Loyalty to a Denomination

It seems as if more and more candidates in the MFCA have not been raised in the Reformed Church in America (RCA). Dr. Paul Fries once did a quick survey of his RCA Standards class a few years ago and if I remember correctly, thirteen of the fourteen students were not raised in the RCA. My personal, and also informal survey, indicates that almost 70% of the candidates in the RCSC received their call to enter RCA ordained ministry while participating in a parachurch organization, college campus ministry, or Christian camp. In other words, many of the individuals who will be pastoral leaders in the RCA of the future do not share the RCA roots and did not initially experience their call in a local RCA congregation – they are newcomers or converts to the RCA.
Knowing this, you might ask "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Denominational loyalists might quickly say it is bad because these individuals don’t understand the tradition and do not share allegiances they expect from their clergy leaders. My experience and observation has been the opposite. In a way it is somewhat like a former smoker who is adamant about not being near smokers or smoke, becoming extremely strong advocates for not smoking. Most individuals who pursue the Certificate of Fitness for Ministry with the RCA, and who are new to the denomination, are those that have done their homework and have become convinced that the RCA and Reformed theology are definitely the denomination and theology of choice. They have determined through careful thought and research that the RCA best represents their belief and perspective.
These newcomers bring with them not only a high appreciation for the RCA, its theology and its ministries, but, they also bring fresh ideas and unique gifts. These individuals help create a leadership mosaic that will make us stronger and better able to minister to our churches and connect to others in the world to whom we are to reach out. Already we have ethnic and racial diverse congregations in our midst because leaders from these groups decided to belong to the RCA. We are no longer a church with a predominately Dutch heritage, nor are we remaining to be a church of Anglo Caucasians. We are diverse in many ways and it is my belief that we are better able to minister because of that.
This past week the Classis of Illiana welcomed a newcomer to the RCA by the name of John Armstrong. Rev. Armstrong has been raised in
Baptist circles but now has adopted the RCA as his denomination. Every once in a while I read his daily blog (http://www.johnharmstrong.com/) and recently he wrote the following, a statement I believe supports my point that those who decide to become part of the RCA of their own volition tend to be more convinced and informed about their new denomination:
"I find the RCA to be a good home for me emotionally and theologically. It is the oldest continuous church body in the United States so it didn’t begin with yesterday’s newest schism. It embraces ecumenism yet remains confessional and orthodox. It has meaningful dialog with many traditions and is truly catholic. Yet it retains some of the distinctive marks of Reformed Christianity that I find precious and biblically rooted. And it is deeply committed to church revitalization and church planting.
One thing that has particularly helped me to enter the RCA is the clear, open commitment of this Church communion to the idea of ecclesia reformata semper reformanda est. This Latin phrase refers to "the Church Reformed and always reforming." This slogan, sometimes misused and often attacked from the right, is unknown as to its particular origins but the spirit of it has clearly marked the tradition historically. It is a phrase that encourages us to retain the Reformed confessional marks but always with a charitable openness to pursue continuing reformation. Rigid conservatives reject this idea, insisting that a particular confession is virtually synonymous with the theology of the Bible. Liberals abuse the idea by having no anchor in historical Christianity, using various forms of piety and psychology to undermine the historical nature of true faith. Precious and important truths are always dangerous and open to abuse. This one, with so much to commend it historically and practically, is powerful but dangerous at the same time. It must be handled with care but it should be embraced with joy and freedom in the Holy Spirit.
My friend I. John Hesselink has spent his lifetime thinking about this matter. He is a first-rate Reformed scholar and served as president of Western Theological Seminary (RCA) in Holland, Michigan, after being a missionary in Japan for many years. John concludes that Reformed Christians have a heritage that they can be proud of, in the right sense. But they must never forget that the term Reformed "denotes a task more than an accomplishment." That says it very well. I believe a humble Reformed faith is one that celebrates the past with deep gratitude and pleasure while it remains humble and open to the present since what has been given to us is a great task and divine responsibility. My calling, as a Reformed minister, is to give myself humbly to the task of reforming and renewing churches, not to standing on a soap-box condemning other Christians and other good and valuable confessional traditions within the Church. This is precisely why I am ecumenical and explains why I am committed to the whole Christian Church; Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. The world Reformed community, beyond the narrow sectarian battles of conservative North American Christianity, understands this calling well. This is increasingly why I turn there to learn and observe the practice of "a humble Reformed faith.""