The developments in the Reformed churches in recent decades are both exciting and disquieting. In many countries Reformed churches have grown. In some countries their membership has more than doubled or tripled. At the same time, the Reformed family has suffered multiple splits. Though many Reformed Christians were actively involved in ecumenical activities, the past decades have been a period of internal division for the Reformed churches. The survey "The Reformed Family Worldwide" illustrates this fact. There is almost no country with only one Reformed church. The volume lists between 700 and 800 Reformed churches and groups.

How can this situation be explained?

Many reasons can be given. Often, splits have arisen over doctrinal issues, such as the authority of scriptures or the Reformed confessions of faith. In many cases, different ethical or political commitments have led to division. In many countries, the separation of Reformed churches is due to the history of the missionary movement: Reformed mission societies, working separately, have established separate churches. Often migration has resulted in setting up separate ethnically based churches. In almost all splits, personal conflicts, leadership claims or property issues have played a significant role.

But pointing to these "reasons" does not yet explain everything. All churches are exposed to pressures threatening their unity. Why is it that Reformed churches seem to succumb to them more easily? Are there perhaps in the Reformed tradition aspects favouring disunity? Are there, behind the external reasons causing splits, deeper theological and spiritual reasons which must be faced by both theologians and other church members?

The church's calling to mission

The divisions among Reformed churches are not only an inheritance from the past. New splits have occurred in recent times and continue to occur today. In many parts of the world they are due to missionary efforts of Reformed churches. Often, churches are established without relating to the Reformed churches already existing in the country. The Reformed family obviously suffers from a lack of communication and co-ordination. How do Reformed churches understand God's calling to mission? Do they share a common understanding which can serve as the basis for common action? How do they view, in particular, the relationship between God's calling to mission and the building of the church as the body of Christ? What is the true relation between witness and communion?

Vision and reality

Reformed teaching on the church is often strangely "idealistic". It expounds the nature of the church on the basis of Biblical texts and of Reformation principles. It presents a picture of the church as the people of God created by word and sacrament and responding in gratitude to the liberating message of Jesus Christ. But it does not pay enough attention to the real existierende Kirche - to the church as it really exists. To what extent is the church as described in Reformed teaching a living reality? To what extent are the weaknesses which are characteristic of the present situation connected with weak points in the Reformed understanding of the church, her unity and her mission?

The relevance and urgency of a fresh reflection on ecclesiology by Reformed theologians is obvious. For the future, much will depend on the ways in which mission and ecclesiology, and the relationship between the two, will be taught in Reformed theological schools. Will Reformed teaching contribute to a more adequate understanding of the church? Will seminaries be places where a common vision of the church and its calling will be developed?

Two key questions

In our view the following two key questions urgently need to be addressed:

Are there weaknesses in the Reformed understanding of the Church which need to be corrected today? What is the appropriate understanding of the unity of the church? How can the trend towards more and more divisions be reversed?
What is the place of mission in Reformed ecclesiology? How can the church be both engaged in mission and "keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace"?

To stimulate fresh reflection on these two questions, we offer here nine theological reflections. Clearly, the list is not exhaustive. Further aspects may equally prove to be in need of exploration. But we hope the questions raised will stimulate the debate on Reformed ecclesiology,unity and mission in your context.

We look forward to your reflections!

Nine reflections

1. How do we understand the Church - as God's gift or as the result of human endeavours? How do divine and human action relate to one another?

In his Institutes Calvin speaks, surprisingly to many contemporary Reformed Christians, repeatedly of the church "as the mother of all believers (IV,1)". According to this view the church is not a human endeavour. She is God's gift in Jesus Christ preceding every response from the human side. She was before we came to believe in his message. Through the action of the Spirit she came into existence before the Bible was written and doctrinal standards formulated. She was before we began to respond through evangelistic and missionary activities. Through baptism we have been incorporated into a communion which has been alive and, through the Spirit acting in God's word, will continue to be alive despite all human failures. Has perhaps Reformed theology and spirituality today a tendency to neglect this fundamental truth. Is the church perhaps seen to too large an extent as a voluntary association sharing the same convictions and purposes.

2. God's call to mission has entered the consciousness of the Reformed churches at a relatively late stage. Missionary endeavours have often developed outside the institution of the churches. To this day the relationship of mission to the church has remained an unresolved issue.

