From April 24 – 26, 2012, the Board of Directors of the World Reformed Fellowship held its annual meeting and, on this occasion, we were especially blessed to be the guests of the Presbyterian Church of Australia whose leaders made it possible for us to stay and to meet at the beautiful Collaroy Centre just north of Sydney.

 

This was one of our most important and most successful meetings ever.  We are still a very young organization and we are just beginning to understand the specific tasks in which we should be involved on behalf of the global evangelical and Reformed community.

 

Significant in moving us forward in this area was the work done with the Board at this meeting by Board member Dr. Davi Gomes, President of Andrew Jumper School of Theology in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Dr. Gomes led the Board through an extended strategic planning exercise which resulted in the Board’s identifying thirteen specific projects on which the WRF would focus its attention during the coming year.  Those projects, along with the specific Board members who are responsible to make the projects happen are as follows:  

 

1) We have made major commitments to follow-up on the Islam Consultation which we organized this past November. Among those commitments are initial negotiations with WRF member theological seminaries in the USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Germany, and South Africa to work toward the creation of Muslim Ministry Resource Centers designed to provide support and training for Reformed and evangelical Christians who are working with Muslims. As a support for this project, we have just published a 52-page booklet which features some of the papers delivered at the 2010 Consultation in Turkey and includes the “Open Letter” to the church written by the Muslim Background Christians at the event.  In early February of 2013, we will host an in-person gathering of the leaders from the 2010 Consultation along with other Christian leaders involved in work  among Muslims.  This meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida, with services and support provided by Reformed Theological Seminary.  Board members Dr. Ric Cannada and Dr. Woody Lajara are leading this initiative.

 

2) We are committed to mobilizing the global evangelical and Reformed church in support of the work that WRF Board member Dr. Diane Langberg is doing in the area of gender violence against women, specifically sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Significant steps have already been taken in this initiative and it is likely that our 2013 WRF Board meeting will be held on the Potchefstroom campus of Northwest University in South Africa (hosted by the Faculty of that University) and that a major conference on sex trafficking will take place either immediately before or immediately after our Board meeting, with our Board members participating.  Joining Dr. Langberg in leading this initiative will be Board member Dr. Craig Higgins.

 

3) Our Theological Commission, under the leadership of Dr. Andrew McGowan, will continue working on a long-term project designed to clarify the meaning of the term “Reformed” both in terms of its essential meaning and in terms of how that meaning should be applied to specific theological and cultural issues.  This initiative was started after one of our member theological education institutions determined that it had to remove the word “Reformed” from its name because that word has such negative connotations in the context where the school is located.  Assisting Dr. McGown with this initiative will be numerous Board members, including Dr. Fergus MacDonald, Professor Pierre Berthoud, Dr. In Whan Kim, Dr. Kin Yip Louie, and Dr. Rob Norris.

 

4) We are joining with the Lausanne Movement and the International Council on Evangelical Theological Education to sponsor and host a major conference on theological education to be held in Massachusetts during the last week of May of 2012. The theme of the conference is "The Changing Role of American Seminaries in Global Theological Education" and participants are coming to the conference from the leading evangelical theological education institutions from all over the world.  Among the WRF Board members participating in and leading this initiative are Dr. Davi Gomes of Brazil, Professor Pierre Berthoud of France, Dr. Benyamin Intan of Indonesia, and Dr. P. J. Buys of South Africa.

 

5) We will continue our work with the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University toward the goal of making all of the digitized work of that Center available free of charge to evangelical seminaries around the world (the WRF member who directs the Center will be attending the conference mentioned immediately above).  WRF Board member Dr. E. Robert Geehan is providing leadership for this project.

 

6) We will work to create global theological education accreditation standards that will be available to all WRF members.  This effort will be coordinated with similar work already done for evangelical theological education institutions by the International Council on Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE). ICETE is joining with the WRF and Lausanne in sponsoring the theological education conference mentioned above and its officers will be present at that meeting, as will Dr. Daniel Aleshire, Executive Director of the Association of Theological Schools (the accrediting agency for seminaries in the United States).  This will provide an excellent opportunity to make significant progress on this project.  Dr. Davi Gomes is the Board member providing leadership of this initiative and he will be joined in this work by Board member Dr. Matthew Ebenezer of India..

