Dawn and Gary Brouwers started a trend 22 years ago when they brought their kids to synod while Gary was a delegate. In 2026, son Will is back as a delegate, kids in tow.

“The Lord be with you, And also with you; El Señor esté contigo, Y también contigo; 주께서 우리와 함께하시나니, 항상 함께하시리이다,” Synod 2026 delegates greeted one another Saturday.

Synod’s annual women’s dinner was a time of fellowship, encouragement and reflection.

Host Lora Copley, The Banner’s interim editor-in-chief, talks with guest Joshua Jiang, a first-time observer of synod, to get his take on the proceedings so far. Jiang is a member of Princeton CRC (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and a South Korea-based Chinese pastor working with Resonate Global Mission.

Synod’s first plenary session began with worship, thanksgiving, and an encouragement to be conscious of power and privilege dynamics when deliberating

Host Lora Copley, The Banner’s interim editor-in-chief, and guest John Hoekema, pastor of Horizon Community Church (Downers Grove, Ill.) and the denomination’s prayer shepherd, talk about the foundation of prayer laid before and during this year's synod.

Jerry Dykstra, who lived, worked, and served in lay ministry in Arizona after leaving CRC denominational leadership in 2011, died April 27. He was 76.

Pastor and chaplain Peter W. De Bruyne, who ministered to congregations in Alberta, B.C.; Saskatchewan; and Ontario, died May 11 at age 93.

The Christian humanitarian relief organization airlifted an Ebola treatment unit to the DRC at the end of May in response to the outbreak of the deadly disease.

With a theme of “Foundation to Future,” the Christian Reformed Church in North America’s fourth Canadian National Gathering came on the 10-year anniversary of the first.

In this first episode of The Banner Synod Recap, host Lora Copley talks with guest Nate Van Denend about the officers chosen for the Christian Reformed Church’s Synod 2026, what the officers’ roles are, and what to look forward to at this year’s annual gathering.

The Banner received professional recognition from the Evangelical Press Association and the Associated Church Press for work in four categories in 2025.

The discovery offers insight into how early Christians read and understood Scripture and provides a point of connection for contemporary Christians.

Pastors Chad Steenwyk, president; Derek Buikema, vice president; Jose Rayas, first clerk; and Dave TenClay, second clerk, were selected to serve as Synod 2026’s officers.

One hundred fifty years after a church was founded on its spot, Mount Hope (Ont.) Community Christian Reformed Church celebrates being able to carry on the legacy.

“There are a lot of people in this world who have such a better quality of life because they were given a wheelchair”—volunteer Roger Feekes, Bethel CRC in Sioux Center, Iowa.

“We are trying to stop the war from entering people’s hearts,” evangelical Christian preacher Francis Mbombo told Religion News Service.

Gerard “Jerry” Lee Dykstra, who served as executive director of the Christian Reformed Church of North America from 2006 to 2011, died April 27. He was 76.

The Christian Reformed congregations of Pembroke and Renfrew, Ont., formed in the early 1950s, share some history, current circumstances, and desire to faithfully serve.

The Council of Delegates of the CRC met May 6 to 8 in Grand Rapids, Mich., saying goodbye to those finishing their terms, appreciating retiring denominational leaders, and forwarding many items on to synod in June.

Mike Johnson, chair of the COD’s Resonate Global Mission Committee, introduced discussion of the proposed plan with a sense of incredulous gratitude: Last year at this time we were discussing cutting grants for church planting, and now we’re close to approving a full church-planting plan.

Lee Carter, a member of Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Lansing, Ill., and past executive VP of scriptural engagement at Bible League International, has been approved to lead the CRC’s Thrive ministry.

With a celebration of immigrant congregations from over a dozen nationalities now worshiping under the Christian Reformed umbrella, churches in the Greater Los Angeles area marked the legacy of the CRC’s oldest institution, Calvin Theological Seminary.