‘We Have Been Blessed to Serve the Lord Christ Alongside Our Canadian Brothers and Sisters’

The U.S. Ministry Board of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, in a statement shared with the Canada Ministry Board, committed to “making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit with believers from every nation … valuing doctrinal ties … (and) striving towards greater unity by seeking reconciliation when sin threatens our relationships.” The board adopted the four-paragraph statement May 8 during its spring meeting in Grand Rapids, Mich., the same week as meetings of the denomination’s Council of Delegates and the Canada Ministry Board.

Mark VanDyke, Classis Central California, a member of the U.S. Ministry Board executive committee, helped to prepare the Statement of Appreciation for the Bi-Nationality of the CRCNA. Providing “a little explanation for why we’re doing this,” VanDyke compared relationships with gardens and houses, saying “we need to attend or it will decline and fall apart. Especially right now there is a lot of tension. I have a Canadian wife; Michael (Ten Haken, the U.S. Ministry Board president) is married to a Canadian; Drew (Sweetman, board treasurer) has children in Canada—this is a real and live issue in Canada, including in the CRCNA. If we pay no attention to it (the binational relationship), it will just go the way that culture would think it should go.”

Several board members spoke in favor of making the statement, with one caution from Willem DeVries, Classis Grand Rapids South, that “we should keep our ties denominational, not political.” Herb Scheur, Classis Northcentral Iowa, said, “I feel it’s a little unfortunate that we waited this long to make this statement. The tensions have been there a long time, and I wish we had addressed them sooner.” The board voted to adopt the statement, and VanDyke read it aloud in the Council of Delegates plenary session May 9.

Several Canadian board members expressed appreciation for the statement and the spirit in which it was presented, including Andre VanRyk, newly elected chair of the Canada Ministry Board, as he gave a report of the Canadian board meeting to the Council.

The full statement praised God for the blessings of spiritual unity, theological unity, and relational unity, and acknowledged, “We have been blessed to serve the Lord Christ alongside our Canadian brothers and sisters. Although the cultures of Canada and the United States are distinct, we celebrate the unity that God has produced in the CRCNA and pray for continued cooperation for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. During this time of international tension, we rely on the Holy Spirit to guard and increase our unity as a bi-national denomination.” The board closed the statement with, “We commit to striving towards greater unity by seeking reconciliation when sin threatens our relationships (Mt. 18:15-20), by recognizing how our differences contribute to denominational vitality (1 Cor. 12:1-31), and by considering Canadian perspectives in decision-making (Phil 2:4). May the Lord of peace himself give peace to the CRCNA at all times and in every way (2 Thess. 3:16)” (Scripture references original).

Both boards in their meetings also confirmed the election of new officers, received ministry budgets, and heard from board executives Al Postma, executive director-Canada, and Dan DeKam, director of U.S. ministry operations.

DeKam reported, “As all of the departments are discerning where cost savings can be made, we also continue to understand that stewardship does not simply compel us to spend less, but to spend wisely,” seeking “cost savings that will allow us to continue our ministries and ministry support as well as possible.” Part of that includes the earlier decision to invest the proceeds of the sale of the former Grand Rapids denominational building into a building fund for the new 300 East Beltline Ave. NE location, which delegates toured May 7. The fund should pay for the upkeep and running of the building without needing to charge allocations to the ministries using the space. As part of its work, the board approved doing a full audit instead of just a review for the current fiscal year (ending June 2025).

VanRyk noted that the Canada Ministry Board discussed plans for the next Canadian National Gathering, a mandated event held every three years for Canadian CRC congregations. The board also agreed to prepare an open letter to Canadian churches to acknowledge unease among some Canadian members and sadness about some leaving the denomination, as well as to express a desire that the same “mood and grace witnessed at the (past year’s) Gather events would be replicated at synod,” which will meet in Ancaster, Ont., from June 13 to 19. One Canadian church has sent an overture requesting that synod envision and make the ecclesiastical changes necessary to reconfigure “the CRCNA as two distinct Christian Reformed Churches, one in Canada and one in the United States” (Agenda for Synod 2025, p. 396).

Postma, speaking about his role and DeKam’s role, said both are committed to “reflect the breadth of the ministry we do in collaborative manner, mutually supportive for the sake of churches,” and to act strategically, “doing the things that make the most difference for the churches … locally, regionally and internationally—whether the budge contracts, or grows, or stays the same.”