The question is this: Is Evangelism Thrust a strategy for something else, something in addition to or coincidental with evangelism? And what is that something else? That something else that seems to be an additional or related strategy is simply the remaking of the Christian Reformed Church.
When the Consultant of Classis Florida for Evangelism Thrust made his presentation to the congregation last Pentecost Sunday, he stressed the point that this program is a strategy for evangelism. He made it dear that this is not a prefabricated program manufactured in Grand Rapids and superimposed on the local congregations throughout the continent. He was no doubt perfectly right in this presentation under those terms. Nothing said here is meant to question the sincerity or correctness of that presentation.
However, as I read more of the materials prepared for use in the program, materials I had not had opportunity to read prior to the consistory’s positive action and to the presentation to the congregation, more and more a question presses itself upon me. The question is this: Is Evangelism Thrust a strategy for something else, something in addition to or coincidental with evangelism? And what is that something else that seems to be an additional or related strategy is simply the remaking of the Christian Reformed Church.
The question raised here is a very serious one, of course. The writer is quite aware of that seriousness. And the writer is quite aware of that seriousness. And the writer is very serious about raising the question. The question rises out of the reading of the booklet Called To Serve, which is designed to play a rather significant role in the Evangelism Thrust effort. This booklet is intended to be placed in the hands of every member of the church participating in the program to serve as a self-study guide in group discussion. There is more, much more, in this booklet than a strategy for evangelism.
THE 1969 GUIDELINES
The crucial decision to participate in “the 1973 National Evangelism Thrust” was taken by the Christian Reformed Church at Synod 1969. The fairly detailed statement of objectives and basic considerations includes a definition of evangelism, the definition coming out of the celebrated Berlin Congress on Evangelism. The definition is as follows: “Evangelism is the proclamation of the Gospel of the crucified and risen Christ. the only Redeemer of men, according to the Scriptures, with the purpose of persuading condemned and lost sinners to put their trust in God by deceiving and accepting Christ as Savior through the power of the Holy Spirit. and to serve Christ as Lord in every calling of life and in the fellowship of the church, looking toward the day of His coming in glory” (Acts of Synod 1969, p. 64). One wonders what place many things dealt with in the booklet Called To Serve have under the definition of evangelism adopted by the church. Perhaps a case could be made for the position that many of the matters brought up in the booklet are tangential considerations. But they hardly belong to the real business of evangelism as construed by Evangelism Thrust as that is laid out in the statement adopted by the church in 1969.
Furthermore, in 1969 the church accepted a stipulation in “An Overview of the Proposed Plan” that “each denomination” conduct the program “in keeping with lite principles and practices of the denomination” (Acts, p. 65. Italics by EH.). The present writer is persuaded that the booklet Called To Serve plainly violates the terms of this stipulation on many counts.
PARTICULARS
The character of worship is discussed at some length under the two headings of “celebration” and “education.” All sorts of things are brought up here—the architecture and design of the place of worship, a proposed evaluation of all the items in the worship service to see how much each contributes to edification, are children built up “in their child faith” in these worship services, different proposals for worship services directed toward varied age groupings, the place of relative importance of the sermon and the Lord’s Supper. Regarding the celebration of the sacraments the question is asked. “Whenever we celebrate baptism or the Lord’s Supper, is the joy of the event affected by the heavy doctrinal explanations, stern warnings and commands?” (p. 45).
The matter of sermonizing comes under scrutiny too. Should the sermon be dialogic or monologic? The booklet seems to find biblical warrant for dialogue in sermonizing (p. 21). At another point we read this question, “What about the sermon? Is it a barrier to, or a bridge to communion?” (p. 32). This question is raised in a section dealing with ways which would help “your congregation on the way toward spiritual community” (p. 31). As we readily acknowledge painful shortcomings in much preaching, we must ask whether it is within the scope of this preparation for evangelism by the whole flock to raise these questions as to the character and effectiveness of the sermon as such. These questions are not asking whether the sermons preached in the churches are “evangelistic” enough. No, the questions are more basic. They deal with the place and character of the sermon as such.
