1857–2000 SYNODICAL DECISIONS INDEX SYNODICAL 1857 INDEX DECISIONS 2000 INDEX SYNODICAL DECISIONS 1857–2000 © 2001 Christian Reformed Church in North America® 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue SE Grand Rapids, Michigan U.S.A. Printed in the United States of America PREFACE After a hiatus of twenty years, we are very pleased to be able to present a new Index of Synodical Decisions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. This updated version of the Index covers decisions of synod from 1857 through 2000. The purpose of the Index is to indicate where decisions on various matters can be found in the Acts of Synod, the official minutes of the denomina- tion. A secondary purpose is to provide access to significant studies and reports in the Acts of Synod and the Agenda for Synod. The user of the Index should be aware of the following conventions observed in the making of this book: 1. The material in the Index is arranged alphabetically by subject matter. Material derived from overtures and study-committee reports is best accessed by subject heading. 2. Page numbers appear in ascending order after each entry. Through 1982, the lower numbers in each entry are from the minutes of synodical action (the Acts), and the higher numbers are from agency reports and study-committee reports (the Agenda). Beginning in 1983, the higher numbers indicate material from the Acts, and the lower numbers indicate material from the Agenda. 3. As a rule, the names of individuals do not appear as subject entries in this Index. Exceptions to this rule have been made for some persons of historical significance as well as for special appointees of synod, such as the presidents of Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, the editors of the church papers, the stated clerks/general secretaries of synod, the executive director of ministries, and others appointed for executive responsibilities. The names of individual congregations appear as subject headings only in cases of unusual historical significance. 4. Where references are made to the Church Order in this Index, the article numbers are those of the revised Church Order adopted in 1965 and currently used in the CRC. The numbers in parentheses in references to Church Order articles are the corresponding numbers in the previous Church Order, which was in use from 1857 to 1965. The user should bear in mind that in all Acts and Agenda before 1965 all Church Order citations will use the numbers of the old Church Order. 5. Another significant alteration of the Church Order occurred in 1991, when Articles 78-82 were condensed to become Articles 78-80, Articles 83-87 were condensed into Article 81, Articles 88-94 became Articles 82-84, and Articles 95 and 96 were renumbered as Articles 85 and 86. These changes are also taken into consideration in this revised Index. 6. In this Index, the distinction between f. and ff. was not consistently observed before 1985. This inconsistency has not been corrected because of the amount of time required to research the matter. After 1985, the exact span of page numbers is used rather than f. and ff. 7. The list of acronyms following this preface should help the user navigate through the many abbreviations used in the Index. 8. In 1937, the synodical decisions from 1857 through 1880 were compiled in a single volume. Index references for these years refer to the page numbers of that volume, not to the actual minutes of synod. INDEX 3 The compilation of this Index has gone through many stages during the past twenty years. One major attempt was begun in the late 1980s and early 1990s by former general secretary Rev. Leonard J. Hofman with the assistance of Mrs. Wilma Kloostra (now deceased). For a variety of reasons, those efforts never bore the fruit of a finished product. In 1995, at the urging of synod, the current project was begun. We are all indebted to Mrs. Jan Walhout, who has patiently and persistently devoted herself to the accurate and thorough compilation of this Index. Working with her have been Mrs. Alice Damsteegt and Mrs. Diane Recker, whose careful typing and production oversight have assisted greatly. We offer this Index in the hope that it will be of assistance to churches, officebearers, students, scholars, and all others who are interested in discovering anew the decisions of the Christian Reformed Church and how those decisions were made. David H. Engelhard General Secretary Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue SE Grand Rapids, MI 49560 Note: Because there are myriads of opportunities for error in a book like this, we request your help in making corrections. Please report any errors to the Denominational Office. Thank you in advance for your assistance. 