Report on visit to the Synod of the Iglesias Reformadas de España (IRE) in Madrid
Opening of the meeting
January 12, 2024. The synod of the IRE begins at ten o'clock. On arrival at the church building (a long corridor with several offices), the door at the end of the long corridor is still closed. Hendrik van de Ridder, who is attending the synod on behalf of the SEZ, is already waiting. As Dutch people, we find out that time is less important in Spain. Starting at ten has a completely different meaning here. When our Spanish colleagues arrive just after ten, the door opens and part of the church hall has yet to be converted into a meeting room. The stove has yet to be lit, so we start lugging tables and chairs around with our coats on. Such a joint activity immediately creates a bond.
Rev José de Segovia opened the meeting with a meditation on the Fatherhood of God following Galatians 3: 19-4:7. We sing Psalm 23 together. In addition to the pastors from the three IRE congregations: Almuñécar; Rev Manuel López, Madrid; Rev José de Segovia and Elder David Casado, Mataró; Rev Diego Guirao, Rev Berend Coster (both emeritus) and student and candidate Daniel Bartolomé are also present at the synod:
- Carlos de Pino and Christian Felipe Gálvez Romero, on behalf of affiliated IEPE churches.
- Hendrik van de Ridder on behalf of SEZ
- Rik Lubbers on behalf of GZB. He combined the meeting with a visit to Marloes (wife of Filipe), who works for the GZB.
- Rev M.J. van Keulen on behalf of the CGK
Berend Coster is elected president. After setting the agenda and welcoming the delegates, I get to kick off and address the synod on behalf of the CGK. I am thanked for the open and honest contribution. Gratitude is expressed for the presence and contacts, which are considered very valuable.
Update municipalities IRE
Almuñecar (Manuel Lopez). Almuñecar is a town close to Malaga and has a population of 28,000. The municipality has grown slightly and now has between thirty-five and forty members. The growth is mainly due to work in the local area rather than immigration. There are currently two candidates for church leader, both have strengths and vulnerabilities. There are currently more visitors than ever. Especially women, even though you see more and more couples coming. Manuel's vision is to establish an international church. A church that is basically Spanish-speaking, but where many Dutch and English people also come. There can then be translation on the screens in different languages. Manuel says he is happy with a congregation of 60 members and its own church council and building. The issue is to be a hospitable congregation for 'foreigners' (foreigners). The congregation is outward-looking, towards its surroundings, and organises many evangelisation activities. They are currently looking for another space for the congregation. For this, they have started a project. Support for this project is being sought in the UK, among others. An application has also gone to the SEZ. DVN (De Verre Naasten) has pledged support: if 250,000 euros are first collected themselves, DVN will contribute 100,000 euros. However, only 20,000 euros have been collected so far.
Madrid (José de Segovia). The Madrid congregation is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Alongside José de Segovia, Elder David Casado has now been active in the congregation for eight years. In recent years, the congregation has grown significantly in numbers but also in depth. Blessing on preaching is experienced. Services are attended by eighty to ninety visitors and members. The church building has actually become too small and people are looking for another space. David Casado is taking over some of José de Segovia's work so that the latter can also focus on his Christian radio programme and teaching.
Mataro (Diego Guirao and Daniel Bartolomé). The Mataro congregation is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. After Rev Berend Coster retired, the congregation has now been looking for a new pastor for about a year and a half. A number of candidates have been proposed and each time the collaboration came to nothing. Since 2023, former IBSTE student Daniel Bartolomé has been a candidate on probation in the congregation. Although Diego Guirao expresses his satisfaction with Daniel, a permanent appointment is just not forthcoming. This is frustrating. Even membership of the congregation has not yet been initiated, while the Bartolomé family want their son to be baptised in the congregation. The brothers are putting pressure on Diego to speed this up now that there are no valid objections to a permanent appointment for Bartolomé. The urgency is high and reasonableness in delaying this process seems remote.
IEPE
The IEPE (Carlos del Pino), a Presbyterian denomination, has had a relationship with the IRE since 2014 and so each other's synods are attended. The IEPE has some 12 congregations in Spain. The challenge is that none of the congregations has a church council, even though it is a Presbyterian denomination. The IEPE accepts the Bible as the sole and sufficient source of faith and practice, as fully inspired by God and infallible. It follows the Reformed interpretation of the Bible, as expressed in the Westminster Creed. It is institutionally organised according to Presbyterianism and identifies itself as a Protestant church. It rejects liberal theology. The church originated through the missionary work of the APMT (missionary mission of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil) in the late 1980s in the city of Huelva.
