reformed Seceders Organize as "United Reformed Churches of North America" Contact List: Rev. Archibald Alexander Allison, Outgoing Moderator, Presbytery of the Dakotas 317 E. Swallow Rd., Ft. Collins, CO 80525 H: (303) 282-8011 Rev. Andrew Cammenga, Pastor, Escondido Christian Reformed Church 1850 N. Broadway, Escondido, CA 92026 H/O/FAX: (619) 745-2324 * E-Mail: ACAMMENGA@aol.com Rev. Donald Duff, Stated Clerk, Orthodox Presbyterian Church 614 Roberts Ave., Glenside PA 19038-3711 O: (215) 956-0123 * H: (215) 887-4901 * FAX: (215) 957-6286 Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 O: (616) 246-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 246-0834 * E-Mail: engelhad@crcna.org Rev. Edward Eppinger, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of the Dakotas (OPC) RR #1, Box 490, Bancroft, SD 57353 H/O: (605) 546-2292 Rev. C. Eric Fennema, Stated Clerk, Classis Iakota 1323 - 16th St., Rock Valley, IA 51247 O: (712) 476-5902 * H: (712) 476-2763 Rev. Douglas Holmes, Pastor, Second Christian Reformed Church PO Box 10, 612 South Adams St., Wellsburg, IA 50680 O: (515) 869-3633 * H: (515) 869-5155 Hans Holznagel, Director, Office of Communication, The United Church of Christ 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100 O: (216) 736-2222 Rev. Timothy Perkins, Doon Christian Reformed Church (Independent) 511 Rice St., Box 127, Doon IA 51235 O: (712) 726-3314 * H: (712) 726-3160 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive97: nr97-036.txt .