Until a decision earlier this year, the NAE had prohibited its members from also holding membership in the NCC, which is comprised mostly of mainline Protestant churches. After a NAE bylaw change, churches can now hold membership in both bodies.
Meeting in Hempstead, N.Y., June 9-15 for its annual General Synod, the 259,651-member church voted to seek membership in the NAE as a way of maintaining ecumenical relations while also stressing its evangelical nature.
If the NAE accepts the church as a member, it would become the first church to be duly aligned in both organizations.
"The Reformed Church has historically been both ecumenical and evangelical," said the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of the church. "I trust that we can build bridges between divided parts of the Christian community for the sake of our common witness to the world."
The church also agreed to circulate a letter between local congregations about the church's relationship with the more progressive United Church of Christ. Under a 1997 agreement, the UCC, RCA, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Presbyterian Church (USA) signed a sweeping agreement allowing the churches to share clergy, sacraments and mission projects.
Some conservatives in the RCA said the UCC's open policy on homosexuality was too radical for the more conservative RCA policy. The letter said the RCA's position on homosexuality was contrary to the UCC, and that the two churches should not pursue further ecumenical relationships beyond the local level.