Was it the intent of those voting to participate in Evangelism Thrust that all these questions about our “principles and practices” should he opened up? The affirmative vote of at least one delegate to Synod 1969 did not mean that, decidedly not. And please, please, let no one respond by saying that the writer of this article is afraid of these questions, or is a hopelessly bound traditionalist, or is one who refuses to take a fresh look at the church and its practices. Such comments would be grossly unfair and quite beside the point. The aim of this essay is to make clear that these questions raised in Called To Serve go beyond the mandate given and are therefore out of order. There are other forums for the airing of such questions. Evangelism Thrust was not intended to be such a forum.
A RADICAL STRAIN
There is more, more that is quite out of order in the setting of a strategy for evangelism. The very organization of the church comes under review. In the chapter on “The Structures of Life” (pp. 46ff.) the question is raised, “What kind of organization do we need so that we can do the job God has assigned to us?” It seems most strange that even in this phase of the church’s life should come up for critical examination. Surely the Church Order, carefully revised and up-dated as late as 1965, has a place in the “principles and practices” of the church that were to be honored in this effort.
The approach of Called To Serve to this basic question is nothing short of radical. The chapter starts out with a portrayal of the consistory that is far from complimentary. The ruling body of the church is pictured as a group of men who are either insensitive to needs that are brought to their attention or are unable to cope with them and therefore do nothing. The main thrust of the chapter is, so it seems to this writer, that the organization of the church ought to be a very flexible and fluid something. its character and form determined by the church’s response to “needs” that may develop in church or community. As God confronts the church with such “needs” He will also by the Holy Spirit endow people with gifts for the meeting of these “needs.” The structure of the church should then be adjusted in every such situation so that the Spirit’s gifts can be put to work in meeting such “need.” The booklet states: “Throughout the New Testament one gets a picture of people who live in tents, not driving their tentpins in any further than necessary always ready to move the tent in response to a call from Macedonia or from the next town where a need is crying” (p. 51). The appropriateness of such language with its figurative application of the example of the itinerant missionary Paul in the primitive New Testament church to the situation and needs of the established church today is at least highly debatable.
The organization of the church is determined, therefore, by one’s reading of needs in the church or community and by one’s evaluation of “gifts of the Spirit” that people may have. The “first guideline” under such thinking is not surprising. It is this: “See how the Holy Spirit is using your setup. Be prepared for surprises and be ready to change” (p. 51). The question must be asked: Does the Christian Reformed Church have the organizational structure it has due to the application of the above proposed guiding principles, or does it have the organizational structure it has because it believes its form of government is most faithful to the plain biblical givens bearing on the government and organization of the church? And in assessing the structure of the church may we ignore the centuries of the Spirit’s guidance throughout the God-given and God-governed history of the church? It must be borne in mind that Called to Serve is here discussing the organizational structure of the church. not the use being made of the existing structure. If the booklet pleaded for greater flexibility and responsiveness by the church as organized in meeting real needs and in using all the appropriate gifts of the Spirit, this writer would be the first to say “Amen.” And in all fairness the question must be asked whether the authors of Called To Serve did not mean to present a strong plea for such greater responsiveness and flexibility in the functioning of existing structures. If this can be demonstrated to be the case, the present writer will be glad to withdraw his allegation. But it seems inescapable that the booklet, with its demeaning and shabby portrayal of the church’s main governmental unit (the consistory) at the beginning of chapter five (p. 46), is calling into question the very organizational structure of the church and is suggesting revision according to a formula that cannot fail to be highly subjectivistic and radical. Such a critical analysis of the church’s organizational structure and such a proposal for revision of that structure are clearly out of place in a strategy for evangelism engineered according to the “principles and practices” of the church.
The discussion on the organization of the church includes the following: “What is your church doing at its congregational meetings? Take a hard look at the agenda of the congregational meeting and see if it is meeting the needs of the neighborhood” (p. 54). Among the several questions that could he asked here, this question must surely be asked: Does the answer to the question of the church’s response to neighborhood needs hinge on what happens at congregational meetings? What about other forums for the airing of such needs. such as society meetings, consistory meetings, meetings of agencies and fellowships operating outside the pale of the organization of the church and yet closely related to the church (Christian hospitals, laymen’s league, various Christian social agencies supported by the church, etc.)? Should not the question about the agenda of a congregational meeting in relation to community needs be asked in the context of the very helpful and Reformed distinction between the church as organization and the church as organism?
