Regulations Pertaining to Article 13-c of the Church Order
A minister whose service is requested by a congregation outside the Christian Reformed Church may be loaned temporarily to serve such a church while still retaining ministerial status in the Christian Reformed Church in keeping with the following regulations:
a. The congregation seeking the services of the Christian
Reformed minister is desirous of the Reformed faith and seriously
contemplates af liation with the Christian Reformed Church or
some other Reformed denomination, or is already in a Reformed
denomination and seeks to be strengthened in the Reformed
faith.
b. The minister contemplating service in a nondenominational
church acknowledges this as an opportunity to encourage such a
church to affiliate with either the Christian Reformed Church or
a Reformed denomination similar to the Christian Reformed
Church.
c. The duties of the minister are spiritual in character and
directly related to the ministerial calling, and such duties do
not conflict with the minister’s commitment to the faith and
practice of the Christian Reformed Church as required by one’s
signature to the Covenant for Officebearers.
d. If the congregation to be served is in close proximity to a
Christian Reformed congregation of another classis, the approval
of that classis shall be required, in addition to the approval of
the classis of the minister’s calling church, and the synodical
deputies.
e. The loaning of such ministerial services may be for a period
of time not to exceed two years. Extension of not more than two
years each may be granted if circumstances warrant, with the
approval of classis and the synodical deputies.
f. Should the minister become subject to discipline, the
non-Christian Reformed congregation which is being served shall
have the right to suspend the minister from serving that church,
but suspension from office and deposition may be applied only by
the Christian Reformed Church.
g. Continuation under the Christian Reformed Church Pension Plan
shall require that the minister, or the non-Christian Reformed
church which is being served, shall contribute to the ministers’
pension fund the amount which is determined annually by the
Ministers’ Pension Funds committees for ministers serving in
extraordinary positions outside of our denomination.
(Acts of Synod 1976, pp. 33-34)
(Acts of Synod 2011, p. 872)