Calvin Institute of Christian Worship - Christian Reformed Church

Article 30

II. Profession of faith forms for younger children

A. Material: Report 3, pp. 49-50

B. Background
Synod 1989 commended the Worship Committee's report to the churches for study and response. Initial feedback from the churches was sparse. Reactions to the report were then solicited by CRC Publications Board members who, in the fall of 1990, asked pastors to respond to a short questionnaire. The questionnaire asked if the pastor had used either the guidelines and/ or the trial form. The answers were as follows:

U.S.A. - yes: 37 - no: 146
Canada - yes: 1 - no: 54
Total responses: 238

The following observations may be made on these statistics:

1. The report may not be sufficiently known -- it is "buried" in the Agenda for Synod 1989.

2. While some congregations have begun to encourage younger professions of faith, other congregations may need a much, much longer time to alter their customary patterns.

Much more profitable than these numerical results of the questionnaire were the written comments and suggestions about the guidelines and the trial form. The committee will be analyzing these suggestions during the coming months.

C. Recommendation

That synod extend until November 1, 1991, the time allotted for the churches to react to the Worship Committee's report, its guidelines, and new form approved for trial use.

Ground: As yet relatively few reactions have been received.

Report 3

3) Revision of the forms for public profession of faith
As a result of its decision in 1988 regarding participation of younger children in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, synod requested the CRC Worship Committee "to review the forms for public profession of faith in the light of these declarations. . . ."

The Worship Committee reported on this assignment in 1989 by, among other things,

(a) recommending five guidelines for encouraging and implement¬ing younger professions of faith,
(b) offering a trial form for the public profession of faith by children,
(c) continuing its study with a view to presenting a final report to Synod 1991.

(Agenda for Synod 1989, pp. 63-68)

Responses to the 1989 Worship Committee report:

Synod 1989 commended the Worship Committee's report to the churches for study and response. Initial feedback from the churches was sparse. Reactions to the report were then solicited by CRC Publications Board members who, in the fall of 1990, asked pastors to respond to a short questionnaire. The questionnaire asked if the pastor had used either the guidelines and/ or the trial form. The answers were as follows:

U.S.A. - yes: 37 - no: 146
Canada - yes:1 - no: 54 A

Total responses: 238

The following observations may be made on these statistics:

(a) the report may not be sufficiently known-it is "buried" in the Agenda for Synod 1989;
(b) while some congregations have begun to encourage younger professions of faith, other congregations may need a much, much longer time to alter their customary patterns.

Recommendation:
The board requests that synod extend the time allotted for the churches to react to the Worship Committee's report, its guidelines, and new form approved for trial use until November 1, 1991.

Ground: As yet relatively few reactions have been received.

The Worship Committee will continue to work on the forms for profession of faith and will plan to develop a final report for consideration by the board and Synod 1992.

Overture 78: Clarify the Requirement for Public Profession of Faith by Covenant Children

Background
Synod 1988 provided a framework for congregations to include covenant children in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Synod dealt with the majority and minority reports of the committee studying the issue of covenant children partaking of the Lord's Supper (Report 26, Agenda for Synod 1988) by declaring that

a. "The church is warranted in admitting to the Lord's Supper covenant children who give evidence of faith and are able to discern the body and remember and proclaim the death of Jesus in celebrating the Lord's Supper."

b. "The church is to assure itself of such faith through a public profession of faith on the part of covenant children."

c. "Covenant children should be encouraged to make public profession of faith as soon as they exhibit faith and are able to discern the body and remember and proclaim the death of Jesus in celebrating the Lord's Supper."

(Acts of Synod 1988, Art. 72, pp. 558-59)

Synod also directed the denominational Worship Committee "to review the forms of public profession of faith" (Acts of Synod 1988, p. 560). In 1989 the Worship Committee presented both Preparatory Guidelines -- including suggestions for special classes for these children -- and a Trial Form for Public Profession of Faith for Children (Agenda for Synod 1989, pp. 63-68).

Serious consideration has led Classis Alberta North to conclude that the proposed framework presents difficulties to churches wishing to implement synod's decision. These difficulties arise first of all from ambiguity over the term "public profession of faith." It is our conviction that an examination of the mechanisms we have used to assure ourselves of the faith of late-adolescent and adult Christians is required, to see whether they are appropriate for the younger believers in Christ who will now be professing their faith and participating in the Lord’s Supper.

Overture
Classis Alberta North overtures synod to clarify the requirement for public profession of faith by covenant children by declaring,
The church should provide ways for covenant children to profess their faith consistent with their individual stages of physical, intellectual, emotional, and faith development, and the church should distinguish these professions of faith from a late-adolescent/adult reaffirmation of faith.

Grounds:

1. Stages of faith development
Christian scholars working in developmental and educational psychology have contributed greatly to our understanding of how children of different ages express awareness of themselves, their relationships with others, their sense of the meaning of life, and their faith in God. Although each child is a unique creature of God, with individual differences, it seems apparent that most young children are capable of "giving evidence of faith" and "discerning the body and remembering and proclaiming the death of Jesus in celebrating the Lord's Supper" long before they are ready to stand up in front of the congregation and respond to prescribed questions from a liturgical form. For some children, at certain stages, use of liturgical forms in a congregational setting may be entirely appropriate. There are, however, other approaches consistent with the individual stages of physical, emotional, and faith development that a diligent consistory, in cooperation with parents, could use to assure itself of the faith of young believers.