 

7) We will continue to work toward the establishment of an evangelical theological seminary in the new country that is South Sudan. Two of our Board members, who met each other through the WRF, have been working on this project for several years and the WRF will now provide organizational support for that work.  Those two Board members are Dr. P. J. Buys and Dr. Rob Norris.

 

8) We will again sponsor "Women in the Word: A Workshop," a program designed specifically to train women to teach the Bible Christocentrically to other women. This will be the fourth year that the WRF has sponsored this ministry in the Philadelphia area and a "daughter workshop" is now being regularly offered in Dallas by "graduates" of the Philadelphia program.  Mrs. Susan Logan, wife of the International Director of the WRF, provides ongoing leadership for this initiative.

 

9) By August 1, we will have submitted to our publisher the final draft of a full-length book manuscript entitled, "How {and Why} to be Missional and Reformed," which features twenty chapters, most of them based on papers delivered at the WRF General Assembly in Edinburgh in 2010.   Most of the materials are already in hand and the editing process is well underway.  Here is the projected Table of Contents for the Volume:

 

Introduction 

 

What Do We Mean by the Word “Missional”? by Sam Logan, Editor

 

Section One – Laying the Foundation

 

Chapter One -  “Crafting a Missional Reformed Theology  for the 21st Century” by Andrew McGowan, Chair of the WRF Theology Commission and Senior Minister of Inverness East Church (Church of Scotland)

 

Chapter Two – “The Book of Romans and the Missional Mandate” by Thomas Schirrmacher, Chair of the WEA Theology Commission and Founder/President of Martin Bucer Theological Seminary

 

Chapter Three – “What’s the Point in Believing and Doing the Right Things: A Missional Approach to Orthodox Belief and Moral Behavior” by Samuel Logan, International Director of the World Reformed Fellowship and President Emeritus of Westminster Theological Seminary

 

Section Two – Building the Church

 

Chapter Four – “Keeping Christ’s Church Faithful” by Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda (Church of England)

 

Chapter Five – “Understanding Denominational Structures Missionally” by Ron Scates, Senior Minister of Highland Park Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Dallas, Texas

 

Chapter Six – “When Schism is NOT Schism: A Missional Approach to Leaving a Denomination” by Rob Norris, Senior Pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland

 

Chapter Seven – “The Missional Unity of the Church” by John Armstrong, Founder and President of ACT 3, a ministry for equipping leaders for unity in Christ's mission. He is former pastor and church-planter, of more than twenty years, and  the author/editor of 12 books, including Your Church is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ's Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church

 

Chapter Eight – “Oneness and Witness: Missional Reflections on the Prayer that Changed the World” by Mark Johnston, Senior Pastor of Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

 

Chapter Nine – “Word and Deed in Missional Worship and Ministry,” by Craig Higgins, Senior Minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA)  in Rye, New York

 

 

Section Three – Reaching the World

 

Chapter Ten – “A Missional Response to Poverty and Social Injustice,” by P. J. Buys, Founder and President Emertius of Mukhanyo Theological College and Associate International Director of the World Reformed Fellowship

 

Chapter Eleven – “A Missional Approach to Urban Ministry, “ by Dr. Timothy Keller, Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York, New York

 

Chapter Twelve – “A Missional Approach to the Health of the City,” by Dr. Susan Post, Executive Director of Esperanza Health Service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

Chapter Thirteen – “A Missional Response to Global Violence Against Women,” by Diane Langberg, Founder of Diane Langberg and Associates and author of On the Threshold of Hope: Opening the Door to Healing for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

 

Chapter Fourteen – “A Missional Response to Child Abuse” by Dr. Basyle Tchividjian, Assistant Professor of Law at Liberty University School of Law, Founder and Executive Director of G.R.A.C.E. (Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environments), and former Assistant State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida

 

Chapter Fifteen – “A Missional Response to the Migrant Church,” by Dr. Elias Medeiros, Harriet Barbour Professor of Missions at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi

 

Chapter Sixteen – “A Missional Approach to Theological Education,” by Dr. Matthew Ebenezer, Professor of Church History at New Theological College in Dehra Dun, India

 

Chapter Seventeen – “A Missional Approach to Secularity – Dogma Meets Diversity,” by Robert Calvert, Senior Minister of Scots International Church, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

 

Chapter Eighteen – “The Missional Challenge of Islam ,” by John Leonard, Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

Chapter Nineteen – “A Missional Understanding of Hidden Believers,” by John Nicholls, Chief Executive Officer of the London City Mission.

