World Alliance of Reformed Churches News Release 17 September 2007
Christian Reformed Church in North America 150th anniversary marked by call for unity
Reformed Christians needn't be so much "stuck to tradition" as to each other in their prophetic mission, a leader of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) said in marking the 150th anniversary of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
In a presentation on Reformed Faith and the Global Church on 14 September at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi congratulated the church on marking 150 years of mission and ministry in a humble, reflective manner.
"Reformed people understand our calling to be prophetic in advocacy, challenging the forces of evil and death and speaking in places where the victims of oppression, injustice and suffering do not have a voice or presence," Nyomi said.
Reformed faith at its core means being critics of structures in church and society which contradict the life-giving message of Jesus Christ, Nyomi told delegates from the United States and Canada attending the Sesquicentennial Conference.
"It is part of the Reformed ethos to be agents of transformation in this way - reforming, criticizing and changing whatever contradicts the fullness of life for which Jesus came."
He added: "In all of these, Reformed people are not stuck to tradition. After all, we are the ones who from the 16th century have held that we are 'ecclesia reformata sed semper reformanda.' As the Reformed church, we continue to be reforming."
The WARC general secretary said that when Reformed churches heal divisions in their own families and commit themselves to engage in mission in unity with other Christians, they are fulfilling an essential Reformed call.
"It is a shame that there are so many divisions within the Christian family - especially within the Reformed family. This shameful tendency calls us as Reformed Christians to engage in some house cleaning within our own family."
Reformed churches around the world are called to engage in God's mission - together. They are called to work for the transformation of the world - together. Part of that mission is clearly being fulfilled.
"Our vocation includes mission and making a difference in the world. The church is therefore called upon to bring the good news to all in our own communities as well as in lands beyond our communities," Nyomi said.
"In many parts of the world Reformed churches are at the heart of health care delivery, education, advocacy for justice, peace, good governance and eradication of poverty. We understand these to be part of our calling.
"Today, a blind spot in our mission engagement is how we do mission in disunited ways. There are countries in which there may be five or six Reformed churches which are not collaborating. This is not a good witness."
Meanwhile churches with more resources are able to control the way mission partnership is undertaken and there are cases where host and immigrant churches are not working together. A true sense of partnership needs to be developed, the WARC leader added.
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The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries - united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC's secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Contact: John P. Asling Executive Secretary, Communications World Alliance of Reformed Churches 150 Route de Ferney P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland tel. +41.22 791 6243 fax: +41.22 791 6505 web: www.warc.ch
More about WARC : http://www.warc.ch/newsreleases/visibility.doc
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