13 Oct 2024
On the night of the 5th of October 2024, Pastor Robin Gan closed CERC’s Meet the Elder (MTE) session with this: “Church, you have spoken. Let’s get to work”. For the members present, the brevity of these words only underscored their great weight.
The MTE session serves as a platform for CERC members and candidates to deliberate church affairs. However, this particular meeting marked a historic milestone in the Holy Spirit’s work in CERC over the past 16 years — an overwhelming majority of 99% of CERC’s members (with Robin himself abstaining) voted in a referendum to affirm Robin to continue as CERC’s Lead Elder. The votes were cast, counted and the results were announced within the same night. This sweeping support for Robin articulated the church’s steady and clear voice of confidence for Robin’s leadership, emphasising the church’s commitment to continue doing God’s good work in Malaysia.
In light of opposition and controversies surrounding the church, Elder Robin called for a non-binding referendum to ascertain the congregation’s sentiment on his continued leadership as Lead Elder of CERC. Over the years, there have been numerous accusations and rumours spread about CERC. These issues share a common concern: under Robin Gan’s leadership, CERC’s ministry has come under heavy scrutiny and criticism in the Klang Valley. These accusations culminated in the publication of the book ‘More Calvinistic than Calvin? Hardline Reformed Theology & the Malaysian Church’ by Bishop Hwa Yung, Lee Soo Tian, Lee Tat Yan, and Lim Kar Yong.
The results of the referendum were especially meaningful given that neither CERC, nor Robin himself was under any compulsion to hold the vote in the first place. The leadership of the church could have continued without this referendum, because CERC’s constitution does not require a democratic vote for matters pertaining to the church’s eldership.
Some of CERC’s members and membership candidates shared their views on the referendum:
“I’ve learnt that no one is above Jesus’ standards, pastors included. I appreciate that Robin made it clear what we were really voting for – it was voting for a nature of ministry where the Word rules the church,” said Isaac Ng, a membership candidate of CERC.
“I learnt that CERC cares for their members’ minds and decisions. CERC doesn’t dismiss what people think. The culture in CERC is never just top-down, or ‘let’s just get on with it’, but we care to work things out, with and through the whole counsel of God,” commented Chew Ai Lyn, a CERC member.
“By voting to affirm Robin’s leadership, what we have really affirmed is that the ministry of this church is biblical, Christ-centred, and God-glorifying,” added Jeremy Wee, a member and a Church Ministers’ Apprentice.
The need for clarity amidst persistent accusations and rampant rumours against CERC
In the face of persistent accusations and rampant rumours surrounding the church and its leadership, the church recognised the need for clarity. These unfounded claims have hindered CERC’s mission for the Lord Jesus, making the affirmation of its leadership all the more crucial.
One of the accusations in the book, More Calvinistic than Calvin?, accused CERC of being divisive and hardline, citing examples from ex-communicated members and individuals who oppose CERC.
The book has been reviewed by various church leaders, including Dr. Bradley Green and Rev. Dr. David Peterson, who are both respected scholars and leaders of the church.
An excerpt taken from Rev. Dr. David Peterson’s review of the book:
“Hwa Yung and his co-authors repeatedly speak of CERC/GGF as advocating ‘a rather rigid or hardline version of Reformed theology’ (p. 7), being ‘exclusivist and divisive’ (p. 8), ‘not as faithful to the Bible as they claim to be’ (p. 8), not ‘truthful’ (p. 8), advancing ‘a rigid and exclusive Reformed theology’ (p. 10), which is ‘propagated aggressively’ (p. 10).”
Check out Dr. Peterson’s full review here: Rev Dr David Peterson reviews “More Calvinistic Than Calvin?” | CERC News | Christ Evangelical Reformed Church (CERC)
More Calvinistic than Calvin?: Hardline Reformed Theology & the Malaysian Church and many other slanderous charges against CERC have only served to hinder CERC’s service to the Lord Jesus in serving Christianity in the Klang Valley. This is why Robin said during the MTE, that even if the vote technically did not have a binding result, he would have accepted the church’s vote and stepped down, if that was the result. Robin would not have taken the results of the vote personally because his concern is to do what is best in shepherding God’s church.
Robin outlined three reasons for why he would accept any result of the referendum:
Ordaining, Commissioning and Installing the Next Generation of Leaders
With the vote decisively concluded, Robin’s statement at the MTE rang true: there is much work ahead. Just a week later, on October 13, CERC celebrated another historic milestone with the ordination of two homegrown pastors and a deaconess, alongside the commissioning of four new Church Ministers’ Apprentices and the installation of the newest member of CERC’s Council of Elders. This event was a testament to the transformative work of Christ through Robin’s leadership over the past 16 years, as he has diligently trained future leaders to shepherd the flock.
The historic milestone was a testament to Christ’s work in using Robin over the past 16 years, to train up future leaders to shepherd to look over the flock in CERC.
In the sermon on 1 Peter 5:1-5, Robin remarked, “Our text today is a perfect text for ordination.” He highlighted how the text parallels the previous section on mutual love and humility, stating, “Peter now turns to the elders as the exemplification of what we all are.”