2. Importance of ongoing public professions of faith
Public profession of faith in Christ as Savior and Lord should not be seen as a static, one-time event that can be standardized for all believers of all ages. Encouraging young children continually to express their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior in ways consistent with their development will nourish their faith and foster a feeling of belonging to the church. This will facilitate their public profession of faith when they are ready to do so.

3. Nurturing character of the sacrament of Communion
The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is itself a means of grace that nurtures faith and provides a meaningful and significant way to declare one's faith publicly. Therefore, participation by covenant children in this sacrament is meaningful both for the continuing public profession of their faith and as an essential means of nurturing it.

4. Ambiguity of terms
The requirement for "a public profession of faith" (Acts of Synod 1988, Art. 72, pp. 558-59) as a prerequisite for participation in the Lord's Supper is problematic, since the meaning of the term is ambiguous. The condition for participation stated by Synod 1988 was that children must "give evidence of faith" and "be able to discern the body and remember and proclaim the death of Jesus in celebrating the Lord's Supper" (Acts of Synod 1988, Art. 72, p. 558). Young covenant children who meet this requirement are presently excluded from participation in the Lord's Supper in some churches because "a public profession of faith" has been understood exclusively as a formal adult or late-adolescent ceremony in front of the entire congregation with use of approved liturgical forms. The CRC Worship Committee points out that the historical understanding of "public profession of faith" in fact implies much more than profession of faith in Christ as Lord and Savior and includes four confessions, namely, of

a. personal faith in Christ as Savior and Lord;
b. affirmation of the baptism promises and vows;
c. belief in the Bible and loyalty to the church's doctrine; and
d. commitment to the authority and ministries of the church.
(Agenda for Synod 1989, p. 65)

Since a principled decision has been made to include young covenant children in this vital sacrament of the church, traditional mechanisms designed to assure the faith of late-adolescent or adult believers need to be evaluated for their appropriateness to younger believers.

5. Exclusive use of forms is too restrictive.
The CRC Worship Committee provides much helpful background material in its report to synod (Agenda for Synod 1989, pp. 63-68). The committee stresses the need for developing mechanisms to facilitate the profession of faith consistent with the development of an individual child. Yet the committee seems to be working with too restrictive a notion of how that faith can appropriately be professed, since there seems to be an operative guideline that “a form" must be developed that will serve the purpose for children of different ages. A variety of forms for younger children should certainly be developed, but these should not be seen as the only suitable mechanisms for enabling the profession of faith by young children.

6. Formal late-adolescent/adult reaffirmation of faith should be retained.
The suggested change to encourage other appropriate mechanisms for profession of faith will give the churches room to admit covenant children to the Lord's Supper in more creative and, for the children, less threatening ways. However, the church should continue to require a late-adolescent or adult reaffirmation of faith as a significant rite of passage to mature acceptance of the obligations of Christian discipleship, with all of its implications for responsibilities to the church and denomination.

Classis Alberta North
Nicholas B. Knoppers, stated clerk

Article 102

I. CRC Publications (continued) (recommitted Recommendation 11 re Overture 78: Clarify Requirement for Public Profession of Faith by Covenant Children)

A. Material: Report 2-A

B. Recommendations (continued)

11, a. That synod appoint a study committee to clarify the requirement of public profession of faith for admission to the Lord's Supper on the part of younger covenant children.

Grounds:

1. The implementation of the 1988 decision (covenant children partaking of the Lord's Supper) has confronted our churches with' numerous practical difficulties. For example,

- The traditional public profession of faith made at the age of discernment is no longer required. When does a full member commit him/herself to the confessions of the church, to sharing faithfully in the life of the church, to the authority of the church?

- It leads to three classes of members: baptized members, confessing members without full rights, confessing members with full rights. - Peer pressure leads some younger members to profess their faith with little reflection.

- Appearing before council or the congregation is frightening to many younger members.

- What should be expected as "evidence of faith" from a five-year-old, a seven-year-old, a ten-year-old? '

- Does the statement "1 love Jesus, and I believe that he died for me" give evidence of "discerning the body"? Does I Corinthians 11 require a more theological explanation of who Jesus is?

- Is a covenant child ever too young to take part in the Lord's Supper?

- Where do we record for membership a ten-year-old admitted to the table? Under baptized or confessing members?

- Public profession of faith was required for coming to the table before the 1988 decision and after. There is confusion in the churches. Has anything changed?

2. The clarification of the requirement for public profession of faith by younger members raises significant theological issues concerning the basis of participation in the Lord's Supper (the covenant or personal confession, for instance), which neither, this committee nor synod is able to address properly at this time.

-Adopted

11, b. That Recommendation 11, a be synod's answer to Overture 78.

-Adopted