For thirty-five years the Reformed Fellowship has sought to promote a solidly Reformed witness both inside and outside the Christian Reformed Church. It has used two means in its efforts to reach this goal: publications and meetings. In addition to The Outlook (first called Torch and Trumpet) it has published books , pamphlets, Bible study guides, and more. And, mainly through its various regional chapters, meetings have been held which featured lecture series and public addresses. Through the spoken word and the printed word, then, the Word of God as understood by our Reformed confessions has been widely proclaimed by the Reformed Fellowship.
Thankfully, the Reformed Fellowship is not the only group seeking to promore a confessionallyorthodox, Biblical vision. It has been joined by other groups, the largest being the Committee of Concerned Members.
From all appearances, the Reformed Fellowship and the Committee of Concerned Members agree on the major issues facing the Christian Reformed Church today. Both groups tirelessly uphold the Reformed confessions. And they share several men who serve on the two boards of the two groups.
With all this commonality, some people think that their membership in the Reformed Fellowship automatically makes them members of the Committee of Concerned Members. And some think that when they pay their annual dues to the Committee of Concerned Members, they should be receiving The Outlook, published by Reformed Fellowship. Not so! Though they have almost everything in common, the two groups are still separate organizations. They each have their own dues, their own mailing lists, their own boards, and their own annual meetings.
While we can rejoice in all this interest, both old and new, personally I regret the duplication of effort. Evidently, the boards of the two organizations also share some of this regret since they recently held a combined meeting to consider how the two groups can better coordinate their efforts. And some small steps were taken towards working together for a common purpose .
Where all this will eventually lead, no one knows. What we do know, however, is that God has been blessing the Christian Reformed Church in raising up more members who are seeking genuine renewal through the Word and the Spirit. As these members join the Reformed Fellowship and the Committee of Concerned Members and as these two groups work more closely together, we should have good hope that our denomination may be preserved from increasing theological liberalism.
Randal S. Lankheet is the pastor of the Jamestown, Michigan Christian Reformed Church and one of our board members.