The Reformers were primarily concerned with the reform and renewal of the church. Calvin, though placing strong emphasis on the proclamation of the word, was of the opinion that the missionary mandate was addressed to the apostles and had been fulfilled in apostolic times. Only later generations became aware of the unfulfilled missionary task. More and more, the church was understood as a communion in mission - a communion reaching out in witness and service and pointing consistently to God's coming kingdom. In recent centuries, many Reformed churches introduced explicit references to the missionary mandate in their confessions of faith. But how is the relationship between church and mission to be understood? Too often, the two themes continue to be dealt with separately - while ecclesiology is dealt with in the framework of systematic theology, missiology is considered to be a theme of "practical theology". As a consequence, theological issues raised by the missionary experience of the Reformed, do not receive sufficient attention in the heart of Reformed ecclesiology. A constructive integration still needs to be achieved.

3. Does the proclamation of God's word spontaneously result in communion? Or is a disciplined effort required to "build the Body of Christ"? How must mission be conducted to lead to communion? Are there guidelines which need to be respected?

To maintain God's gift of communion a discipline of communion is called for. The "unity in the Spirit" is not a matter of course. It requires the constant effort to "maintain the bond of peace". In the past the Reformed tradition placed strong emphasis on "communal discipline". It was even one of the distinctive characteristics of the Reformed churches. Today, most of this tradition has been lost. The primary emphasis is now on personal freedom and responsibility. The church is seen as a communion in whose life all participate according to their gifts. In particular, there is a new appreciation of the relationship of men and women in the church. How can a spirituality of communion be promoted by which the present complacency with regard to the divided state of the Reformed churches can be overcome? How can new forms of communal discipline be developed? What does it mean to conduct missionary work in this perspective?

4. Reformed churches place particular emphasis on the Biblical word. Today they are faced with a considerable diversity of interpretations of the Biblical message. As the Gospel takes roots in different cultural contexts new perspectives in reading the Bible result. How can unity be maintained within the diversity of interpretations?

In many cases, Reformed churches have separated because of differences in interpreting the authority of the Bible. The Reformed tradition is characterized by its strong emphasis on the authority of God's word as witnessed to by the Bible both in the Old and the New Testament. In what ways can God's word be heard by the church? What processes and structures are available when Christians are divided in their understanding of the authority of the Bible and their interpretation of the Biblical message? What are the implications of "contextuality" for the unity of the church? There is an urgent need to reflect on the relationship between the Bible, its interpreters and the communion of the church.

5. Analogous questions arise in connection with confessions of faith. . How can unity be maintained within the present diversity of confessions?

Together with the whole of Christianity, Reformed churches recognize the authority of the ancient creeds. In contrast to the Lutheran tradition, however, Reformed churches have never summarized the insights of the Reformation in one book of confessions. Multiple confessions are in use side by side. To what extent is this a factor of disunity? More and more churches seek to express their basic convictions through contemporary confessions. How can the process of formulating contemporary confessions be conducted without causing antagonism and eventually splits? As a rule the need for a new confession of faith arises when churches are facing highly controversial ethical or political issues. How can unity be maintained in the midst of controversies?

6. In contrast to other Christian traditions the Reformed churches do not have a common liturgical tradition. Their ways of worship widely differ. In many cases different ways of worship lead to splits; often the difference of spiritualities is said to be responsible for continuing in division. How can diversity of worship enrich communion? How can worship take roots in different cultures? What role plays the regular celebration of the Lord's Supper in this respect?

Worship is a fundamental dimension of the life of the church. In worship, through the presence of the Spirit, the church renews the experience of her dependence on God's word. She renews at the same time her commitment to "maintain the bond of peace". Does Reformed worship in its present form place enough emphasis on God's gift of communion? Reformed worship seems to concentrate too exclusively on the communication of the Biblical message through preaching. Other dimensions of worship tend to be neglected, e.g. adoration, visible signs of communion etc. Is this perhaps one of the reasons that the "contextualization" of Reformed worship has proved to be particularly difficult?

There is, in particular, the unresolved issue of the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Though Calvin was in favour of a weekly celebration, Reformed churches, as a rule, tend to celebrate the Lord's Supper only on a few Sundays throughout the year. As a consequence, the emphasis in worship falls on the spoken word rather than on the visible signs of Christ's liberating presence in the church. What is the appropriate place of the Lord's Supper in Reformed worship and spirituality?

7. Unity across ethnic and linguistic barriers? The issue acquires today increasing significance. Through the missionary movement the Gospel has found roots in many cultures. Through migration ethnic and linguistic communities are being established in many countries. How can unity be expressed within this diversity?

