LGBTQ+, divorced, single, abused, and addicted individuals) as we struggle to live out our call to love God and love our neighbors, and that synod receive the report for information, but not adopt it, and not accede to Recommendations C and D, regarding confessional status and Church Order Article 69-c. A Spiritual Court of First Instance functions within the Archdiocesan District and within each Metropolis. His pheme, however, shall not include hypertimia (supreme honor) and exarchia (exarchy). a. The Court decrees the measures of correction and healing as provided by the Holy Canons and Tradition of the Orthodox Church. d. Specific Regulations shall set forth the composition, functioning, jurisdiction, and convening of the Local Council. However, in the event of a conflict between this Charter and any such regulations, the provisions of this Charter shall prevail. Synod 2022 Documents | Synod | Christian Reformed Church Among them, 54 of . This Supplement also states that every classis shall respect the prerogative of its constituent churches to call and ordain officebearers according to their own biblical convictions. This is based on the CRC position that allows for two different perspectives on this issue, both considered valid interpretations of Scripture. There are three sections that we are unable to completely endorse. The list becomes definitive after its ratification by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and is then officially published by the Archdiocese. Officebearers who are placed under special discipline and have had the privileges and duties of their office suspended would typically not be delegates to the broader assemblies, and persons who have been deposed from office would not be eligible to serve as delegates, since the assemblies are made up of officebearers. If they have been baptized, they could join as baptized members or they could make public profession of faith and become confessing members. These Metropolises, which also are incorporated, are (according to the order of the English alphabet) the following: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, New Jersey, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. The assumption is that the officebearer submitting the gravamen and the council would have a conversation that results in more information and clarification being offered to the officebearer. b. a. Archdiocesan Clergy-Laity Congresses (Congress) are convened at least triennially and presided over by the Archbishop. 30. b. This version was approved by Synod 2011 of the Christian Reformed Church. However, the unreduced benefit is payable at normal retirement age (age 66). The decision has been made by the council and is not up for consideration by the classis. 59-b). The membership of the Archdiocesan Council is comprised of the Archbishop as President, the Metropolitans and Auxiliary Bishops, and representatives of the clergy and laity from the Parishes of the Archdiocesan District and of each Metropolis. Members who leave the CRC without requesting a transfer or a membership statement to bring to another church may be lapsed after two years, following the provisions of Church Order Article 67 and its Supplement. Photios of Heracleia All rights reserved. a. a. It is a matter for the consistory (elders) to decide what, if any, steps should be taken next. The Local Council shall meet in regular session at least semi-annually and in special session as often as the local Hierarch deems necessary. All rights reserved. In the case of women in office, Church Order Supplement, Article 3 states that churches are allowed--but not required--to ordain women to all of the offices. As mentioned above, individuals who are being nominated for office should indicate immediately that they would sign the Covenant for Officebearers but with a reservation, naming their difficulty. Immediately following a vacancy in the See of a Metropolis, but no later than forty (40) days thereafter, the Archbishop convenes the Eparchial Synod in a timely fashion, for the purpose of nominating, after soliciting the opinion of the members of the Archdiocesan Council, three persons, out of whom one shall be elected to fill the vacancy of the Metropolis. Article 16 If a council accepts a confessional-difficulty gravamen, it does not have to say anything to classis. c. - Regulations hereafter promulgated by the Eparchial Synod and approved by the Ecumenical Patriarchate shall govern its manner of operation. How do churches affiliate with the CRC? b. Except for dogmatic or canonical issues, the local Assemblies are concerned with matters affecting the life and growth of the Archdiocesan District or the Metropolises, as may be applicable, and the unity thereof. All Regulations pertaining to the implementation of this Charter shall be in conformity with the Holy Canons, Sacred Tradition and long existing life and practice of the Holy Orthodox Church, as developed in the framework of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and in conformity with the letter and the spirit of this Charter. Represents the Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate in their dealings with all ecclesiastical and civil authorities in the United States of America. Such a request shall be honored only if sufficient and new grounds for reconsideration are presented (Church Order Ar. b. This year [2016], a synodically-appointed Committee to Provide Pastoral Guidance re: Same-sex Marriage has submitted their report for consideration at Synod 2016. b. If the council is not able to judge the gravamen submitted to it, it shall submit the matter to classis for examination and judgment (Supplement, Art. In every regular meeting and in consultation with the Archdiocesan Council, the Eparchial Synod reviews and modifies, through additions and deletions, the list of those eligible for the office of Metropolitan. The Orthodox Christian Faith proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Apostles, and the tradition and life of the living Church worldwide through worship, communion, witness, and service. b. Use the links below to find PDF copies of all Minutes, Acts, and Agendas from 1857 to the present. To be a member of the Eparchial Synod and participate in its work, forwarding to the Archbishop an annual report regarding the progress of the work of his Metropolis. January 25, 2017 To ordain deacons and priests for his Metropolis, following his submission of their candidacy to the Eparchial Synod and the Eparchial Synods approval. The confessional difficulty gravamen is a "personal request for information and/or clarification of the confession." a. If the officebearer was satisfied that his/her belief was not really in conflict with the confession, the gravamen could be withdrawn. 