The History of Reformed Broader Assemblies
By Stephen Terpstra
In the first instalment, it was shown that Church Order is a servant of Scripture and of Christ’s reign
We now turn to the history of the relationship between the local, regional, and national church. This relationship is enacted through the offices of the church, through which Christ has ordained that his church be shepherded. We are not Congregationalists, where authority rests in every individual Christian as they voluntarily gather and vote in a local congregation. Christ has not instituted a bottom up system. Every Reformed church has resisted this impulse. Christ’s church is not a democracy. He reigns as King and feeds as Shepherd through those whom He has called and ordained, as instructed in Scripture. He says to Titus, “put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” (Titus 1:5, ESV)
As the Belgic Confession articulates:
the “true church ought to be governed according to the spiritual order that our Lord has taught us in his Word. There should be ministers or pastors to preach the Word of God and administer the sacraments. There should also be elders and deacons, along with pastors, to make up the council of the church… By this means everything will be done well and in good order.”
The church exists not only locally, but regionally and nationally. That seems like a small statement, but it is at the heart of our current debate. The work of elders is critical, not only in their local Council, but also in the Classis and Synod.
The Reformers realized this immediately as they recovered the authority of the scriptures and the ancient teaching of the church. Geneva’s first attempts at a church polity were revolutionary but incomplete. The closest Calvin came to a regional Classis or National Synod in 1541’s Genevan Ecclesiastical Ordinances was that “if any differences of opinion concerning doctrine should arise, the ministers should gather together and discuss the matter. If necessary, they should call in the elders.” But Calvin was also consulted and affirmed the Church Orders being developed by the Reformed churches in other countries, particularly giving his seal of approval to what happened in France, in Scotland, and in the Netherlands. These four regions all stem from the same root and core theology, and it is therefore not only possible but necessary to look at them all to get a complete picture of what a truly Reformed and biblical church order is and should be.
The Reformed Church in France made the connection between the local and regional church more explicit in their 1559 Ecclesiastical Discipline in Article 6, saying, “The minsters and at least one Elder or Deacon from each Church shall meet in each Province at least once per year.” But the direction for what they should do at such regional meetings is vaguely put in article 39, simply mentioning, “anything of great consequence in which the interest and harm of other churches may be involved.” They did stipulate that local consistories were subject to colloquies and colloquies to provincial synods. Calvin approved of that.
The Scottish book of church discipline, already in 1560 and then in more clarity in 1578, outlined four sorts of assemblies. In part 7, article 1, point 2 they specify: particular churches, from the province, from the whole nation, and from all different nations; namely the council, classis, synod and ecumenical synod. Calvin also approved of their assessment.
Our tradition began with the first Dutch synod of Emden in 1571, heavily influenced by the Swiss reformers Bucer and Zwingli. It was not until the Synod of Dort that a recognizable modern church order was fully developed and widely adopted. Dort’s system insisted on the agreement of major delegated assemblies for more important matters, including issues of ordination and deposition. Dort also acknowledged four ecclesiastical assemblies, namely “the Consistory, the Classical Meetings, the Particular Synod, and the General or National Synod.”
The CRCNA’s church order is developed directly from Dort’s.
We can see then that a biblical Reformed church polity is not congregationalist but is based on the covenant relationship in Christ of His people on the local, regional, national, and even international level. This is expressed not only in our theology about the invisible church, but also practically expressed in our Polity regarding ecclesiastical assemblies.
The Church gathers as Council, Classis, and Synod – each doing the work of the church through the offices of the church in service to the members of the church in obedience to the Lord of the Church. Our system is intentionally Presbyterian, and the offices of the church have responsibilities and tasks that extend beyond the local. We are the Church of Jesus Christ together as the Christian Reformed Church of North America, and we are called to be the church at every level.
