Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in…
“What gives us permission to disregard Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17:20-23, and to split and start yet another denomination?” Recently, I have been asked this question and variants of it. Christian Reformed (CRC) churches and folks are wrestling with questions of disaffiliation and forming a new denomination or network of churches. Given the…
It has been a confusing time in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) since Synod 2022, as members of the denomination continue to wrestle with the implications of the CRCNA’s position on human sexuality. Fourteen churches in Canada have left the denomination, with a dozen or more others having disaffiliation discussions. The rest…
Does Canada really need another denomination, let alone a Reformed one? Roughly 150 participants from 55 churches at the All Canada Summit, in Kitchener, Ontario, weren’t sure. But by the end of the four-day gathering (November 5-8), the Summit concluded with a hopeful “yes.” As one joyful participant said, “I feel like I have been…
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…
For decades, the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) has described itself to itself as a denomination made up of three strands. Sometimes we use slightly different terms for each of these strands, and for at least half a century the CRC has described itself as a three-legged stool with a creed-emphasizing leg, a worldview (Kuyperian)-emphasizing leg,…
Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA) members from 116 congregations (representing 17 percent of the denomination and roughly 32,000 people) met in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a Convening of Concerned Congregations in August. Why were they concerned? It’s complicated. Nate DeJong-McCarron, the director of a group called Better Together, said the event was organized…
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) and the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) are close but different. The RCA offers more room for diversity on the issues of human sexuality, and churches can even celebrate same-sex marriages. Some CRC folks have asked whether they might fit better in the RCA, but they realise…
One of my biggest joys when working for the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) denomination for 25 years was the opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the church. At times it was more like a high-flying 30,000 foot view. My work lifted me out of my own individual church and community to see ministry…
“I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” – 1 Cor. 1:10 In November, my column provided the (lamentable) statistic that there…
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