One added note must be introduced in this examination of the booklet’s attitude toward the organization of the church. In an attractive chapter on the church described as “a servant made up of servants” (pp. 58ff.) this question is raised: “In the Reformed tradition we say that the preacher and elder hold ruling offices. Are you comfortable with the term ‘ruling’” (p. 66)? This is a curious question in view of the fact that it is asked about a term taken directly from God’s Word (I Tim. 5:17 –KJV, ASV, RSV. See also Hebrew 13:17, Revelation 4:4).
SOLA SCRIPTURA?
The curious question just referred to suggests another basic question concerning the booklet Called To Serve. The Christian Reformed Church, being a loyal daughter of the Reformation, has no more fundamental and determinative principal than that expressed in the Latin words given above—Scriptum sola. This expression means that the Bible and the Bible alone is the Christian’s and the church’s wholly true and wholly reliable rule and guide for faith and life. Does the booklet under question do full justice to this principle? The discussion appearing earlier in this essay on the booklet’s “radical” proposal for the structuring (or restructuring) of the church’s organization demonstrates, in the writer’s judgment, inadequate regard for the Scriptura sola principle. There are two other counts on which the writer feels the booklet leaves something to be desired on this important score.
The testing of the spirits is referred to on page fifty-three. Such testing is done through the exercise of a gift of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:10. Reference is properly made to I John 4:2 as one test of the spirits. But things are left very unc1car as to what is to he our sure guide in testing spirits. The booklet speaks of being “ready to exercise Holy Spirit power in clobbering evil spirits,” but docs not make clear that Cod’s truth as revealed in His Word is the only infallible guide for the exercise of this Spirit power (see II Tim. 3:16–4:4).
A similar fault appears in the final and climactic chapter. In the precious chapters the booklet has always brought the discussion to a conclusion by asking the reader to set certain goals for himself “in response to the Word of God.” The final chapter calls to action, doing “What God’s Spirit and God’s Word tell us to do” (p. 74). Then, as the final goal-setting exercise begins, the language changes. The Word isn’t mentioned any more. Rather, after the reader has answered six questions of a personal nature, the booklet has him say, “Now the Holy Spirit leads me to learn by doing.” Then he sets goals for himself, for an action group for evangelism, and for the church as a whole with this introductory formula, “Based on the above answers and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I set these goals.” This is done five times (with the puzzling grammatical problem appearing each time as to just who or what is “Based on the above answers and the leading of the Holy Spirit”). Perhaps the authors of the booklet mean to say that “the leading of the Holy Spirit” in setting such goals for evangelism includes the sovereign basic direction of the Word of God. But they don’t say it in this climactic approach to the actual work to be done by the church of Jesus Christ. I find this omission unsatisfactory.
There is more than a little undesirable subjectivism (already referred to in this essay) abroad in the church today. Also abroad in the church are faulty notions respecting the leading of the Holy Spirit. In such a climate one would wish that the authors of the booklet had brought their work to a climax with a clear affirmation and demonstration of Scriptura sola as our prime guide in the work of the Church of Christ, with the church and her members always looking to the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to live in obedience to that holy truth in the total witness of our lives.
Those who disagree with the main burden of this piece of writing may refer to one of the “specific objectives” found in the synodical decision of 1969. This objective is given as follows: “To assist Christian congregations and organizations in becoming more effective redemptive centers of God’s Holy Spirit and to make Christian people more mindful that they belong to the fellowship of the redeemed, the concerned, and the sent ones” (p. 65). It is highly likely that the authors of Called To Serve and of the paperback Who In The World? (on which Called To Serve is largely based) felt in all sincerity that their work was done in obedience to that part of their mandate. Such feelings must be respected. But efforts to realize the “specific objective” just mentioned cannot, we must insist, be carried out in a manner that violates the suggestion in the “Overview of the Proposed Plan” that was adopted by synod, namely, that each denomination develop the program in keeping with its own principles and practices.”
In a final word let it be said that the congregation of which the writer is pastor is participating in Evangelism Thrust and is using Called To Serve, with emendations.