In many cases, Reformed churches divide along ethnic or linguistic lines. How is this tendency to be evaluated? On the one hand, it is important that the Church of Jesus Christ takes roots in the cultural, ethnic and linguistic context in which it is placed. The Gospel needs to find expression in terms close to the minds and hearts of peoples. Often, mission has led to cultural domination and to the neglect of cultural values which deserved to be preserved and developed. On the other hand, the Gospel brings people together by proclaiming "the bond of peace". Division along ethnic or linguistic lines projects a distorted image of the church. These two considerations raise the question of the relationship between the fundamental unity of the church and the diversity which must have its place within this unity. Reformed churches have perhaps gone too far in promoting the legitimate quest for diversity and have not paid enough attention to the forms of unity which are required to maintain communication between the diverse communities.

8. The Reformed churches, through the missionary movement, have become a world-wide reality. How can they witness and act together? What is the appropriate relationship between the local, regional and the universal levels of the life of the church?

In the Reformed tradition the significance of the local church has always been underlined. Reformed reflections on ecclesiology like to quote Matthew 18,20 "Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them". The strength of this emphasis is obvious. It places a high degree of responsibility on each congregation; the local church bears responsibility for its worship, for its organization and for the proclamation of the Gospel. The other side of the coin is the danger of "localism", i.e. the self-sufficiency of each local church. The Reformed tradition also emphasizes, of course, the need for the concerted witness by the local churches of an area or a nation. Normally, Reformed churches give expression to this need by synods or assemblies. They widely differ in their understanding of their authority in the life of the church, and though there is a synodal praxis at the regional and national levels, they have never developed ways and means which would assure common decision making at the international level. The alliances or councils - in contrast to other confessional families there are several! - are loose associations which do not allow for real co-ordination and common witness. The lack of common structures is in turn the reason for divisions at the national level: each church acting internationally on its own without effectively referring to others. For instance, both in the past and today mission work has been conducted by national churches or mission societies.

9. As we move beyond the present divisions we are faced with the issue of appropriate forms of unity. What forms can be proposed to ensure both oneness and diversity?

As Reformed churches become aware of the anomaly of their divisions and begin to move towards new forms of fellowship, the question arises what kind of unity they are to look for. What are the elements in Reformed polity which can and need to be preserved? What new approaches can possibly contribute to overcome the weak points of inherited Reformed structures? There is wide range of differences between the traditions which make up the Reformed tradition - the model of the Reformed churches on the European continent, the models of Presbyterians and Congregationalism, the models of evangelical churches etc. How do they relate to one another? What is the appropriate response to the challenges of contemporary developments in society? To what extent can the models of the past be applied to today's world, in particular how can the common action at the international level be strengthened? - The road to an adequate expression of the basic oneness of the church will be long; it will inevitably lead through intermediate stages. What are the steps on this road? Are there interim forms of unity which allow the churches to live together and to collaborate without yet adopting structures of full communion? - Clearly, Reformed churches are committed to the ecumenical movement and looking for a wider unity. Their present splits diminish the value of their contribution to the ecumenical movement. How can Reformed unity be so conceived that it contributes effectively to the wider unity of all Christians?

Some titles for further reading

Mission and Unity, Preparatory booklet for the 22nd general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Seoul, 1989), Geneva 1989

Contains an analysis of the reasons which have led to divisions among Reformed churches; also an attempt to describe the "unity we seek".

Towards a Common Testimony, John Knox Series No.5, Geneva 1986

A reflection on the variety of confessions of faith and an attempt to pave the way towards a common testimony.

Mission in Unity: The Reformed family and its mandate, John Knox Series No.6 and Towards a Deeper Communion between Reformed Churches Worldwide, John Knox Series No.8, Geneva 1988 and 1993

These two booklets are the result of two consultations organized by the John Knox International Reformed Centre. They seek to come to terms with the divisions existing today.

Mission in Unity: Ethnicity, migration and the unity of the church, John Knox Series No.9, Geneva 1995

This booklet resulted from a consultation on issues related to ethnic divisions among Reformed churches. In a extended paper it seeks to define the relationship of gospel and culture.

And the Net was not Torn, Report from a consultation on church unity, John Knox Series No.10, Geneva 1998.

The consultation brought together representatives of mission agencies and aimed at setting up the Mission in Unity Project 1999-2002. The booklet gives a general description of the project.

Jean-Jacques Bauswein/Lukas Vischer (eds), The Reformed Family World-wide: A survey of Reformed churches, theological schools and international organizations, Grand Rapids (Eerdmans), 1999.

Contains a comprehensive survey of the situation of Reformed churches today

For more information about this inquiry with theological schools contact Jet den Hollander, secretary of the Mission in Unity Project.