Classis Watch: Spring 2025

Two or three times each year, each Christian Reformed church sends representatives to its classis, a regional assembly of churches.

Many of the actions taken by classes are governed by the CRC’s Church Order, the rules that govern denominational life.

Some of the actions made by classes in the past several months include significantly large numbers of disaffiliations and ministers released from ministry. The Banner is working on a longer article to tell some of these stories of denominational change. (See also Affiliations Shift in Classis Grand Rapids East and Beyond, Feb. 26, 2025.)

Ministers

Candidates examined and approved for ministry in the Christian Reformed Church (Arts. 6 and 10): Jeremiah Mitchell, Kevin Moxon, Natasha Specht, and Erik Pluemer.

Ministers welcomed from other denominations (Art. 8-c): Soonhyuk Kwon.

Ministers loaned (Art. 13-c): Rich (Eui Goo) Kim to Hosanna Presbyterian Church (Korea).

Ministers released from ministry in a congregation (Art. 17-a): Revs. Anthony Matias from The Good Shepherd CRC in Prospect Park, N.J. (due to church disbanding); Paul Droogers from Iron Springs (Alta.) CRC; Lorie Jonkman (ordained in the Reformed Church in America) from Ivanrest CRC in Grandville, Mich.; Dan Roels from Boston Square CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Jake Porter from Immanuel CRC in Hudsonville, Mich.

Eligible for call: Allan Kirkpatrick, Anthony Matias, Dan Roels.

Leaving Ministry in the CRC

Classes may end a pastor’s ordained ministry status guided by Church Order articles 14 and 17. In the case of Art. 14, designations of release (reflecting the manner and spirit in which the minister acted during the time leading up to and including resignation from office)are “honorably released,” “released,” “dismissed,” or in the “status of one deposed.”

Honorably released: Via Article 14-b: Andrea Baas, Nick Baas, Amanda Benckhuysen, Kristy Bootsma, Joyce Borger, Michael Borgert, Richard Braaksma, Kelly Buist, Cynthia de Jong, Nate DeJong-McCarron, Samantha DeJong-McCarron, Erika Dekker, Joel C. DeMoor, Daniel DeVries, Elisabeth DeVries, Joy Englesman, Julie DeGraaf Feenstra, Arianna Tolsma Hiskes, Sarah Hoogendoorn, Laurie Hogge, Tony Holmes Curran, James Holwerda, Meg Jenista Kuykendall, William Jensen, Kelsi Jones, Rebecca Jordan Heys, Deb Koster, Steven Koster, LeRae Kuperus, Ruth Lemmen, Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, Jeff Meyer, Lisa Meyer, Marc Nelesen, Karen Norris, Matt Postma, Chris Rea, Robert Rienstra, Dan Roukema, Katrina Schaafsma, Ryan Schreiber, Sarah Schreiber, Ben Snoek, Heather Stroobosscher, John Terpstra, Geoff Vandermolen, Ellen Van Tongeren, Sarah VerMerris, Caitlin Visser, Klaas Walhout, Joanna Wigboldy, Timothy Wood, Brad Zwiers, and Dan Zylstra. Via Article 14-c: Nate Al-Attas Bradford, Aminah Al-Attas Bradford, Sarah Roelofs, and John D. Witvliet. 

Ministers retiring (Art. 18) (granted emeritus status): Revs. Ed Top, Chris DeVos, Roger Sparks, Joel De Boer, Anthony Selvaggio, Gideon Wamala, Jay Shim, Edward Visser, Randall Ledeboer, Tony Maan (effective July 4), Gerry Koning, Peter Tuininga (effective Sept. 1), Mike Vandyk (effective Oct. 10), Ron Vanden Brink (effective Nov. 23).

Resigned as minister emeritus: John K. Jansen.

Commissioned Pastors

Approved as commissioned pastors called to specific roles within their classes (Art. 23): Dario Mendez (Northern Illinois); Daniel Navarro (Hackensack); Joe Gruppen (Georgetown); Ron Sato, Tim Cordova Jr., and Tim Park (Greater Los Angeles); and Crisanto Escabalzeta and Mark Urban (Grand Rapids East).

Ending service as commissioned pastors (Art. 24-d): John Simon, Melanie Wright, Jim Bushoven, Heather Cowie, Jacqueline Bonk Mignault were honorably released.

Granted commissioned pastor emeritus status (Art. 24-e): Angel Casas (California South).

New Ministries and Ministry Changes

An emerging (unorganized) church does not have its own council and is under the care of the council of a neighboring CRC. An organized church has its own council (Art. 38).

Received organized status: Las Vegas Vision Church in Las Vegas, Nev.; HyungJe Presbyterian Church of S.C. in Anaheim, Calif.; and Living Water CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Recognized as emerging: Rhema Community Church in Bakersfield, Calif.