The humility, love, and ministry patterned after Christ are to be embodied in the shepherds so that the flock follows in the footsteps of Christ. “Everything the shepherd has to be, he has to be the example to you and for you,” he emphasized.
He explained that the shepherd’s role involves caring for the church that Christ died for, through leading, teaching, and being examples of what the flock must be. They must “promote mutuality, unity, and a oneness among diverse members whose gifts must be used to build each other up.” In doing so, they love God’s treasured possession, the ‘flock of God’, ensuring that it continues to faithfully be God’s church.
He also reminded the congregation that this is part and parcel of being on this glorious journey of salvation together as God’s people. “The end is near; never forget that every day as the end gets nearer. So, you must live this glorious life now; you must love and care for each other so that we may see God’s glory and salvation, and that this glory may be manifested now as we shepherd each other.”
After the sermon, Pastors-in-Training Jerome Leng and Vanessa Ong were formally ordained as pastors (Vanessa being appointed as a Women and Children’s Pastor), General Manager Penny Lai as a deaconess and Adrian Miller was installed as a member of the Council of Elders. Robin, as Lead Elder, presided over the ceremony.
Robin presiding over the ordination.
L-R: Pastor Jerome, Pastor Vanessa, Deaconess Penny, Elder Adrian Miller
Pastor Jerome (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) and Pastor Vanessa (BD, Moore Theological College) were entrusted with shepherding the flock by ministering the Word under the direction of the Oversight, teaching the oracles of God clearly to both youth and adults to nurture their maturity in Christ. They were also committed to being actively involved in the lives of the congregation, providing instruction and counselling, training individuals to be faithful servants of Christ, caring for the well, the sick, and the dying, and proclaiming the gospel to the lost.
Penny’s role and charge as deaconess includes working for the Overseer and supporting him in organizing the service of the saints, so that the mission of Jesus Christ will be carried out through his church.
Adrian, as an elder, is to act as a member of the Council, and was charged with providing godly counsel as a plurality to the Oversight, supporting the Overseer in the discipline of the church as a godly household.
L-R: Members of the Council of Elders, Joel Lee and Mark Leong kneeling in prayer alongside the other leaders.
The ordination concluded with the leaders kneeling in prayer before God.
Pastor Jerome prayed that God would continue to grant the strength and grace – for him to fulfil his calling, and for the church to remain faithful on the path to eternal glory.
“Lord, continue to shape my heart to be a shepherd’s heart, to have your heart, to have your Father’s heart. Make me a man who is loyal only to you. Let me not tolerate your people’s sins to be the point of being a compromiser but grant me to courage to speak the truth in love, and call your people to repentance, to rebuke them, when necessary. Help me hold to a high standard of your church’s holiness, and the high calling which we have received as your holy people in this world.”
Pastor Vanessa and Deaconess Penny also prayed for faithfulness to God’s Word and to their callings as leaders of God’s people. As a fellow elder, Elder Joel Lee prayed for Elder Adrian Miller that he may exemplify godliness in all his life.
Ordination Sunday ended with the commissioning of the four new Church Ministers’ Apprentices, who will undergo a period of testing, for two years, on their suitability for a lifetime of pastoral ministry.
L-R: Lead Elder Robin, Soo Jia Ying, Lucas Tan, Au Soung Hui, Yip Li Qi
During the commissioning, each apprentice gave a testimony on their conversion, and their subsequent journey to apprenticeship.
Jia Ying said, “I was a university student when I started to take my Christian life and my calling to make disciples of all nations seriously. I understood why the church was so precious to God, and why it would not be right for me to be taking care of my own self and my own dreams while the church of God is being deprived of the Word ministers that she needs. That is why I committed myself to this program to be trained.”
Lucas shared, “I grew up in a Christian home, but only as a university student did I open the Bible for myself and for the first time, learn about God, my sin, and what it means to serve God in my life. Since coming to CERC regularly, I’ve been thinking about the other ‘Lucas-es’ out there who have not heard the Gospel preached clearly in its fullness. And to that end, I want to commit my life to this ministry and this mission of bringing people to Christ. I have a lot of weaknesses, but I owe it to God to at least try and be tested.”
The church verbally pledged to the support, encouragement and assessment of the apprentices, and also recognised their roles of apprenticeship for pastoring and teaching.
The commissioning concluded with a prayer by Robin, asking that the apprentices may be tested such that they may grow in godliness, find confidence in God’s Word, and remain faithful in all things, so they may be positively assessed for further training, and to the privileged and difficult task of being Christ’s ministers.
As the church moves forward, there is a collective commitment to support the apprentices and uphold the values of accountability and discipleship. With Robin’s leadership and the active participation of CERC members, the church is poised to continue its mission to grow and serve in Christ’s name.
The timing of the referendum, followed closely by Ordination Sunday, marked a significant milestone in the church’s life together. The people have spoken, and this is the nature of the Word ministry that will continue to rule and run this church. May the Lord Jesus continue to work through us in raising up many more shepherds to grow his Church, and may the Lord persevere CERC. For those wishing to support this vital work, more information can be found here: https://cerc.com.my/support-us
