A request from Classis Zeeland to appoint a study committee to evaluate and clarify the Christian Reformed Church’s polity surrounding the relationships among local church councils, classes (regional groups of churches), and synod has been passed on to Synod 2026. It was originally sent to Synod 2023 and has now been deferred three times.
Zeeland wants a biblical and theological analysis and then “recommendations for a proper polity that is biblically faithful and historically informed and addresses the issues the church is facing today.” Synod 2025 said a denominational task force is currently addressing some of the matters raised in the request, so “it would be premature and potentially counterproductive to create a study committee that would duplicate or overlap with the ongoing work.”
The Task Force to Develop Church Order Procedures to Discipline Officebearers, assigned by Synod 2024, is scheduled to report to Synod 2026. Its mandate is narrower than what Zeeland has asked for, but it will be studying the relationships between council, classis, and synod in regard to discipline from the broader assemblies. Synod 2025 said, “Once that report is received, Synod 2026 will be in a position to determine whether the report is sufficient or whether further study is warranted.”
Synod 2025, the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, met June 13-19 on the campus of Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ont. See the full week of coverage from The Banner. Visit crcna.org/synod/annual-synod for the agenda, advisory reports, and recordings of plenary sessions.