Episode 246: Reformation Requires Clarity and Wisdom — Shelby Gemmen (Part 1)

“There was a lot of desire for dialogue, which to me often serves as a subtle way to shroud dishonesty and hide our presuppositions and views. Basically, it’s a way to keep talking while gradually introducing more liberal views on marriage, LGBTQ+ issues, and related topics. I named that directly and said, ‘This is what’s really going on here.’ If you have these discussions, this is what will open the door for division. Beyond that, we already had very clear biblical positions in the RCA at the time that pointed to the catechism—and still does, by the way. So there’s always been orthodoxy on paper but unorthodoxy in reality.” —Shelby Gemmen

Summary of This Episode

This week on the Messy Reformation, Jason is joined by Rev. Shelby Gemmen, lead pastor of South Olive CRC. South Olive is Shelby’s second pastorate, having served Grant Reformed Church, also in Michigan, for 8 years. As Shelby tells us about himself, he shares that he grew up in West Michigan, attended Seventh Reformed Church (a former RCA congregation that disaffiliated in the 1990s), but he also had roots connected to Rusk CRC in Allendale through family. Throughout his early life, church and conversations about the tensions within various Reformed denominations were common.

Given the importance of church to his family, Shelby remembers his mother describing the roll of pastor as “the highest calling.” He saw himself having two option as he began recognizing his gifts. On the one hand, he could pursue and excel at work in the IT field, but he found himself bored with classes for that. He was interested in theology and loved studying God’s Word. Through personal study, courses, and a sermon he remembers as an awakening, he sense God was calling him to some form of teaching or perhaps pastoral ministry. A significant revelation for him was recognizing God using people like himself in Scripture. He admits he had personal insecurities, but he sensed an internal call, and he asked God to confirm that through an external call.

Part of his story is a recognition of an “awakening” time in his life, which him and Jason talk about at length. Whether one has grown up always in the faith or come to the faith later in life, “conversion” can either be a relatively ordinary thing or a very strong experience. However, many people—especially pastors—describe having an experience where God made himself, his grace, and his call very real to them. Jason and Shelby talk about language which comes from or connects with some of Jonathan Edwards’ writings of someone who is called to preach may have a persevering, unstoppable force that doesn’t allow you to do anything else—you’ve got to preach.

Eventually Shelby pursued his MDiv at Calvin Theological Seminary but also supplemented with courses at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. During his time, he really appreciated the faculty at both locations. Jason shares a piece of advice given to him and that he thought was a good practice was to focus on professors. If there is someone who you connect with as a student or whose material has been really helpful, try to study under them as much as possible. An institution’s faculty are so important to the experience there.

This episode wraps up as Shelby provides some insight to his experience with the RCA. He was very active in the RCA classis he was in while serving at Grant. During that time, he was striving for orthodoxy and faithfulness regarding the denomination’s positions on marriage and sexuality, but he was also seeing the early days of the splintering that has since happened. To have his ordination-background with the CRC and now be serving a CRC congregation, he shares—this is home.