Edward Heerema is pastor of the Christian Reformed Church of Bradenton, Florida.
When the Consultant of Classis Florida for Evangelism Thrust made his presentation to the congregation last Pentecost Sunday, he stressed the point that this program is a strategy for evangelism. He made it dear that this is not a prefabricated program manufactured in Grand Rapids and superimposed on the local congregations throughout the continent. He was no doubt perfectly right in this presentation under those terms. Nothing said here is meant to question the sincerity or correctness of that presentation.
However, as I read more of the materials prepared for use in the program, materials I had not had opportunity to read prior to the consistory’s positive action and to the presentation to the congregation, more and more a question presses itself upon me. The question is this: Is Evangelism Thrust a strategy for something else, something in addition to or coincidental with evangelism? And what is that something else that seems to be an additional or related strategy is simply the remaking of the Christian Reformed Church.
The question raised here is a very serious one, of course. The writer is quite aware of that seriousness. And the writer is quite aware of that seriousness. And the writer is very serious about raising the question. The question rises out of the reading of the booklet Called To Serve, which is designed to play a rather significant role in the Evangelism Thrust effort. This booklet is intended to be placed in the hands of every member of the church participating in the program to serve as a self-study guide in group discussion. There is more, much more, in this booklet than a strategy for evangelism.
THE 1969 GUIDELINES
The crucial decision to participate in “the 1973 National Evangelism Thrust” was taken by the Christian Reformed Church at Synod 1969. The fairly detailed statement of objectives and basic considerations includes a definition of evangelism, the definition coming out of the celebrated Berlin Congress on Evangelism. The definition is as follows: “Evangelism is the proclamation of the Gospel of the crucified and risen Christ. the only Redeemer of men, according to the Scriptures, with the purpose of persuading condemned and lost sinners to put their trust in God by deceiving and accepting Christ as Savior through the power of the Holy Spirit. and to serve Christ as Lord in every calling of life and in the fellowship of the church, looking toward the day of His coming in glory” (Acts of Synod 1969, p. 64). One wonders what place many things dealt with in the booklet Called To Serve have under the definition of evangelism adopted by the church. Perhaps a case could be made for the position that many of the matters brought up in the booklet are tangential considerations. But they hardly belong to the real business of evangelism as construed by Evangelism Thrust as that is laid out in the statement adopted by the church in 1969.
Furthermore, in 1969 the church accepted a stipulation in “An Overview of the Proposed Plan” that “each denomination” conduct the program “in keeping with lite principles and practices of the denomination” (Acts, p. 65. Italics by EH.). The present writer is persuaded that the booklet Called To Serve plainly violates the terms of this stipulation on many counts.
PARTICULARS
The character of worship is discussed at some length under the two headings of “celebration” and “education.” All sorts of things are brought up here—the architecture and design of the place of worship, a proposed evaluation of all the items in the worship service to see how much each contributes to edification, are children built up “in their child faith” in these worship services, different proposals for worship services directed toward varied age groupings, the place of relative importance of the sermon and the Lord’s Supper. Regarding the celebration of the sacraments the question is asked. “Whenever we celebrate baptism or the Lord’s Supper, is the joy of the event affected by the heavy doctrinal explanations, stern warnings and commands?” (p. 45).
The matter of sermonizing comes under scrutiny too. Should the sermon be dialogic or monologic? The booklet seems to find biblical warrant for dialogue in sermonizing (p. 21). At another point we read this question, “What about the sermon? Is it a barrier to, or a bridge to communion?” (p. 32). This question is raised in a section dealing with ways which would help “your congregation on the way toward spiritual community” (p. 31). As we readily acknowledge painful shortcomings in much preaching, we must ask whether it is within the scope of this preparation for evangelism by the whole flock to raise these questions as to the character and effectiveness of the sermon as such. These questions are not asking whether the sermons preached in the churches are “evangelistic” enough. No, the questions are more basic. They deal with the place and character of the sermon as such.
