DeDuitseDominee schreef:Yes, Bert, I know the pastor well. So far, we do not have official contact, but we are hoping to see this in the future. There are some theol. differences between us, but nothing major.
What church do you belong to?

I am a member and elder of the Protestant Reformed Church of Edmonton Alberta.

DeDuitseDominee,

Since all dutch reformed churches regard themselves of successors to the Reformed Churches in The Netherlands of the 16th and 17th century, most of them have church orders that resemble closely to the church order that was established in the 1618-1619 (exception: Protestantse Kerk Nederland, aka PKN). I found a translation of that church order here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/nethord.htm

If you can read Dutch (shouldn't be too difficult for germans), you can also check http://www.kerkrecht.nl for everything you'd like to know about church orders!

Edit: I see now that kerkrecht.nl has already been mentioned in this topic. But it is definitely worth visiting.

Probably Bert Mulder has translated the church order into English.

We use the Dordt Church Order as well and translated it int German here: http://www.serk-heidelberg.de/uber-uns/kirchenordnung/.
I know what it says, but there are some practical questions that are not addressed by the CO. Also, I don't think it explains whether pastors are members of classis (which they are in Presbyterian circles, but would be hard to do in Dutch circles, as classis is no permanent body, right?) or of the local congregation.

Man a life! My English is not so good.
I can speak this language, but I can't write it so good.
This is a interresting topic, so that I'll try to folow it.

DeDuitseDominee schreef:We use the Dordt Church Order as well and translated it int German here: http://www.serk-heidelberg.de/uber-uns/kirchenordnung/.
I know what it says, but there are some practical questions that are not addressed by the CO. Also, I don't think it explains whether pastors are members of classis (which they are in Presbyterian circles, but would be hard to do in Dutch circles, as classis is no permanent body, right?) or of the local congregation.

You are right, it only mentions that the elders are members of the local consistory (art. 37), not if they are also members of the congregation. They are however, as any 'normal' person, member of the church, so they belong to the congregation. They, and their families recieve 'normal' care from the elders (and deacons): they visit the families of the pastors on a regular basis, as they do visit everyone else.

The classis is no permanent body indeed. Local churches send their pastors (or one of the pastors if there are more than one) to the classes and one elder per church. And the classis sends to the particuliere synode, the particuliere synode to the generale synode.

PS: I am a member of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (liberated) so i am a little bit a stranger on this forum

Tiberius schreef:Probably Bert Mulder has translated the church order into English.

I have not, but others have before me.

Our church order:

http://www.prca.org/PRC_Confessions_and ... _Order.pdf

Thank you, Marco.