The phrase “fully agree with the Word of God” was definitive in forming the CRC over 150 years ago, and its impact is still felt today. “The inclusion of this historic phrase is the only way to satisfy the mandates of Synod 2011,” according to Classis Columbia.

For the third time, a “Covenant of Officebearers” will be proposed to Synod 2012 of the Christian Reformed Church. The Covenant is meant to replace the current Form Of Subscription, which all CRC officebearers must sign. However, some are pointing out that not all of Synod 2011’s concerns were addressed in this latest revision.

The current Form is an air tight declaration of agreement with the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dort. Signers pledge to conform all teaching or preaching to these three confessions and to not contradict them. The new Covenant was written to encourage discussion, use language that “sings,” and be more transportable across cultural and linguistic barriers.

The issue of revising the FOS began in 2003, when a congregation in British Columbia asked Synod 2004 to study the Form because some had difficulty signing it and it was falling into disuse. This sparked a process leading to the formation of a committee mandated to draft a new Form. Synod 2008 sent back the proposed Covenant because it lacked clarity and called for a new version to be proposed in 2011.

Synod 2011 gave 5 concerns about the second (2011) version of the Covenant last June, but the Form of Subscription Revision Committee made only 3 changes.

Synod 2011 sent it back to the committee asking for

(1) “positive, declarative commitments to teach, defend and actively promote the confessions;”

(2) a stronger “scope and the binding nature of the commitment;”

(3) “a provision for accountability for those who sign this covenant;”

(4) a reworded “description of the gospel in a way that avoids the impression of universalism;” and

(5) a provision that signers “will communicate their views to the church if they believe that a doctrine is not the teaching of God’s Word.”

The Revision Committee’s third version of the Covenant has three changes from the second version of 2011.

Addressing the fourth concern, the committee changed the allegedly universalist statement:

(2011 version) Scripture… proclaims the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ and the reconciliation of all things in him.

(2012 version) Scripture, which proclaims the good news of God’s creation and redemption through Jesus Christ.

Responding to the first concern, the committee made an addition (in italics):

Grateful for these expressions of faith, we promise to be formed and governed by them. We heartily believe and will promote their doctrines faithfully, conforming our preaching, teaching, writing, serving, and living to them.

The third change was removing the words “at any time” from the following:

Should we at any time come to believe that a teaching in the confessional documents is irreconcilable with God’s Word, we will communicate our views to the church…

This leaves two more concerns unaddressed. In response to concerns #3 and #5, the committee responded in their report:

“After lengthy consideration and discussion of synod’s requests, the study committee concluded that such provisions are adequately articulated in paragraph 6 of the Covenant for Officebearers (both the 2011 and 2012 drafts).”

Six overtures concerning the proposed Covenant appeared in the newly released Agenda For Synod 2012 from the classes of Zeeland, Hudson, Minnkota, Columbia, Iakota, and Lake Superior. All six either ask for changes to be made or for the new Covenant to not be adopted at all.

Classis Lake Superior, while asking that the newest Covenant be adopted, asks synod to add some stronger language: “…the language of this covenant by definition includes freedom to discuss and explore but not to contradict these doctrines contained in the confessions.”

“…Replacing the Form of Subscription with a new document,” says Classis Hudson, “…was not part of the original mandate to the committee, which only called for it to ‘revise’ the Form of Subscription.”

“A new committee needs to be established,” reads the overture from Classis Zeeland.

Four of the overtures mention need for a declaration that the Reformed Confessions “fully agree with the Word of God.” This phrase comes from the current Form of Subscription and is rooted deep in CRC history. The wording comes from the Synod of Dort’s version in 1619 and was designed to allow no loopholes for signatories to hold views that conflict with the Three Forms of Unity.

CRC heritage comes from an 1834 church split in the Netherlands. The Dutch Reformed Church had grown excessively liberal after a new Form of Subscription was adopted 18 years before. Instead of the Dort Synod’s phrase affirming that the Three Forms of Unity “fully agree with the Word of God,” the 1816 synod slightly altered the language so that signatories affirmed the Three Forms of Unity “in so far as” they agreed with the Word of God. This attempt to better unify the Dutch churches resulted in the 1834 secession.

Many who split in 1834 would carry concerns about encroaching liberal beliefs to North America. These concerns would be rekindled when they encountered the Reformed Church in America, which was in full fellowship with the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands. In 1857 those concerns would lead to the formation of the Christian Reformed Church.

The phrase “fully agree with the Word of God” was definitive in forming the CRC over 150 years ago, and its impact is still felt today.

“The inclusion of this historic phrase is the only way to satisfy the mandates of Synod 2011,” according to Classis Columbia.

“Do we really wish to have thick synodical agenda study reports on a regular basis that call on the church to continually re-fight old doctrinal battles?” asks the overture from Classis Zeeland. “Would the overall consequence of such a loosening of the wording… be not greater unity but greater division?”

(Editor’s Note: For those who missed it, Mr. Vriesman has written a general overview of Synod 2012; you may find it here.)

Rev. Aaron Vriesman is the Pastor of the North Blendon Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan. He reports on the CRC for The Aquila Report
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