Classis Grand Rapids November Update
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Classis Grand Rapids November Update
Reverend's Tyler Wagenmaker and Cedric Parsels
Classis Grand Rapids East (GRE) met in the evening on Nov 30th to discuss matters pertaining to the responses to Synod 2023 and the Christian Reformed Church. Rev’s Tyler Wagenemaker and Cedric Parsels attended to learn about their process and decisions.
Tyler and Cedric were seated among the visitors at the classis gathering howerver they were not able to stay for duration of the meeting. Representatives of Classis GRE asked them to leave.
Here is their video update discussing Classis GRE and the CRCNA.
Well, this isn't good. I'm afraid some misunderstandings have occurred and are causing greater feelings of suspicion and distrust to build up among the different sects that are forming in the CRC. I'll attempt to clear them up here in 4 posts - as one who’s been in direct contact with a few of those serving on the GRE steering committee. Also PLEASE, DO NOT DELETE THESE COMMENTS. Cedric and Tyler expressed in their video that they wished they’d been able to sit in on the meeting because it would’ve allowed them to have a richer and more nuanced conversation about GRE. I’m trying to provide insights here that may help with that.
1. The GRE meeting that was held on November 30 was not set up to be like a regular Classis meeting with a time of worship and prayer at the beginning. The meeting was indeed an informational meeting, but the executive team decided several weeks in advance that it should take the form of a closed session right from the get go. Consequently, the informational meeting was actually advertised as a closed session in the official emails sent a week or so prior to the meeting date to churches and persons that were formally invited to participate in the meeting. Any visitors who were able to sit in were those who received explicit permission at least a couple of days before the meeting. Perhaps this meeting arrangement could've been communicated more clearly to those further out of the loop. Unfortunately, it was not.
2. The information shared in the meeting (including the report) will be made public at a later date. The committee just needs to figure out which channels will be most effective for its distribution and other small logistic details first. In other words, there will be transparency of what was discussed.
3. Many churches (and people) from GRE are indeed going through the various stages of grief - with some churches (and people) on different stages than others. And as one experienced in the field of social work and psychology, I can speak on this in depth (and I do in Post 2, as I think it’s incredibly important that you understand the dynamics at play in GRE as fully as possible).
I thought we were "better together" and "all one body". What happened to "celebrating diversity" and "all are welcome" as mantras for progressive Christianity?