Three Study Committee Reports Available

Each year at this time, CRC councils and pastors are informed about synodical study committee reports to be considered by the upcoming synod that are available for study.

Making significant reports available by Nov. 1 provides time for churches to study the reports and, if desired, formally respond prior to synod meeting in June.

Three such reports are now ready for consideration: Committee to Provide Pastoral Guidance re Same-sex Marriage (a majority and a minority report); Committee to Study Religious Persecution and Liberty, and Doctrine of Discovery Task Force.

Links to these reports provide easy access. In addition, the reports can be downloaded from the Synod Resources web page.

You may also request a printed copy of the reports if you are unable to download or print the documents. To order (limit one copy each per church), contact Faith Alive Christian Resources at 1-800-333-8300 or www.faithaliveresources.org.

The reports also will be included in the printed Agenda for Synod 2016.

Councils are invited and strongly encouraged to read and carefully study these reports.

If a council wishes to respond to one or more of the reports and have their response considered by Synod 2016, they may do so by way of overture or communication to synod.

An overture or communication must first be processed through your council and then the classis, after which it should be submitted to the Synodical Services Office — no later than March 15, 2016 — to be included in the printed Agenda for Synod.

Late overtures dealing with other matters found in the printed synodical agenda may be considered by synod; however, late overtures will only be printed in the supplementary agenda and distributed at synod.

Dr. Steven Timmermans, executive director of the CRC, said in announcing the availability of the study committee reports: “The reports of the Committee to Provide Pastoral Guidance re Same-sex Marriage; the Committee to Study Religious Persecution and Liberty, and the Doctrine of Discovery Task Force address significant matters for the church as a whole, providing the opportunity to reflect on the times in which we now live and worship together. We ask the Lord’s blessing on our deliberations as we consider these matters together.”