Thirty seminary graduates have been declared candidates for ministry in the Christian Reformed Church this year. Most of these candidates earned their master-of-divinity degrees from Calvin Theological Seminary, the CRC’s official theological school, in Grand Rapids, Mich. Applicants who earned their degrees elsewhere have completed The CRC’s Ecclesiastical Program for Ministerial Candidacy, which is administered by CTS.
These candidates have been recommended for ministry by the Calvin Seminary faculty and the Synodical Ministerial Candidacy Committee (SMCC). Further information for each candidate, along with information on this year’s other Calvin Seminary graduates, is available on the CRC website at www.crcna.org.
Also introduced here, but not pictured, are those who received degrees from the seminary without seeking candidacy.
The Banner asked Rev. Thea Leunk, SMCC chair, and Rev. Duane Kelderman, Candidacy Committee chair at Calvin Seminary, to offer the candidates words of encouragement as they are introduced to the church.
Dear Candidates,
We have good news and, well, hard news for you. The good news is that the church you are about to serve wants you to flourish in your ministry! You have heard the call of God and answered it. Your dedication is remarkable. The church is moved by your sacrifice and hard work to get to this point. The church wants you to flourish.
The hard news is that you will truly flourish in your ministry only when you and the congregations you serve empty yourselves for Christ’s sake, when you take up your crosses and follow Jesus. And most days people aren’t standing in line eager to carry a cross, much less die on one with Christ. So the very church that wants you to succeed will often resist the call of the gospel. And you will get caught in the crossfire.
But be encouraged. Though the road ahead is difficult, it is also filled with joy and rewards too many to number. You will look far and long to find pastors who regret giving their lives to ministry. Indeed, when you lose your life for the gospel, you find it.
We encourage you to be humble. You have a lot to teach the church. You also have so much to learn. Good listening and good leadership are two sides of the same coin—now and throughout your ministry. The ministry is not about you. When you are weak, then you are strong.
We also encourage you to love those you lead. People cannot be bludgeoned into righteousness. Your message is a gospel of grace, not a yoke of commands. If people could be good, they would. They need a Savior. They need to be loved.
And finally, when you feel like the road is too long and the path too steep, remember, it’s not your church. It’s Christ’s. You don’t have to carry the whole load. A recurring and liberating discovery that pastors make throughout their ministry is that they are not God! Keeping that straight enables you to laugh a little more, to be thankful, and to be a little lighter on your feet.
Blessings in your ministry!
Thea Leunk
Chair, Synodical Ministerial Candidacy
Committee
Duane K. Kelderman
Chair, Calvin Theological Seminary Candidacy Committee
Troy Bierma
Language: English
Shawn Bootsma
Language: English
John A. Bothof
Languages: English
and basic Dutch
Micah Bruxvoort
Languages: Spanish
and English
Jeffrey R. Bulthuis
Languages: Spanish
and English
Nicholas Davelaar
Languages: basic Dutch, basic Spanish, and English
B. Joy Engelsman
Language: English
Tobin (Toby) S. Gruppen
Language: English
Todd H. Hilkemann
Languages: English and intermediate level Spanish
Leon Johnston
Language: English
Ben Katt
Languages: Spanish
and English
James Kim
Languages: English
and Korean
Rita Klein-Geltink
Language: English
Brian Kuyper
Language: English
Hyuk Soo Kwon
Languages: Korean
and English
Zeke Nelson
Languages: Spanish
and English
Samuel Perry
Language: English
Richard L. Pinckney
Language: English
Robert L. Pollema Jr.
Language: English
David J. Prince
Language: English
Michael Ribbens
Language: English
Daniel Roels
Languages: Spanish
and English
Daniel Roukema
Language: English
Benjamin Spalink
Languages: Japanese (conversational) and English
Dave Spoelma
Language: English
Michael VanderKwaak
Language: English
Jana Vander Laan
Language: English
Reese VanderVeen
Languages: Dutch (conversational) and English
Theodore Vellinga
Languages: English and American sign language
David Westra
Language: English
Brian Willats
Language: English
Editor's note: When first published this article included contact information for the candidates, which has since been removed. To get the current Candidacy booklet with contact information, visit crcna.org/candidacy/candidates.