Disbanding or closed: The Good Shepherd (El Buen Pastor) in Prospect Park, N.J.; Fellowship CRC in Greeley, Colo.

Dissolved: Hope CRC in Carvel, Alta.

Disaffiliated: Boston Square CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Calvin CRC in Grand Rapids; Church of the Servant in Grand Rapids; Eastern Ave CRC in Grand Rapids; Ebenezer CRC in Leota, Minn.; Fellowship CRC in Edmonton, Alta.; First CRC in Grand Rapids; Fuller Ave CRC in Grand Rapids; Grace CRC in Grand Rapids; Neland Ave CRC in Grand Rapids; New Hope Church in Bangor, Maine; Oakdale Park Church in Grand Rapids; The Road CRC in Calgary, Alta.; Saugatuck CRC in Holland, Mich.; Sherman Street Church in Grand Rapids; and Washington D.C. CRC.

Affiliated: La Casa de Mi Padre in Holland, Mich.

Other Matters

Classis Ontario Southwest hired a new chaplain, Richard VanManen, to serve the campus of Western University, starting Aug. 1, 2025.

Synod

Classes may direct requests or communications to synod, according to the Rules for Synodical Procedure.

Classis Northcentral Iowa is askingSynod 2025 to celebrate instances of reconciliation and repentance, proposing a feast to mark the return of individuals or congregations who came under discipline as defined by the Acts of Synod 2024. They note the motive of discipline is not separation but reconciliation and that a celebration would make this clear.

Classis Hackensackis asking Synod 2025 to update the Covenant of Officebearers to add the Belhar Confession alongside the Our World Belongs to God contemporary testimony. Synod 2017, in placing the Belhar Confession in the newly defined category of contemporary testimony, specified at the time that “Adherence to the Belhar Confession shall not be included in the Covenant for Officebearers” (Acts of Synod 2017, p.707).

Classis Grand Rapids South is askingthat Synod 2025 clarify the authority of granting baptism. Its request says a decision by Synod 2024—that churches demonstrate “a commitment not to recognize same-sex marriage as ecclesiastically valid, either in officiation or any manner of blessing a wedding rite or a baptismal rite”—might have caused confusion and asks synod to affirm the consistory’s ability to discern a baptism request, upholding Article 56 of the Church Order that the primary criterion for baptism of a child is that “the covenant of God shall be sealed to children of confessing members.”

Classis Iakota is asking Synod 2025 to end the ‘in communion’ relationship with the Reformed Church in America and to remove Church Order Article 8-b and related sections. This would end the “free exchange” of ministers between the RCA and the CRC, requiring that RCA ministers called to minister in CRC congregations be treated like ministers from other denominations. The overture references the two denominations' diverging polity and theology.

Classis Iakota is also sending to Synod 2025 a communication it previously sent to the ecumenical and interfaith relations committee, asking it to reconsider the close ecumenical relationship between the RCA and the CRCNA on the basis that the two churches no longer align on major confessional and theological issues.

Classis Iakota is asking Synod 2025 to “provide steps of accountability toward churches and classes in defiance and open rebellion” of synod’s instructions, noting instances of classes seating delegates from congregations in protest and congregations disregarding synod’s requirement that elders and deacons must be able to sign the Covenant for Officebearers “without reservation.”

Classis Hudson is asking Synod 2025 to approve the transfer of Grace Community Chapel in Teaneck, N.J., and their affiliates (Cornerstone Church of NY) from Classis Hackensack to Classis Hudson.
Classis Heartland asking Synod 2025 toadd a supplement to Church Order article 3 to include a discipleship/educational component for all offices. The classis is also asking synod to direct Thrive ministries to focus on officebearer training in the coming year.

Classis Heartland is asking Synod 2025 to revise The Banner’s official mandate to more clearly reflect its public role as the CRCNA’s official publication. They want The Banner to explicitly represent the CRCNA in a way that aligns with the denomination’s confessions and synodical decisions. Their grounds reference The Banner’s growing social media presence.

Classis Heartland is asking Synod 2025 to encourage every church within the CRCNA to identify, train, and maintain an individual with a licence to exhort in their church by 2027. They reference the growing number of ministers retiring from full-time ministry and the need to intentionally raise new leaders.

Classis Grand Rapids East is sending a communication to Synod 2025 in response to Classis Iakota’s request to “provide steps of accountability toward churches and classes in defiance and open rebellion.” Classis Grand Rapids is communicating that they complied with Synod 2024 through the formation of an ad hoc committee in a legally appropriate way.

Synod 2025 is meeting June 13-19 on the campus of Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ont. The Banner will provide daily coverage at TheBanner.org/synod. See crcna.org/synod for the agenda, advisory reports, recordings of plenary sessions, and to subscribe to the daily Synod News email.