Was it the intent of those voting to participate in Evangelism Thrust that all these questions about our “principles and practices” should he opened up? The affirmative vote of at least one delegate to Synod 1969 did not mean that, decidedly not. And please, please, let no one respond by saying that the writer of this article is afraid of these questions, or is a hopelessly bound traditionalist, or is one who refuses to take a fresh look at the church and its practices. Such comments would be grossly unfair and quite beside the point. The aim of this essay is to make clear that these questions raised in Called To Serve go beyond the mandate given and are therefore out of order. There are other forums for the airing of such questions. Evangelism Thrust was not intended to be such a forum.
A RADICAL STRAIN
There is more, more that is quite out of order in the setting of a strategy for evangelism. The very organization of the church comes under review. In the chapter on “The Structures of Life” (pp. 46ff.) the question is raised, “What kind of organization do we need so that we can do the job God has assigned to us?” It seems most strange that even in this phase of the church’s life should come up for critical examination. Surely the Church Order, carefully revised and up-dated as late as 1965, has a place in the “principles and practices” of the church that were to be honored in this effort.
The approach of Called To Serve to this basic question is nothing short of radical. The chapter starts out with a portrayal of the consistory that is far from complimentary. The ruling body of the church is pictured as a group of men who are either insensitive to needs that are brought to their attention or are unable to cope with them and therefore do nothing. The main thrust of the chapter is, so it seems to this writer, that the organization of the church ought to be a very flexible and fluid something. its character and form determined by the church’s response to “needs” that may develop in church or community. As God confronts the church with such “needs” He will also by the Holy Spirit endow people with gifts for the meeting of these “needs.” The structure of the church should then be adjusted in every such situation so that the Spirit’s gifts can be put to work in meeting such “need.” The booklet states: “Throughout the New Testament one gets a picture of people who live in tents, not driving their tentpins in any further than necessary always ready to move the tent in response to a call from Macedonia or from the next town where a need is crying” (p. 51). The appropriateness of such language with its figurative application of the example of the itinerant missionary Paul in the primitive New Testament church to the situation and needs of the established church today is at least highly debatable.
The organization of the church is determined, therefore, by one’s reading of needs in the church or community and by one’s evaluation of “gifts of the Spirit” that people may have. The “first guideline” under such thinking is not surprising. It is this: “See how the Holy Spirit is using your setup. Be prepared for surprises and be ready to change” (p. 51). The question must be asked: Does the Christian Reformed Church have the organizational structure it has due to the application of the above proposed guiding principles, or does it have the organizational structure it has because it believes its form of government is most faithful to the plain biblical givens bearing on the government and organization of the church? And in assessing the structure of the church may we ignore the centuries of the Spirit’s guidance throughout the God-given and God-governed history of the church? It must be borne in mind that Called to Serve is here discussing the organizational structure of the church. not the use being made of the existing structure. If the booklet pleaded for greater flexibility and responsiveness by the church as organized in meeting real needs and in using all the appropriate gifts of the Spirit, this writer would be the first to say “Amen.” And in all fairness the question must be asked whether the authors of Called To Serve did not mean to present a strong plea for such greater responsiveness and flexibility in the functioning of existing structures. If this can be demonstrated to be the case, the present writer will be glad to withdraw his allegation. But it seems inescapable that the booklet, with its demeaning and shabby portrayal of the church’s main governmental unit (the consistory) at the beginning of chapter five (p. 46), is calling into question the very organizational structure of the church and is suggesting revision according to a formula that cannot fail to be highly subjectivistic and radical. Such a critical analysis of the church’s organizational structure and such a proposal for revision of that structure are clearly out of place in a strategy for evangelism engineered according to the “principles and practices” of the church.
The discussion on the organization of the church includes the following: “What is your church doing at its congregational meetings? Take a hard look at the agenda of the congregational meeting and see if it is meeting the needs of the neighborhood” (p. 54). Among the several questions that could he asked here, this question must surely be asked: Does the answer to the question of the church’s response to neighborhood needs hinge on what happens at congregational meetings? What about other forums for the airing of such needs. such as society meetings, consistory meetings, meetings of agencies and fellowships operating outside the pale of the organization of the church and yet closely related to the church (Christian hospitals, laymen’s league, various Christian social agencies supported by the church, etc.)? Should not the question about the agenda of a congregational meeting in relation to community needs be asked in the context of the very helpful and Reformed distinction between the church as organization and the church as organism?
