If it is in your contract then you must abide by it.  If you don’t want to go to one of the denominations churches then don’t take the job.

I guess I’m just wondering exactly what the reasoning is behind the rule in the first place?  Are they just certain that “their churches” are all in line and teaching the same doctrine?  Are other churches completely out of line with that doctrine or would some meet their criteria?  In short, why is this necessary?

I can understand that a Christian school would want teachers to attend church faithfully, and can even see that they would want that church’s doctrine to line up with what they teach, but outside of that just don’t quite get it.

As for the other part of the question - it was in the contract so it’s understood up front that this is part of the deal.  Perhaps an exception can be made or not, but it was spelled out on the contract. Is it unreasonable to request this?  I don’t know.  Apparently she was able to find other employment so it wasn’t stopping her from working.  Sounds like the school is losing out more than she is on this deal, especially with some press attention to it now.  And yes, I agree with Andy’s comments that sometimes we don’t see the light, but feel the heat.  I’m guilty of that as much as anyone else.

My two cents…

Honestly, this is the practice in just about every evangelical college I’ve ever interacted with. It’s"industry standard” if you will, as it is contractual.

While I understand this professor’s need for spiritual and cultural affinity (Calvin is a pretty homogeneous place), she knew the rules going into it and shouldn’t have kicked up dirt on the way out.

It’s hard to raise $ for a school from a denomination’s core constituency when the professors aren’t loyal to that same group.

I went to denominational college and seminary, and there was no doubt that one (faculty or admin employees) had to be active members of the denominational churches. It did in fact, I think, create a shallower gene pool. While we were never tainted with the evils of liberal faculty, except for reading assignments we weren’t exposed to much outside the tradition.

Maybe there is a deeper reason for this event.  I do believe that a peron should agree and abide by predisclosed rules or to gracefully move to another ministry.  I also believe a person should live out their conviction.  Then there must be another purpose.  I believe that maybe an internal look should be takes as to why there has not been a great effort to start a church in the vicinity of your school.  Are there no African-Americans w/i your denomination to help students of color to practice the reformed faith and conviction without denying theirculture and ethnic uniqueness.  Uniqueness is not wrong always, just different.

I am not CRC but am an African-American who was the first to be hired as a full time professor at Dallas Bible College.  I thank God that men of God like Dr. Doiron never made me conform since I was called of God to Pastor.  I found very few points of contention betwen being Baptist and the Bible/Fellowship Church movement.  I never received anything less that superior evaluations from Administration or students.  The Church I pastored had a great diversity and some of the faithful members were actually the children of some Pastors of the largests churches in Dallas.

Crc, is the Lord telling you to really embrace a multi-cultural ministry by mission work and the establishing a church that would allow and recrit minorities.  Choosing to be around people that you are more easily able to identify with is neither wrong or sinful.

Dr JB Rodgers