4 INDEX ACRONYMS USED IN THIS INDEX ACRL Association of Christian Reformed Laymen BOT Board of Trustees of the Christian Reformed Church in North America BWM Board of World Missions CCRCC Council of the Christian Reformed Churches in Canada CEACA Committee for Educational Assistance to Churches Abroad CGI Consolidated Group Insurance CGKN Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland CRASM Christian Reformed Association of Staff Ministries CRBFM Christian Reformed Board of Foreign Missions CRC Christian Reformed Church CRCNA Christian Reformed Church in North America CRWM Christian Reformed World Missions CRWRC Christian Reformed World Relief Committee DFC Denominational financial coordinator DRCSA Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa EDM Executive director of ministries EPC Evangelical Presbyterian Church FNC Fund for Needy Churches FSC Fund for Smaller Churches GKN Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (same as RCN) GKN—V Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland—Vrijgemaakt GKSA Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid Afrika (same as RCSA) HM Christian Reformed Home Missions IRC Interchurch Relations Committee IRS Internal Revenue Service MAC Ministries Administrative Council MCC Ministries Coordinating Council MIS Ministerial Information Service NAE National Association of Evangelicals NAPARC North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council NASB New American Standard Bible NCC National Council of Churches NIV New International Version NRSV New Revised Standard Version OPC Orthodox Presbyterian Church PCRC Pastor-Church Relations Committee RCA Reformed Church in America RCC Roman Catholic Church RCN Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (same as GKN) RCSA Reformed Churches in South Africa (same as GKSA) REC Reformed Ecumenical Council RES Reformed Ecumenical Synod RSV Revised Standard Version SCORR Synodical Committee on Race Relations SIC Synodical Interim Committee SPMC Special Program for Ministerial Candidacy TASUM The Apprenticeship School for Urban Ministry INDEX 5 TCNN Theological College of Northern Nigeria TEAC Translation and Educational Assistance Committee TELL The Evangelical Literature League WARC World Alliance of Reformed Churches WCC World Council of Churches YCF Young Calvinist Federation 6 INDEX A Abortion 1971 Overtures re, 48 1972 Testimony adopted, 63ff. Report, 479-84 1976 Endorsement of Human Life Amendment to United States Constitution, 63 1980 Request for Sanctity of Life Sunday denied, 69, 579 1981 Churches encouraged to give continued attention to, 61, 593 1985 Concern re RCA stand on, 494 IRC to convey CRC stand, 797-98 1988 Letter to Canadian prime minister re, 528 1990 Reaffirmation of synodical position denied, 487, 596 1993 Overture requesting reconsideration of, 283-85, 515 1995 Overture re Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, 525-26, 659 1996 Overture requesting declaration that view on abortion in Christian Faith, Health, and Medical Practice is inconsistent with CRC position, 313-16, 528 1997 Overtures re, 443-46, 606-08 View of Dr. Hessel Bouma III re, 443-45, 604-05 1998 Overture recognizing “holocaust” of, 208-10, 401, 432, 442-43 1999 Overture to study pregnancy-related issues and abortion, 389, 578, 625 Above-quota funds (See Quotas and recommended agencies) Absentee members (See also Church Order Articles 67 and 68; Lapsed membership) 1991 Form letter requested for, 11-12, 793 Absolution (See Liturgical matters—D. Worship services) Abuse (See also Ad Hoc Committee to Implement the Decisions re Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Abuse) 1989 Committee to study abuse, requested (Committee to Study Abuse Situations), 309-10, 548-49 1991 Committee to Study Abuse Situations, 826 1992 Ad Hoc Committee to Implement the Decisions re Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Abuse, 709, 731 Committee to Study Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Abuse, 313-58, 671-74, 675-77 Denominational survey and findings, 317-25 Overtures and communication re, 482-85, 560-61, 567, 675-77 Abuse and persons with disabilities, 138 1993 Ad Hoc Committee to Implement the Decisions re Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Abuse, 23, 27 CRC Publications’ response to synod’s request for materials re, 65 Overture requesting study committee re clergy abuse of office, 286-87, 544-45, 579 1994 Abuse-prevention coordinator: functions, qualifications, rationale for, 194-97 INDEX 7 Guidelines for Ethical Sexual Conduct of Ministerial Personnel, 191- 94, 517-18 Guidelines for dealing with abuse by nonclergy church leaders, 148-50, 527-28 1995 Classical abuse-response teams, 564-65, 673 Guidelines and Procedures for Handling Abuse Allegations Against Church Leaders, 557-64, 565, 672, 781-88 (final version) BOT additions, re Church Order/judicial steps, 767 Guidelines for Ministerial Personnel in Their Interpersonal Relationships, 555-57, 565, 672, 779-81 (final version) 1996 Abuse guidelines, 162, 374-81, 562-72, 634-42 Overtures to revise abuse guidelines, 322-24, 562-63 Study of neglect, emotional abuse, and spiritual abuse requested by synod, 563-64 Overture requesting guidelines re ministers separating under C.O. Articles 14, 16, and 17, 332-33, 578 Overture requesting guidelines re ministers suspended/deposed under C.O. Articles 82-84, 332-33, 579 1997 Abuse guidelines, 195-207, 674-85 Overtures re, 195-207, 466-79, 674-85 1998 Abuse Guidelines, overture to clarify, 238-40, 401 Abuse Committee (See Abuse; Synodical Committee on Abuse Prevention) Abuse-prevention committee (For 1994, see Synodical Committee on Abuse Prevention) 1995 672, 673-74 Report, 178-81, 555-65 Director (new: Ms.