Returning Church kept the CRC from splitting, Part 1

Why what should have happened didn't—and won't

When there’s trouble in the CRC, people on the right leave in institutional ways, while people on the left leave in individual ways.

In 2022, right before Synod discussed the HSR, I wrote:

When the right leaves, they are more likely to do so in institutional ways.

Example: First CRC of Ripon is more likely to leave the denomination in opposition to the left, but Neland Avenue CRC hasn’t left the denomination in opposition to the right.

When the left leaves, they are more likely to do so in individual ways.

Example: After Marchiene Rienstra, the first woman who received her M.Div. from Calvin Seminary, was denied candidacy by synod in 1979, she—not The Church of the Servant CRC, which appealed to synod on her behalf—left the denomination.

Paul VanderKlay uses the phrase “leak left and split right” to describe this phenomenon. He wrote on Twitter last year:

“What neither side was paying attention to was the fact that the composition of the church was slowly changing. Generally speaking churches leak left and split right in American culture.”

There’s a clear pattern to the ways the right has split in the CRC. Since the 1950s, people on the right have left to affiliate with already-existing denominations.

• Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC)

• Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)

• Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP)

• Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS)

• Protestant Reformed (PRC)

• Canadian Reformed Church (CRC)

However, there were three well-known rightward-leaning, explicitly institutional splits from the CRC during the 1980s and 1990s:

• Orthodox Christian Reformed Church in North America (OCRCNA), formed in 1988

• Independent Reformed Churches (IRC), formed in the early 1980s

• United Reformed Church (URC), formed in 1996

In all three cases, these new denominations (or federations) were formed from former CRCs or blocs of individuals from existing CRCs who left in response to a perceived leftward drift on the position of women holding church office, among other things.

I’ll offer two examples to illustrate how this happened: Dutton CRC just southeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Third CRC in Lynden, Washington.

• Dutton CRC: After Synod 1984 opened the office of deacon to women, the consistory of Dutton CRC formed an alliance with two other churches “in calling for a Consistorial Conference to form a united voice of opposition and formulate a plan of action going forward.” Meanwhile, in 1985, “ a number of concerned laymen (many of whom were from Dutton) came together to form the ‘Concerned Members of the CRC’ with chapters organized throughout the Midwest.” By 1990s, this had become the Christian Reformed Alliance, renamed Alliance of Reformed Churches in 1992, which later evolved into the URC. Also in 1990, Synod opened all ecclesiastical offices to women, and after Synod 1992 ratified this decision, Dutton CRC left the denomination on August 17 that year. Dutton remained an independent congregation for seven years before joining the United Reformed Church.

• Third CRC, Lynden: When Synod 1995 opened all church offices to women, a few dozen families left Third CRC (the church I grew up in), and joined with a few dozen other families in Lynden to form what became, on March 21, 1997, the Lynden United Reformed Church.

In both cases—Dutton and Lynden—the exodus happened mostly at an institutional level. It didn’t happen quickly (such is the nature of institutions). It took Dutton seven years(!) to join the URC and it took the bloc of families from the Lynden CRCs two years—but in neither case did the split involve families quietly leaving for other churches and other denominations, even though in both cases, more conservative denominations were already present in communities.

Before we move on to the Returning Church, let’s review: during the postwar decades and especially during the 1980s and 1990s, there were regular institutional splits to the right from the CRC.

Why did these splits stop?

To be sure—they didn’t entirely. As recently as 2022, First CRC in Ripon, California left the denomination. But what makes First CRC Ripon’s departure noteworthy is its infrequency. It got a Banner article, while most of the 1990s disaffiliations didn’t.

This brings us to the Returning Church.

After 1995, the next major debate over women in office in the CRC came in the years leading up to 2006, when Synod allowed for women to be seated as delegates (I sat in the galley—exciting times!). As in previous decades, this provoked an organized response, the Returning Church:

During CRCNA Synod 2006 several pastors, elders and other members met to discuss where the denomination was headed and what could be done. From those meeting six pastors in West Michigan began meeting to discuss how to handle this in their own congregations and ministries. (source)

On September 11, 2006—less than three months after Synod—the group held a conference that included a sermon by Joel Nederhood on Jeremiah 6:16, which challenged the group to “resist the powerful idolatry of this world and return, not to the traditions of 30-40 years ago, but the “ancient paths” of God’s Word.” The Christian Reformed Church, he said, needed to be a “Returning Church,” and a name for the movement was born.

A document was distributed at the September 11, 2006 meeting, which I’ll quote in full, since the only source I could find is a very old site that seems like it could 404 at any moment. I’ll highlight some key phrases:

As many other denominations, the Christian Reformed denomination has gone through difficult times the last decades. Many individuals, families and pastors who were long part of the denomination have left for other churches and some have formed another denomination.

Those who remain within the denomination are saddened by polarization, by a sense of unease and by the threat of further membership losses. On a deeper level, there are many who feel that the denomination no longer benefits from careful attention to the Scriptures and an enthusiastic recognition of the value of its confessional treasure. Discussion of serious ecclesiastical issues often occurs with little reference to the Bible and the confessions.

This evening’s meeting is the beginning of an exploration of ways that the Lord may be pleased to use to bring renewal to our denomination. We have considered and have rejected the option of leaving this denomination for three reasons: (1) We believe the denomination has many members and churches that are dedicated to God’s Word and who value the confessions. (2) We believe that other denominations have problems as well. And (3) we feel that God is calling us to exercise our faith and use our spiritual energy to bring about renewal in the Christian Reformed Church.

We are dedicated to revitalizing local Christian Reformed churches so that the power of Scripture will be the primary influence within them. We are dedicated to the catechetical instruction of our children that reflects the continuing importance of the Reformation tradition. And we are dedicated to evangelism and missions built on biblical principles.

We view what has occurred in the denomination thus far as events God is using to teach all of us, regardless of our convictions with regard to various issues. Many of the differences among us are the result of men and women of faith who are, with the best of intentions, seeking to respond to our complex and dynamic age. We respect all members of this denomination and expect to be respected as well.

Those of us who meet this evening share the conviction that the Christian Reformed denomination is now compromised by a failure to live in obedience to the biblical message. We believe that our churches and our denomination must return to the Scriptures. Failure to do so will further estrange us from our holy Master and from his Holy Spirit.

We pray for the presence of Christ’s Spirit as we seek God’s leading. On this evening, there is no program, no agenda, no specific plan presented for approval. But we believe that as we respond to the conviction that something must be done to bring renewal to the Christian Reformed denomination, God will show us the way to greater faithfulness, to greater service, and to greater participation in the great work God is doing in the world at this hour. We wait his leading.

At first glance, this looks like history repeating itself: Synod makes a decision conservatives don’t like; the conservatives organize, first informally, then formally; the group eventually splits from the CRC. Just as the OCRCNA and IRC split in the 80s and the URC split in the 90s, the Returning Church should have split in the 00s to form its own denomination.

But it didn’t. It stayed.

If churches “leak left and split right,” why didn’t the formation of the Returning Church cause a split? And, more importantly, why hasn’t a major rightward split occurred since?

I’ll attempt to answer this question in tomorrow’s email.