Update on Synod Bunbury — Week 1
The first week of FRCA Synod 2018 is now over. The assembly will continue meeting on Monday and will probably go until at least Tuesday evening, if not Wednesday. Besides the headline decision of terminating the relationship with the RCN, a few other noteworthy decisions were made. At this time I will simply draw them to your attention and add no comment of my own. You can find the approved and published acts online here for more details.
- In one of its first decisions, Synod decided to make the Acts more readable by having a summary of all material relating to decisions made.
- There will be a new deputyship (committee) for the official FRCA website. They are mandated to produce a revamped FRCA website which will include news items from the churches.
- Synod decided to proceed with investigating ecumenical relations with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Southern Presbyterian Church.
- The Deputies for Canadian Reformed Churches have received a mandate which will include monitoring “developments within the CanRC in relation to Blessings Christian Church in line with the questions expressed in the deputies report.” For more information, that deputies report can be found online here.
- Synod decided to proceed with an Australian Book of Praise, based on the 2014 CanRC Book of Praise (with adopted FRCA changes to creeds, confessions, and liturgical forms), using the ESV, and including the 19 extra hymns.
- With regard to the URCNA, it was decided: “To continue to liaise with the URCNA and to recommend to Synod 2021 whether to proceed in establishing a sister church relationship.”
Decisions still need to be made on a variety of other important items including: ICRC (whether or not we send observers), appeals regarding the decision to establish a sister-church relationship with the RCNZ, and the question or whether the FRCA will move towards their own seminary. Stay tuned…
