wfn.org | A significant moment for reconciliation of Reformed church groups

[George Conklin <gconklin@igc.org>]

> World Alliance of Reformed Churches
> News Release
> 9 October 2008

A significant moment for reconciliation of Reformed church groups

The creation of the 80 million-member World Communion of
Reformed Churches (WCRC) marks an opportunity â??to reinvigorate
Reformed witnessâ?? in a fractured world, says one of the
architects of the union.

â??We are at a very significant moment to witness to the
reconciliation we find in Christ,â?? said Clifton Kirkpatrick,
president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC),
which will unite with the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) in
June 2010.

Kirkpatrickâ??s comments came Wednesday in the midst of the
first meeting of the governing bodies of the uniting
organizations taking place at Utrecht  from 6 to 10 October. The
WARC Officers and the REC Executive Committee are meeting to
finalize a draft constitution, by-laws, staffing, structure and
logo for WCRC.

â??This is not a merger or a takeover but the creation of
something new,â?? added Peter Borgdorff, president of REC. â??I
am very excited that this has come about. At its core, Reformed
history is a history of separation. This is a global witness that
emphasizes the better and more excellent way.â??

The Utrecht meeting is being hosted by the Protestant Church in
the Netherlands, which was created in a merger in 2004 of the
Netherlands Reformed Church, Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the
Netherlands. WARC and REC leaders have praised the Netherlands
union as one of the inspirations behind the creation of WCRC.

Arjan Plaisiers, general secretary of the Protestant Church in
the Netherlands, said that as inheritors of a common legacy,
Reformed Protestants are not called to merely make space for
ecumenical bodies but to respond to Christâ??s call to unity.

â??We need each other for a common witness and so I am very
happy that this union is taking place. And we are very proud to
host it,â?? Plaisiers said at a news conference.

Earlier in the week Arenda Maasnoot, the vice-moderator of the
Netherlands church, warmly welcomed the two governing bodies,
with hopes that the meeting would offer a strong foundation for
the new organization.

â??The World Communion of Reformed Churches will be an important
body in promoting the Reformed heritage throughout the worldâ??,
she added.

At the outset of the meeting WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi
said he was excited by the
union process which will offer the Reformed family an
opportunity to show to a broken world that the church can heal
some of its divisions. â??This is a major contribution to
Christian unity.â??

Added REC general secretary Richard van Houten, â??I am
encouraged by this work of bringing together two important
Reformed organizations.â??

WCRC will represent 80 million Reformed Christians around the
world. WARC has 75 million members in 214 churches in 107
countries. REC has 12 million members in 41 churches in 25
countries.

The uniting General Council for WCRC will meet in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, in June 2010 under the theme, â??Unity of the Spirit in
the Bond of Peace. â??

> ***

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