Synod 2025 wants to see more well-trained officebearers and exhorters of the Word in the churches of the Christian Reformed Church. It’s encouraging regional groups of churches to help prepare more individuals with a license to exhort, using Church Order Article 43-b, over the next two years. And synod encouraged churches looking for training materials to use Thrive’s resources including “Thriving Essentials” and “Deacon and Elder Essentials.”
In making the recommendations synod noted “the critical need to train officebearers” to serve the churches. Synod acted in response to requests from Classis Heartland to address leadership needs.
Aaron Greydanus, Classis Heartland, was appreciative of synod’s encouragement to classes to encourage churches to identify, train, and nurture individuals with a license to exhort in their classis by Synod 2027. “I really think this would be helpful to the broader church, and I like adding the classis so that the classes can have a long list of people who are licensed,” Greydanus said.
Rod Hugen, Classis Arizona, shared how hiring ministry interns who can be discipled, mentored, and learn how to do different jobs in the church, has been beneficial in his classis. “It has been fabulously successful,” Hugen said, encouraging other churches to use their resources in this way.
Drew Sweetman, Classis Muskegon, expressed “some sadness (over) the extreme shortage of people that we have to proclaim the Word. I think it’s all of our jobs to encourage people to be in a place to proclaim the Word.”
Thrive is the CRC’s ministry for congregational support ministry, with staff and resources focused on faith formation, abuse prevention, disability access, racial justice and diversity, and healthy relations for pastors and churches. Director Lesli van Milligen attended synod, which prayed for and blessed her in this equipping work.
Ministry leaders were encouraged to reach out to Thrive and use its resources when in need of support.
Thrive has also been responsible for the Gather initiative, an effort to respond to Synod 2023’s request to address decline in the CRC. Synod encouraged classes to “reflect on the results of the Gather initiative” and take time in fall classis meetings to pray for renewal in the Christian Reformed Church.
Synod 2025, the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, is meeting June 13-19 on the campus of Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ont. Find daily coverage from The Banner at TheBanner.org/synod. Visit crcna.org/synod for the agenda, advisory reports, recordings of plenary sessions, and to subscribe to the daily Synod News email.
About the Author
Isabelle Brown is a writer from Brampton, Ontario and a student at Redeemer University, where she is a reporter for The Crown. Her non-writing interests include painting and sketching.