 

Chapter Twenty – “A Missional Approach to the Jewish People,” by David Zadok, Director of HeGefen Publishing Company and Israel Field Director of Christian Witness to Israel

 

Chapter Twenty-One – “A Missional Approach to the Gay Community,” by John Freeman, Founder and Executive Director of Harvest USA

 

Conclusion

 

“What a Missional Church Looks Like” by Martin Allen, retired minister of the Church of Scotland and Chairman of the Crieff Fellowship

 

Appendix

 

“The Statement of Faith” of the World Reformed Fellowship

 

10) We will begin work on a community development project led by Board members Flip Buys and Koos Richards of South Africa.  The goal will be to try to create a working model of what a church-based community development plan might look like.  As Chairman of the Board of the Masibambisane Community Development Corporation in South Africa, Dr. Buys has extensive experience with this type of project and it is, in fact, Mr. Richards’s full-time profession.

 

12) The Board heard an extended report from our webmaster, Mr. Chris Perrin, about our website.  There is some reason for encouragement in terms of the amount that the website is being used.  But our site is definitely old and needs to be replaced.  The Board authorized Dr. Logan to work with Mr. Perrin to create a new website, with the goal that the new website would be up and running no later than December 31, 2012.

 

13) Finally (in terms of projects), the WRF Board determined to be particularly energetic in seeking greater cooperative relationships with the following organizations (the names beside each organization are the names of the WRF personnel who will lead the particular efforts):

 

The Lausanne Movement – Ron ScatesThe Fellowship of Presbyterians – Ron ScatesThe International Council on Evangelical Theological Education – Davi Gomes

 

The World Evangelical Alliance – Craig Higgins, Flip Buys, and Sam Logan

 

The Gospel Coalition – Ric Cannada and Sam Logan

 

Obviously, there will be many additional activities sponsored by the WRF both in the United States and around the world.  For example, on Friday night, June 1, the WRF will host a dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Rye, New York, where our guest speaker will be Dr. Christopher Wright, author of much of “The Cape Town Commitment” of the Lausanne Movement and of such major works as The Mission of God and The Mission of God’s People.  Dr. Wright will be addressing the topic – “The Biblical Mandate for Kingdom Partnerships Such as The Lausanne Movement and the World Reformed Fellowship.”

 

In other business, the WRF Board:

 

1.  Elected four new members: Danny Ramirez of Mexico,  Francisco Solano Portela Neto of Brazil,  Rinaldo Januário Lotti Filho of Brazil, Tandean Rustandy of Indonesia, and Koos Richards of South Africa.

 

2.  Determined to accept the generous and gracious invitation of Northwest University in  Potchefstroom, South Africa, to hold our 2013 Board meeting in that location at a time convenient to the university between October 15 and November 15, 2013.

 

3.  Received invitations from Brazil, Indonesia, and South Korea to hold our 2014 General Assembly in those locations and referred this matter to our Associate International Director, Dr. Flip Buys, with instructions to bring a recommendation to our Executive Committee no later than November 1, 2012.

 

4.  Received and approved a leadership transition plan presented by Dr. Samuel Logan and Dr. Flip Buys.  According to this plan, Dr. Logan will step down as International Director no later than the end of the 2014 General Assembly and, at that time, Dr. Buys will assume the role.  Dr. Logan will continue to serve the WRF for the next four years and Dr. Buys will serve as International Director for those same four years.  No later than the 2014 General Assembly, the Board will establish a Search Committee which will be charged to identify a long-term International Director who will begin service after the 2018 General Assembly.

 

5.  Elected the following officers to serve until the next meeting of the Board:

 

Chairman – Dr. Rick Perrin

Vice-Chairman – Dr. Ric Cannada

Secretary – Mr. Phil Petronis

Treasurer – Dr. Tito Lajara

 

6. Reaffirmed the role of Board members Rick Perrin, Davi Gomes, and Phil Petronis as the Committee on the Board and the International Director.

 

Finally in terms of this report but first in terms of priority, the Board spent time in worship and prayer.  We thank the Lord for the privilege He has given us to serve our membership – 60 denominations, 74 congregations, 125 organizations, and 576 individuals, as well as those whom such members themselves serve.  We seek the Lord’s guidance as we undertake the work listed above.  And we covet the continued support of our members in that work.