At the Cradle of a New Denomination (4)

Rev. Kersten and his efforts for order in the church

The Lord had blessed the churches greatly by giving them men not only with love for Zion, but also with gifts to instruct and guide. However, that did not mean that there was no opposition to their efforts. Rev. Kersten did not only encounter some resistance to the founding of the Theological School, but also his broad interests, for instance in the political field, were not understood by everyone.

Church order

An important area in which Rev. Kersten had to correct many misunderstandings and wrong conceptions was in regard to the order in the church and the manner in which discipline should be exercised. Nearly all the office-bearers, including the ministers, lacked schooling. People were used to their own rules and ideas, which were often contrary to what the Church Order of Dordt stated. We should not forget that the new denomination had developed from independent groups and conventicles, in which oftentimes some strong leaders determined what should be decided. Consequently, personal differences, different leanings, and various quarrels could cause divisions and troubles, which could easily result in new splits. Rev. Kersten had been used by the Lord to bring together what belonged together, and he knew he still had to work hard toward a closer union of the various churches, which had such different backgrounds.

He was convinced that, for the welfare of the church and to help bind the congregations together, order was necessary. Scripture teaches us that God is a God of order.

The Church Order of Dordt was based on scriptural principles, and therefore it should give direction for ecclesiastical life.

It was of great importance that at the union of 1907, when the Ledeboerian churches and the Churches under the Cross were united into a new denomination, the Church Order of Dordt received its rightful place. The norm for church life in the new denomination was to be based upon the church order, on scriptural principles, upon what God's Word tells us, and not on all kinds of subjective opinions.

Therefore it was commendable that already at the first synod the various deputies were chosen to carry out their mandate from this broader assembly.

The congregations had to realize that they were not associations with by-laws and regulations established by the government, but that they were the local, visible manifestation of the church of Christ, with a government founded on scriptural principles.

Anabaptist influences

Rev. Kersten was fully convinced that, not only in personal life, but also in church life, we should not live upon feelings, emotions, or by some inner light, and he was very much opposed to Anabaptist ideas. Those ideas were very much alive in the young churches, which was evident in the opposition he encountered to having a good training for the ministry in a theological school, as well as in the resistance he met against his efforts to let the trumpet of God's Word also be heard in the political arena in parliament.

Anabaptist ideas undervalue the way of the means and expect instruction from the immediate. They undervalued such means as Christian education and thorough studies of the Scriptures and the teachings of our forefathers. Tirelessly, Rev. Kersten tried to acquaint the people with the teachings of men of the Further Reformation and of reformers like Luther and Calvin.

Christian discipline

Church visitation also was begun. Rev. Kersten, with a minister of the classis, visited the congregations. This provided an excellent opportunity for discussing the various aspects of church life and for giving much-needed advice. One of the areas in which much correction and instruction was needed concerned the correct idea of Christian discipline. Often discipline was considered a kind of execution of punishment. However, the biblical view of discipline is that it has a spiritual character, and that the purpose is not to punish, but to use it as medicine to heal. Therefore Rev. Kersten wrote a booklet entitled De tucht in de kerke Christi (“Discipline in the Church of Christ”) to instruct the churches of the young denomination.

I am afraid that also today many people view church discipline as a kind of punishment. The Anabaptists had the practice of shunning the transgressors. But Scripture teaches us to reach out and to try to restore, even if some painful or bitter medicine has to be used to that end.

Preaching in different churches

Another issue that had to be discussed was the habit of some ministers to preach in congregations which did not belong to the denomination, and also the liberty of the consistories to permit other ministers from outside and exhorters to speak in their church.

Rev. Kersten himself had, prior to 1907, preached in Ledeboerian churches in Zeeland, although he did not belong to them. But after the union he strongly promoted the decision that allowed ministers of our denomination to preach only in the churches of our denomination, and also that ministers outside our denomination could not preach in the churches of our denomination. The brothers Rev. D. C. Overduin and Rev. J. Overduin could not agree with this decision, and they eventually left the denomination.

New publications

During the course of his busy ministry Rev. Kersten continued his efforts towards a church with order. He initiated a denominational periodical, De Saambinder (“Binding Together”), which provided him an excellent opportunity to write articles and answer questions regarding church order matters.

At the Theological School he emphasized the necessity of abiding with the Church Order of Dordt, and he explained its practical applications.

In the 1930s he published Het Kerkelijk Handboekje (“The Little Church Handbook”), which contained a collection of old versions of the church orders and past synodical decisions.

By Word and Spirit

The Lord had given His servant the talents, the courage, and the wisdom to take the initiative and give clear direction in a time in which this was so necessary. Rev. Kersten knew that more is needed than order in the church, and that the welfare of a denomination depends on God's blessing, His presence, and the powerful leading and instruction of the Holy Spirit which Christ had promised to the church. He was very afraid of building upon historical knowledge and outward privileges. It is only the Holy Spirit who can glorify Christ in the heart of rebellious sinners, and the Holy Spirit works through the preaching of God's Word. That Word alone, and not all kinds of subjective feelings and ideas, should give direction to church life.

Therefore Rev. Kersten was involved also in founding the denomination's own Christian schools. He was also busy in the political arena, for God's Word should not be hidden in a corner; it should be heard, even in the parliament. Under the blessing of the Lord, the churches in which he labored grew closer and closer together, united in the same truths as had been taught by such forefathers as Hellenbroek and Comrie, whom Rev. Kersten loved so much.

May the Lord give desire to each one of us to search that truth and to read the writings of our forefathers.

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