Most of you know I spent the last week in Grand Rapids Michigan on the Campus of Calvin University for Synod 2022. It was in many ways a historic synod. The Covid pandemic forced Synod to be cancelled in both 2020 and 2021. Because of this, there was much to be done. The Agenda for Synod, along with the deferred agendas from the previous two years added up to more than 1500 pages of documents for us to wade through.
The Good
This was my first time at Synod, so it was an educational experience for me. I learned much about how Synod works, and more importantly I learned much about the various ways the CRC is serving God all over the world.
I was able to reconnect with a few old friends, including one of my first mentors in ministry Rev. Dale Slings. Because I don’t have tons of roots in the CRC, I was able to make a lot of new friends as well. The people I spent the most time with were the other delegates from Northern Illinois. Pastor Gregg Demay, and Deacon Jennifer Solzenbach from Elmhurst CRC and Elder Bonnie Zigterman from Lombard CRC.
Like most denominations, the CRC has been shrinking. But there are pockets of the CRC that are growing. Specifically in Latino and Asian contexts in North America.
We heard reports about the work of World Renew (fighting hunger and poverty and providing disaster relief worldwide), Resonate (The CRC’s missionary agency) and Reframe Ministries (used to be called “Back to God Hour” and is the part of the CRC that produces the “Today” devotional)
We interviewed two new professors that will be teaching a Calvin Seminary. Dr. Yudha Thianto (left) will be teaching Historical Theology, and Dr. Wilson Cunja (right) will be teaching Old Testament. We were blessed by their love for the Bible and the Church.
We interviewed Dr. Zach King to be the new General Secretary of the CRC. I hadn’t met him before this week, but he came and sat down at the table I was eating lunch with on the day of the interview. He seems like a kind, humble, genuine person. He will need many prayers, as he has a very difficult job ahead.
We also confirmed the work the denomination has done to restructure the organization because of changing non-profit laws in Canada
The Challenging
The most weighty item on the agenda regarded the Human Sexuality Report. A 175-page report was produced by a Synod appointed committee in 2020, and this was Synod’s first chance to discuss it. The Synod affirmed the work of the report and confirmed a historic understanding of marriage and sexuality. Much of the discussion revolved around Heidelberg Catechism Q and A 108, which speaks about the 7th Commandment. While this part of the report received the most attention, maybe the strongest part of the report was its discussion on the pervasive nature of pornography in our churches and in our world. This is an issue that is affecting all people no matter your marital status or sexual orientation. The report delivers very good information on the damage being done by pornography, and the need for our churches to be standing against it. If you would like to read the report, you can find it here (https://www.crcna.org/sites/default/files/human_sexuality_report_2021.pdf)
Related to the Human Sexuality Report the Synod also had to make some decisions regarding discipline for a church in Grand Rapids that had ordained a deacon in a homosexual marriage.
What happens going forward is very uncertain. There is a percentage of churches (I would guess between 10 and 20%) that will be disappointed by these decisions, and how they will respond is unclear. What is clear, is that there is much pain involved in this. Many people are left unsure what their place is in the CRC. Even for the majority that believe these decisions were good, there will be much pain and loss for our entire denomination.
Local
Synod is one of those things that we all seem to recognize needs to be done. And we wonder about the fact that it’s just a lot of meetings, most of which don’t have direct impact on the local church. I’m still sympathetic to that, but I do appreciate in new ways the importance of what is done at Synod. The part of the agenda that my committee worked on was a new Code of Conduct policy for ministry leaders in the CRC.
Since 2019 Synod has recognized the need for a Code of Conduct policy that will help to define what abuse is, so that we can continue to make sure that our churches are a safe place for everyone. Hopefully, this will also will not change anything in our day to day operations at Grace Valley, but it will continue to provide leaders with a description of what godly leadership looks like, and give the people in our churches some help to identify whether or not the leaders are acting in a Christlike manner. This will not be implemented denomination-wide immediately but will be required to be signed by office-bearers and ministry leaders at some point in the near future. Individual churches that find it helpful can adopt it any time. You can find the Code of Conduct here (https://www.crcna.org/synodresources/crc-code-conduct-ministry-leaders?language=en)
Final Thoughts
There is much more to say, but I don’t want to make this too long. If you just have a specific question or two, please ask anytime. If lots of you have questions, and are interested in more details, I’d be happy to set up a time where we can discuss these things in more detail as well.
Lastly, I want to say thank you to all of you at Grace Valley. Spending time with so many different ministry leaders reaffirmed for me how blessed I am to be your pastor. All churches have challenges in 2022, and Grace Valley has some of its own. But your care for me and my family, your encouragement, your grace, your love for each other, and your desire to join God in mission in our community stands out against so many stories that I hear at a gathering like this.
I love you. Thank you for letting me serve God with you.
Pastor Eric