Every year, across the church world, denominations gather their leaders together. Some call it synod. Others call it a general assembly, congress, conference or annual gathering. Whatever the title, the reality is the same: for a few days, 150 to 300 key leaders from churches, schools, ministries, charities and networks gather in one place. These…
If I’m honest, I’d rather look away from Synod this year. But I haven’t always felt that way. In years past, I’ve been a keen watcher of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC)’s annual denominational meetings that are usually held at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There’s one evening of Synod watching that I remember…
It didn’t have to happen. Nobody in Jubilee Fellowship Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in St. Catharines, Ontario, originally wanted it to happen. But on June 23, 2025, 97 percent of our members voted to leave the CRC. The decision took a long, agonizing time. Yet staying became impossible after Synod 2024 summarily put all protesting…
Synod 2025 is over. I will leave it to others to write about the gracious hospitality of Redeemer University and the warm opening ceremonies by Chatham First Christian Reformed Church (CRC), its congenial pastor Nate Van Denend and their local high school praise team. The composition of Synod – the all-white male executive and near…
You may not know me or remember this, but, to my knowledge, I am the only former Banner editor who got in front of an entire Christian Reformed Church (CRC) Synod to publicly apologize. I said I was sorry for allowing two articles in quick succession that many readers judged to have gone over the…
Spring is nomination season, that time of year when church councils thank retiring members and count empty seats to see how many new officebearers are needed. This spring, however, it might be harder than usual to find members ready to take on a leadership role at church – at least if Christian Courier’s survey results…
Catholic church order will never be the same. After tens of thousands of listening sessions at the parish and diocesan levels on every continent, and two month-long gatherings of bishops and lay people in Rome in 2023 and 2024, the Roman Catholic Church says it is ready to be a synodal church – a church…
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