Classis East Report - January 10, 2024
The delegates of the nineteen churches of Classis East of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America met at Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Walker, MI on January 10, 2024. Rev. David Noorman (Southwest PRC), chairman of the September 2023 meeting, led opening devotions by reading 1Thessalonians 5 and opening with prayer. After all of the delegates were seated, Rev. Justin Smidstra (First PRC of Holland, MI) presided as chairman for the rest of the meeting.
Morning Session
After Rev. Smidstra assumed the chair, three elders, who served for the first time at classis, signed the Formula of Subscription. The transcription of the minutes of the September 23, 2023 meeting was approved. The questions of Article 41 of the Church Order were asked and answered. Approval was given to the work of the Stated Clerk, the Classical Committee, and the Church Visitors after they read their reports.
In closed session classis treated a request from a consistory for advice regarding the discipline of a baptized member of their congregation. Classis advised the consistory to erase the baptized member who, not heeding the repeated admonitions of the elders, continues walking in sin.
The chairman appointed five committees of pre-advice and then declared that classis was in recess so that the committees could get to work.
The Hope kitchen committee provided lunch for the delegates.
Afternoon Session
Elder Brad Dykstra (Unity PRC) began the afternoon session by reading Psalm 25:1-5 and opening with prayer.
Now we need to introduce committee one. The chairman appointed Rev. Noorman (Southwest), Rev. J. Holstege (First, Grand Rapids), Rev. Maatman (Southeast) and elders Jon Lubbers (Byron Center), Murray Geertsma (Wingham), and Josh Hoekstra (Hudsonville) to the committee. He tasked the committee with preparing advice in response to seven protests. To read these protests login to the bulletin page on prca.org and open the Classis East file.
The first task of the committee was to provide classis with advice on whether the protests were legally before classis. The committee recommended that classis declare the protests legal. Classis approved the recommendation of the committee. One part of one of the protests regarding how the Stated Clerk made decisions public after the September 2023 meeting was declared not legal. If the protests were declared illegal, committee one’s work would have been concluded. However, since classis declared the protests legal, committee one’s mandate is to provide classis with advice on around 200 pages of material appearing in the agenda!
Before breaking so that committee one could get to work, classis treated advice from committee two regarding an appeal. Serving classis on committee 2 were the Revs. Lee (Kalamazoo), McGeown (Providence), and Decker (Grandville), and Elders Pete VanderSchaaf (Faith), Titus Mahtani (Pittsburgh), and Don Kuiper (Southeast). Committee two was tasked with providing classis with advice regarding a sexual abuse case. Deliberations on the appeal took place in closed session. The appeal asked classis to judge that a consistory erred in judging that the sins of sexual abuse committed in this case were private. The appeal asked that classis judge that the sins “are a public matter.” Committee two recommended that the appeal be declared legal, and classis adopted the recommendation. Therefore, committee two, along with committee one, had more work to do in preparing advice on whether or not classis should sustain the appeal.
Revs. Langerak (Trinity) and Daniel Holstege (Wingham) and Elders Ed Tolsma (Pittsburgh) and Mark Vanden Berg (First, Holland) were appointed to committee three. They were tasked with proposing a schedule appointing the ministers of Classis East to preach for the vacant congregations in the classis—Georgetown, Hudsonville, and Pittsburgh. Classis adopted the schedule they presented and then recessed the rest of the afternoon so the committees could continue to work.
The Hope kitchen committee provided supper for the delegates.
Evening Session
Elder Randy Dykstra (Zion) opened the evening session with prayer.
Committee two recommended that classis sustain the appeal which asked classis to judge that the sins of sexual abuse that were reported “are a public matter.” Classis made a significant decision, that took into account previous decisions of Classis East and West, judging that “the nature of the sin” makes it necessary for “the name of the abuser and the sin” to “be made public to the congregation.” This decision reminds us to pray for victims and survivors of sexual abuse—may they be properly cared for by the church of Jesus Christ; for abusers to be stopped in their way of sin and called to broken-hearted repentance; and for consistories that God grant them His wisdom and strength in responding to abuse.
Committee four was tasked with providing advice on the subsidy requests of needy churches. Revs. Eriks (Unity) and Mahtani (Hope, Walker) and Elders Randy Dykstra (Zion) and Dowie VanderShcaaf (Providence) served on committee four. Classis approved subsidy for Kalamazoo in the amount of $50,000, Pittsburgh in the amount of $37,200 (without a pastor) and $89,700 (with a pastor), and Providence in the amount of $51,000 for 2025. These
decisions will be forwarded to Synod 2024 for its approval.
Election Results
Synodical Delegates for Synod 2024: Primi elders: Rick Gritters (Trinity), Josh Hoekstra (Hudsonville), Steve Kuiper (Southwest), Jon Lubbers (Byron Center), John VanBaren (Hudsonville). Secundi elders: Brad Bruinsma (Grandville), Terry Dykstra (Trinity), Ken Engelsma (Hope), Dave Langerak (Byron Center), Dave Rau (Southwest). Primi Ministers: Revs. Decker, Eriks, Langerak, Mahtani, Spronk. Secundi Ministers: Prof. Dykstra, Revs. D. Holstege, Lee, Noorman, Smidstra.
Synodical Deputies from the east (three-year term): Primi: Rev. Lee; Secundi: Rev. McGeown.
Classical Committee (three-year term): Rev. Lee
Church Visitors for 2024: Prof. Dykstra and Rev. Eriks with the alternates of Revs. Decker, Langerak, and Mahtani.
Recess
Committee one recommended that classis recess until 8:00am on February 8, 2024 so that it could have more time to formulate advice in response to the seven protests. Classis adopted the recommendation, and Rev. Smidstra closed the meeting with prayer. May God be with the members of committee one as they work on advice to present on February 8.
Rev. Clayton Spronk
Stated Clerk, Classis East
Note: For a pdf of this report, use this link.