The Reformed Church in America (RCA) announced this morning that the classes have concurred with the General Synod 2009 to approved the addition of the Belhar Confession to the Standards of Unity of the church.
A two-thirds majority of the RCA’s 46 classes have voted to ratify
adoption of the confession, which General Synod 2009 voted to add as a
fourth standard of unity.
Each classis has engaged in conversation and discernment around this
decision, which requires an addition to the Book of Church Order.
All votes have been reported to the General Synod office, with 32
classes in favor of ratification and 14 opposed.
Doing the math, two-thirds of the classes would be 31, so the approval was close. And I should point out that a classis (plural classes) in the Reformed Church is a regional grouping of churches like a presbytery in the Presbyterian tradition although your local polity wonk can tell you about some interesting polity differences.
For those in the PC(USA) this is interesting since the Special Committee to Consider Amending the Confessional Documents of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to Include the Belhar Confession in The Book of Confessions is expected to recommend to the 219th General Assembly the inclusion of the confession in the PC(USA) Constitution. The process in the PC(USA) will be the same as the RCA with GA approval first and then the concurrence of two-thirds of the presbyteries. If the presbyteries concur there will be a final approval vote by the 220th GA.