Felipe is of Chilean descent and, after much wandering, ended up in Spain with his Dutch wife. He is now studying at Tercer Milenio, online seminary with Reformed foundations.
SEZ
The SEZ (Hendrik van de Ridder) is in a phase of ongoing reorientation regarding its work in Spain. It is important to renew acquaintance with the churches after Berend Coster's many years there and discuss where the needs are. Since Berend Coster's retirement, the organisation has made the choice to continue the work of IBSTE. Reliable biblical teaching is vital to equip a new generation of church leaders to work inside and outside Spain.
The Distant Neighbours
DVN indicated that they would like to continue supporting the IRE for another 20 years, and then stop. No specific reason, other than policy choice, was given. This was received with some surprise in the synod. This means that the IRE congregations must be independent by then. They are not at present. DVN still pays part of the annual rent for Almuñecar and sponsors a radio programme. Madrid also pays part of its rent. All together, this amounts to about half of the entire budget.
Lunch
The meeting is interrupted to have a Spanish meal together in a restaurant. At the table, further introductions are made and experiences and visions are shared.
GZB
After the meal, Rik Lubbers of the GZB was given the opportunity to share something about the work of the GZB. Following his talk, there was a discussion about the vision of the church in Europe. In outline, the following came out of this:
- Decline in numbers and influence
- Liberal theology is on the rise
- Migrant churches revitalising churches. This also presents problems and challenges. Mission north-south has been replaced by from one place to another.
Church service
At the end of the meeting, Daniel Bartolomé was given the opportunity to tell something about himself and his desire to become a church leader in Mataro.
In the evening, a church service was held at which some of the congregation also attended. Carlos del Pino from the IEPE presided at this service.
Closure of the meeting
January 13, 2024. On Saturday morning, the synod meeting continued. After a warm welcome and personal testimony by David Casado, we sang and prayers were offered for the churches and those present.
NGK
Two issues arising from the earlier reports are discussed. The first is the relationship with the NGK. Berend Coster explains the developments in the Netherlands and the tensions this causes. I also get the opportunity to share my views on this. Cooperation with the NGK is discussed as the merged church deviates from its convictions regarding women and ministry and LGBT issues. The IRE is not severing ties with the NGK for the time being. Financial dependency plays a role in this. Resources are being sought to compensate for the loss of support from the NGK.
ICRC
This immediately touches on the second issue, the relationship with the ICRC. There is perceived pressure from the ICRC to break with the NGK. However, no support is promised from the ICRC to compensate for support that is lost. The IRE finds itself in a split. One wonders at the same time what its own role is within the ICRC as the smallest denomination of only three churches. I insisted that we do remain members because we desperately need each other, including the IRE. It was decided to remain a member of the ICRC for the time being but not to sever ties with the NGK yet.
The synod is concluded, mentioning that it was a beautiful and edifying synod. The annual meetings are felt to be a blessing. The next synod is set for 13/14 December 2024 in Almuñecar.
Church service
On Sunday morning, I attended the church service in the Madrid congregation with my daughter. The service was led by David Casado and Manuel Lopez from Almuñecar preached a sermon from Luke 10 about the Good Samaritan. Manuel had sent a Dutch translation of the sermon on Saturday evening so that we could follow service to some extent. The warm greetings upon entering the church were striking. Whereas in the Netherlands we quickly find our own spot and stay mostly quiet, everyone embraced each other with the necessary kisses as a feast of recognition and reunion. Although the songs that were sung were all in Spanish, most of the melodies were familiar. This made singing along a lot easier.
After the service, there was an opportunity to have coffee with each other and some lovely meetings took place. I was invited by David Casado to stay with my daughter to attend a meeting with young people from the church. This was a special meeting. First, a meal was prepared where we ate a delicious homemade paella. I talked a lot with the young people about being a Christian in these times. What does this mean for them in Spain and how is this experienced in the Netherlands. The conversations were also about life sanctification, the daily practice for a Christian. The young people do sometimes feel lonely as the church in Spain is very small. Thus, finding a Christian friend is very difficult.
After the meal, there was a Bible study based on Sunday 47 of the Heidelberg Catechism. It was a very nice and instructive meeting. Martien van Keulen
