GRANDVILLE, MI (February 24, 1993) – Classis Grandville’s January 21 regular meeting voted down a proposal to lift the deposition status of Beverly CRC (independent) pastor, Rev. Art Besteman. After twice closing its doors for a two hour long executive session, classis also authorized its “ad hoc assistance committee” to “engage appropriate legal counsel, and if necessary pursue legal action with the approval of classis” to assist in “bringing about a just and appropriate settlement” between the Beverly CRC and Beverly CRC (Independent) churches “as envisioned by the intentions and decisions of the October 22, 1992 meeting of Classis Grandville.”
However, at least two classes have overtures to synod on the deposition matter and several other churches have not declared seceding ministers to have the status of one deposed.
Classis Grandville’s ruling that Besteman would be declared to have the status of one deposed from office after 33 years in the CRC ministry has antagonized many conservatives who argue that the CRC only disciplines conservatives who leave the denomination, not liberals who dissent from the denomination’s teachings.
Although 23 pastors of independent churches held ministerial standing in the CRC when they seceded, only Rev. Paul Murphy, Rev. Arthur Besteman and Rev. John De Koekkoek of Agassiz Independent Reformed Church in British Columbia, have been declared to have the status of one deposed from office.
Rev. Steve Schlissel, pastor of Messiah’s Congregation in Brooklyn, N.Y., was deposed while still a member of the CRC The other 19 pastors were processed in a variety of ways by their classes; some parted on fairly amicable terms and none involved any form of deposition.
However, Rev. Tymen Hofman, synodical deputy from Classis Grand Rapids East, argued that ministers leaving the CRC under present conditions were guilty of sin and should be disciplined as schismatics.
In speeches advocating deposition status for both Besteman and Murphy before their classes, Hofman cited the original CRC Lord’s Supper liturgical form still used in many conservative churches. The liturgical form bars various types of idolaters, sorcerers, “despisers of God, His Word, and of the holy sacraments, all blasphemers, all who seek to raise discord, sects, or mutiny in Church or State, all perjurers, all who are disobedient to their parents and superiors, all murderers, quarrelsome persons, and those who live in hatred and envy against their neighbors, adulterers, fornicators, drunkards, thieves, usurers, robbers, gamblers, covetous persons, and all who lead offensive lives” from participating in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
“I quoted from the form for the administration of the Lord’s Supper that thirty years ago was used in all Christian Reformed churches that ‘all who seek to raise discord, sects, or mutiny in Church or State’ are to be barred from the Lord’s table,” said Hofman. “My reason for quoting from the Lord’s Supper form is that some think schism is not a sin; they think that ministers can go around raising discord in the church and not sin.”
“It is my opinion that these men, beginning with Schlissel and including Besteman, are raising discord in the church and not only among churches but within churches” said Hoiman, noting that a minority of Beverly CRC did wish to remain in the denomination.
“I do not single [Besteman] out alone as being schismatic, but classis declared that the Beverly movement is schismatic and he is part of it,” said Hofman. “Schism is a sinful thing. That means he has sinned, judged by classis.”
Not all Christian Reformed ministers agreed with Hofman that Besteman, Murphy, and DeKoekkoek should be declared to have the status of one deposed or barred from participating in the Lord‘s Supper. In Classis Grandville itself, Rev. Robert Ritsema of South Grandville CRC proposed that classis replace its previous decision and declare that classis “regretfully acquiesces in Rev. Arthur Besteman’s request to be released from the office of minister of the Word and sacrament in the Christian Reformed Church, since he is now serving the Beverly Christian Reformed Church (Independent).”
Ritsema’s motion received strong support from Rev. Tom Vanden Heuvel of Byron Center First CRC. “I pleaded with classis to bring our action into line with most of the other classes, which was to simply accede to their request to withdraw from the ministry,” said Vanden Heuvel. “I was really pleased with Ritsema. He stood up and fought for this thing.”
After questions about whether the motion was proper, a majority declared it legally before cIassis but voted it down following Hofman’s speech on schism and the Lord’s Supper form.
Delegates in the classis where Besteman served before accepting a call in Classis Grandville were more favorably disposed toward their former colleague. Two churches in Classis Zeeland came with overtures objecting to declaring ministers to have the status of one deposed: Lamont CRC asked that Classis Zeeland overture Classis Grandville to reconsider their decision and North Street CRC in Zeeland Besteman’s former church—asked that classis overture synod to standardize the language for handling seceding pastors.
Classis first took up the Lamont overture. Rev. Jim Stastny of Rusk CRC led off the classical debate noting that classis voted to send fraternal greetings to the leaders of two seceding churches within the bounds of classis at its previous meeting. “For us to stand by and watch while Rev. Besteman is given the status of one deposed while we send fraternal greetings to churches in our own classis which have left for much the same reasons smacks of hypocrisy,” said Stastny.