13-b). After its conclusion, Francis is expected to issue a document considering the proposals that have been put to him by the delegates. In his capacity as Archbishop, as President of the Eparchial Synod and as Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, among other rights and responsibilities, the Archbishop: Article 7 But if the gravamen is not accepted and the officebearer is put under special discipline, then the council is obligated to inform the employer prior to taking any action that would affect the persons employment or ordination status (see Supplement, Art. The advisory final document at the end of the process in 2024 will be voted on by synod assembly participants and presented to . Referenced Documents - CRCNA's Human Sexuality Report - Calvin University The Eparchial Synod may also be especially called at the request of the Archbishop or of a majority of its members, with the agenda topics specified. In the year of our Lord 2003, on the 18th day of the month of January, The Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew declares, Chrysostom of Ephesus A confessional-difficulty gravamen is not open to discussion in the congregation. At the 2022 synod, delegates voted to instruct Neland Avenue CRC, a congregation within Grand Rapids East, to remove from office a deacon it had appointed in 2020. (24 pages), "The present discussion of marriage guidelines has its roots in an overture sent to the Synod of 1971 by Classis Toronto. What did Synod 2022 say has confessional status? 6. This interim report (or summary) is an account of the committees activities and initial conclusions to dialogue with and provide feedback to the committee. It contains "(1) a tentative preamble to the report, (2) a tentative summary of a biblical theology of human sexuality, (3) a description of our tentative plans for the final report, and (4) a copy of the Great Lakes Catechism on Marriage and Sexuality. The proposed defrocking can only be determined by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The initial placement of a clergyman is made by the Archbishop in consultation with the Metropolitan in whose Metropolis the clergyman will be placed. The council can then decide whether the person can stand for election or not. a. With the women-in-office matter, the CRC allowed for different practices among the churches. The office of the General Secretary has gathered and worked with Church Order experts to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions. The Network has hundreds of resources from CRC ministries and churches. Instead, synods decision was quite specific: That synod affirm that unchastity in the Heidelberg Catechism Q. and A. c. - The Direct Archdiocesan District and each Metropolis, being incorporated and recognized by civil law, are administered by their respective hierarch according to the Holy Canons, the Ecclesiastical Regulations, and the provisions of this Charter . The resources below provide much ofthe history and record of the CRC Synods. Documents referenced to within the Human Sexuality Report . Supporting Documents - CRCNA's Human Sexuality Report - Hekman Library which are settled and binding matters with confessional authority. e. Those fulfilling the above conditions are candidates and are included in the list of eligible candidates regardless of the place of residence during the time of the election. Apostolos of Moschonissia This includes ministers of the Word, elders, deacons, and commissioned pastors. All confessing members should abide by this synodical pronouncement, even if they respectfully disagree with it. c. The transfer of clergy between Metropolises (or between the Archdiocesan District and a Metropolis) is the right of the Hierarchs involved who will effectuate all transfers according to the ecclesiastical regulations in force. Among the rights and responsibilities of each Metropolitan are the following: c. During the periods between meetings of the Eparchial Synod, the Archbishop having received to this end its authorization of the Eparchial Synod, issues the ordination permit as well as the permit to the Metropolitans of the indivisible Archdiocese of America for their canonical (annual) or extraordinary absence outside the United States. Unless otherwise noted, all content 2023 Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). Therefore, this interpretation has confessional status., Persons who are required to affirm the doctrine of the church, as contained in the creeds and Reformed confessions, are also required to affirm those interpretations of the confessions that synod adopts, including this statement. 29. c .- The Archdiocese serves as a beacon, carrier and witness of the message of Christ to all persons who live in the United States of America, through Divine Worship, preaching, teaching and living the Orthodox Christian faith. We recognize that for most, if not all of you, your interest in these church order matters is not theoretical. https://library.calvin.edu/CRC-SexualityReport, The Nature and Extent of Biblical Authority (1972), Committee to Study Homosexuality Report (1973), Marriage Guidelines - Acts of Synod (1980), Committee to Give Direction about and for Pastoral Care for Homosexual Members (2002), Creation Stewardship Task Force report (2012), A Letter to Madison Church: Same-Sex Attraction - David Beelen (2015), Classis Grand Rapids East Study Report on Biblical and Theological Support Currently Offered by Christian Proponents of Same-Sex Marriage (2016), Acts and Proceedings of the 211th Regular Session of the General Synod, Reformed Church in America (2017), Research The text covers hot-button issues such as women deacons and priestly celibacy and signals the beginning of a new phase of the Synod on Synodality. The 1973 report focuses mainly on the biblical teaching regarding homosexuality. - The Eparchial Synod has all of the authority and responsibility that the Holy Canons and this Charter ascribe to the Eparchial Synod. "The biblical and theological basis for the CRCs official position on same-sex marriage comes from a report to Synod 1973. Meet with Neland Avenue CRC to oversee its compliance to synods rulings. As such, they are ecclesiastical institutions, functioning under the direct canonical jurisdiction and supervision of the Hierarch in whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction they are located.