One added note must be introduced in this examination of the booklet’s attitude toward the organization of the church. In an attractive chapter on the church described as “a servant made up of servants” (pp. 58ff.) this question is raised: “In the Reformed tradition we say that the preacher and elder hold ruling offices. Are you comfortable with the term ‘ruling’” (p. 66)? This is a curious question in view of the fact that it is asked about a term taken directly from God’s Word (I Tim. 5:17 –KJV, ASV, RSV. See also Hebrew 13:17, Revelation 4:4).
SOLA SCRIPTURA?
The curious question just referred to suggests another basic question concerning the booklet Called To Serve. The Christian Reformed Church, being a loyal daughter of the Reformation, has no more fundamental and determinative principal than that expressed in the Latin words given above—Scriptum sola. This expression means that the Bible and the Bible alone is the Christian’s and the church’s wholly true and wholly reliable rule and guide for faith and life. Does the booklet under question do full justice to this principle? The discussion appearing earlier in this essay on the booklet’s “radical” proposal for the structuring (or restructuring) of the church’s organization demonstrates, in the writer’s judgment, inadequate regard for the Scriptura sola principle. There are two other counts on which the writer feels the booklet leaves something to be desired on this important score.
The testing of the spirits is referred to on page fifty-three. Such testing is done through the exercise of a gift of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:10. Reference is properly made to I John 4:2 as one test of the spirits. But things are left very unc1car as to what is to he our sure guide in testing spirits. The booklet speaks of being “ready to exercise Holy Spirit power in clobbering evil spirits,” but docs not make clear that Cod’s truth as revealed in His Word is the only infallible guide for the exercise of this Spirit power (see II Tim. 3:16–4:4).
A similar fault appears in the final and climactic chapter. In the precious chapters the booklet has always brought the discussion to a conclusion by asking the reader to set certain goals for himself “in response to the Word of God.” The final chapter calls to action, doing “What God’s Spirit and God’s Word tell us to do” (p. 74). Then, as the final goal-setting exercise begins, the language changes. The Word isn’t mentioned any more. Rather, after the reader has answered six questions of a personal nature, the booklet has him say, “Now the Holy Spirit leads me to learn by doing.” Then he sets goals for himself, for an action group for evangelism, and for the church as a whole with this introductory formula, “Based on the above answers and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I set these goals.” This is done five times (with the puzzling grammatical problem appearing each time as to just who or what is “Based on the above answers and the leading of the Holy Spirit”). Perhaps the authors of the booklet mean to say that “the leading of the Holy Spirit” in setting such goals for evangelism includes the sovereign basic direction of the Word of God. But they don’t say it in this climactic approach to the actual work to be done by the church of Jesus Christ. I find this omission unsatisfactory.
There is more than a little undesirable subjectivism (already referred to in this essay) abroad in the church today. Also abroad in the church are faulty notions respecting the leading of the Holy Spirit. In such a climate one would wish that the authors of the booklet had brought their work to a climax with a clear affirmation and demonstration of Scriptura sola as our prime guide in the work of the Church of Christ, with the church and her members always looking to the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to live in obedience to that holy truth in the total witness of our lives.
Those who disagree with the main burden of this piece of writing may refer to one of the “specific objectives” found in the synodical decision of 1969. This objective is given as follows: “To assist Christian congregations and organizations in becoming more effective redemptive centers of God’s Holy Spirit and to make Christian people more mindful that they belong to the fellowship of the redeemed, the concerned, and the sent ones” (p. 65). It is highly likely that the authors of Called To Serve and of the paperback Who In The World? (on which Called To Serve is largely based) felt in all sincerity that their work was done in obedience to that part of their mandate. Such feelings must be respected. But efforts to realize the “specific objective” just mentioned cannot, we must insist, be carried out in a manner that violates the suggestion in the “Overview of the Proposed Plan” that was adopted by synod, namely, that each denomination develop the program in keeping with its own principles and practices.”
In a final word let it be said that the congregation of which the writer is pastor is participating in Evangelism Thrust and is using Called To Serve, with emendations.
Edward Heerema is pastor of the Christian Reformed Church of Bradenton, Florida.