Historia ya Mikutano ya Mabadiliko ya Maadili (The History of Reformed Broader Assemblies) - Stephen Terpstra, Mkurugenzi wa Kanisa la Kikristo, aliandika: 'Katika sehemu ya kwanza, ilionyeshwa kwamba utaratibu wa kanisa ni mtumishi wa Maandiko na wa utawala wa Kristo. Uhusiano huu unafanywa kupitia ofisi za kanisa, ambazo Kristo amepanga kanisa lake liwe na mchungaji. Sisi si wa kutaniko, ambapo mamlaka inakaa katika kila Mkristo mmoja-mmoja kama wao kujitolea kukusanyika na kupiga kura katika kutaniko la mahali. Kristo hakuanzisha mfumo wa chini hadi juu. Kila kanisa la Marekebisho limepinga mwelekeo huo. Kanisa la Kristo si demokrasia. Yeye anatawala kama Mfalme na kulisha kama Mchungaji kupitia wale ambao amewaita na kuamuru, kama ilivyoagizwa katika Maandiko. "Tito alimwambia hivi: ""Panga mambo yaliyobaki, na ukawaite wazee katika kila mji, kama nilivyokuagiza."" - Tito 1:5, NW; Biblia ya Kiebrania; Biblia ya Kiebrania; Biblia ya Kiebrania; Biblia ya Kiebrania; Biblia ya Kiebrania." Ni lazima kuwe na wahudumu au wachungaji ili kuhubiri Neno la Mungu na kuandaa sakramenti. "Kama kuna wazee na mashemasi, pamoja na wachungaji, kuunda baraza la kanisa, kwa njia hii kila kitu kitafanywa vizuri na kwa utaratibu mzuri. "" "" Kanisa halipo tu katika eneo, lakini katika mkoa na kitaifa." Hiyo inaonekana kama taarifa ndogo, lakini ni katika moyo wa mjadala wetu wa sasa. Kazi ya wazee ni muhimu, si tu katika Baraza lao la mahali, bali pia katika Classis na Sinodi. Wafuasi wa Marekebisho ya Kidini walifahamu jambo hilo mara moja waliporudisha mamlaka ya Maandiko na mafundisho ya kale ya kanisa. Jitihada za kwanza za Geneva za kuanzisha serikali ya kanisa zilikuwa za mapinduzi lakini hazikuwa kamili. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika Katiba ya Kanisa ya Geneva ya mwaka 1541, ""Ikiwa kuna tofauti yoyote ya maoni kuhusu mafundisho, wahudumu wanapaswa kukusanyika pamoja na kujadili jambo hilo.""" "Kama ni lazima, wanapaswa kuwaita wazee.""* Lakini Calvin pia aliulizwa na kuunga mkono ""Masharti ya Kanisa"" yaliyokuwa yakitengenezwa na makanisa ya Marekebisho katika nchi nyingine, hasa akitoa muhuri wake wa idhini kwa yale yaliyotokea Ufaransa, Scotland, na Uholanzi." Sehemu hizi nne zote zinatokana na mizizi na msingi uleule wa theolojia, na kwa hiyo ni uwezekano tu lakini ni muhimu kuzitazama zote ili kupata picha kamili ya kile ambacho utaratibu wa kweli wa Kanisa la Marekebisho na Biblia ni na unapaswa kuwa. "Katika 1559 Kanisa la Kifaransa lilitangaza waziwazi uhusiano kati ya kanisa la eneo na kanisa la mkoa katika kifungu cha sita cha sheria ya kanisa, ikisema: ""Mashirika na angalau Mzee mmoja au Mshirika kutoka kila Kanisa wanapaswa kukutana katika kila Mkoa angalau mara moja kwa mwaka."" - Makala ya 39: ""Kila kitu cha athari kubwa ambacho maslahi na madhara ya makanisa mengine yanaweza kuhusika.""" Calvin alikubali jambo hilo. Kitabu cha Scottish Book of Church Discipline, kilichochapishwa mwaka 1560 na kisha mwaka 1578, kilionyesha waziwazi aina nne za makusanyiko. "Katika sehemu ya 7 ya kifungu cha 1, kifungu cha 2 kinafafanua: ""Makanisa ya kipekee, kutoka mkoa, kutoka taifa lote, na kutoka mataifa yote tofauti, yaani, baraza, classis, sinodi na sinodi ya ecumenical.""" Calvin pia alikubaliana na maoni yao. Mkutano wa kwanza wa kanisa la Uholanzi uliofanyika huko Emden, Uholanzi, mwaka 1571, uliongozwa na viongozi wa dini wa Uswisi, Bucer na Zwingli. Ni hadi Sinodi ya Dort kwamba utaratibu wa kanisa la kisasa unaotambulika ulibuniwa kikamili na kupitishwa sana. Mfumo wa Dort ulisisitiza makubaliano ya makusanyiko makubwa ya wawakilishi kwa masuala muhimu zaidi, ikiwa ni pamoja na masuala ya upendeleo na kuweka. Dort pia ilikubali makusanyiko manne ya kanisa, yaani <unk>Consistory, Mikutano ya Classical, Sinodi ya Kipengele, na Sinodi ya Jumla au ya Kitaifa.<unk> Amri ya kanisa la CRCNA imeendelezwa moja kwa moja kutoka kwa Dort<unk>s. Kwa hiyo, tunaweza kuona kwamba mfumo wa kisiasa wa kanisa la Biblia la Marekebisho ya Kidini si wa kusanyiko bali unategemea uhusiano wa agano katika Kristo wa watu wake katika ngazi ya mitaa, ya kikanda, ya kitaifa, na hata ya kimataifa. Hii haionyeshwi tu katika theolojia yetu kuhusu kanisa lisiloonekana, lakini pia kwa vitendo imeonyeshwa katika Polity yetu kuhusu mikutano ya kanisa. Kanisa hukusanyika kama Baraza, Classis, na Sinodi - kila mmoja akifanya kazi ya kanisa kupitia ofisi za kanisa katika huduma kwa wanachama wa kanisa katika utii kwa Bwana wa Kanisa. Mfumo wetu ni wa Presbyterian kwa makusudi, na ofisi za kanisa zina majukumu na kazi ambazo zinaenea zaidi ya eneo. Sisi ni Kanisa la Yesu Kristo pamoja kama Kanisa la Kikristo la Marekebisho la Amerika Kaskazini, na tumeitwa kuwa kanisa katika kila ngazi.