Rev. Ray Lanning, pastor of Lamont CRC, passionately defended Besteman. “They had the opportunity [in Classis Grandville) to do justice to the man’s character, standing and reputation. This seems to be an unwarranted act,” said Lanning. “I have to dissent from the idea that there is some sort of neutral deposition; we have to recognize that a disciplinary action was taken by giving him this status and we have to dissent from that act.”
“It was the hostile and punitive actions on both sides that put the bitterness into the Protestant Reformed disruptions of seventy years ago,” said Lanning, noting the last major secession from the CRC in 1924.
However, matters in Classis Zeeland were complicated by the arrival of a new pastor, Rev. James DeVries, from Allendale Second eRC DeVries, who told classis he “was in up to my eyeballs” on Classis Thornapple Valley’s declaration that Murphy would have the status of one deposed, accepted a call to the Allendale church several months after a number of families seceded to form a new independent church.
“We’re dealing not with a situation in which we are involved; we are dealing with a situation in which we are not involved,” said DeVries. “I was in another situation with regard to Paul Murphy in Dutton, and I feel we may be evaluating decisions Classis Grandville made without having the information Classis Grandville had.”
Rev. Kenneth Van Wyk of Haven CRC in Zeeland asked whether Lamont CRC had corresponded with Classis Grandville before bringing the matter to Classis Zeeland. When Lanning said the action and grounds were public and did not require first contacting Classis Grandville, Van Wyk proposed that action be withheld so Lamont could correspond with Classis Grandville. After discussion, Van Wyk’s motion carried.
North Street CRC’s proposal, however, met with little opposition. After a brief discussion, Classis Zeeland overtured synod to “standardize the terminology used when ministers resign from office in circumstances which are not an attempt to avoid discipline” and suggested that the language be changed to “Classis X dismisses Rev. Y from ministerial status in view of his resignation from ministry in the CRC.” The proposal passed with no audible dissenting votes.
“It’s just uneven; some guys leave and classis almost says God’s blessings to them; others leave under what appear to be almost identical circumstances and classis acts toward them in a negative manner, one can almost say in a punitive way,” said Rev. Bernard Tol, pastor of North Street CRC, in a later interview. “These continue to be people in the Reformed faith and to use language of deposition is to erect walls and barriers, which isn’t wise or necessary to do.”
“What has been done, to me, is water under the bridge but maybe we can prevent damage like this from being done in the future,” said Tol.
In Classis California South home of Westminster Theological Seminary’s California campus and a number of large conservative churches—even stronger language was used in an overture to synod.
Escondido CRC and Ontario CRC both sent overtures urging an end to the deposition status for seceding ministers asking that “ministers resigning from the ministry of the Christian Reformed Church because of conscientious theological objections to developments in the Christian Reformed Church should be regarded as having been honorably released, not as having been deposed.”
In the grounds as amended and sent on to synod, classis cited the precedents of the Protestant Reformation and the two secessions which produced the Christian Reformed denomination, noting that the leaders of those secessions are honored by the CRC for their conscientious stand.
Arguing that ending the deposition status of seceding ministers “would serve the peace and harmony of the church,” Classis California South noted that “the deposition of an office-bearer, by definition, is a disciplinary action applied to a church leader guilty of a public and serious sin in doctrine and life.”
“The brothers who have been deposed by their respective classes for conscientious theological objections are not guilty of any public or serious immorality,” according to the overture. “Particularly for those pastors who have left the denomination quietly and not created widespread public scandal, the disciplinary action does not seem to fit the perceived (or actual) ‘sin’ of separation from the CRC.”
“Unless we assume that the Christian Reformed Church is the only true church, how can we criticize people who feel they should serve the Lord elsewhere?” asked Dr. Robert Godfrey, professor at Westminster and vice-president of the Escondido CRC council. “I would hope that people on the other side who talk so much about behaving in a loving and understanding way and speak of justice and mercy would see the essential wisdom of this overture.”
“The overture was inspired in part by what happened to Rev. Besteman as a particularly striking example of mistreatment of ministers,” said Godfrey. “Besteman has provided long and faithful pastoral care in the Christian Reformed Church; he has not been a controversial figure, and there would be clearly to my mind no grounds for declaring him to have the status of one deposed.”
Professor H. David Schuringa, Besteman’s predecessor at Beverly CRC who left to become a professor at Westminster, concurred that deposition of seceding ministers was inappropriate. “It would be my hope and prayer that synod would adopt the overture that Classis California South is bringing so that the status of men like Rev. Besteman can be set right,” said Schuringa.
Noting that the CRC’s Belgic Confession describes the false church as one which “persecutes those who live holily according to the Word of God and rebuke it for its errors, covetousness and idolatry,” Schuringa warned of much worse consequences if conservatives continued to be declared to have the status of one deposed.
“I would say that the CRC must be very careful how they treat these ministers and churches which leave for conscientious reasons,” said Schuringa. “The Belgic Confession, Article 29, is very clear that the mark of the apostate church is reverse discipline.”
Darell Todd Maurina, Reformed Believers Press Service