In a wide-ranging speech with details from many parts of the Christian Reformed Church, general secretary Zachary King looked at the biblical and real-world themes of renewal and rebuilding as he addressed Synod 2025 on Saturday, June 14.
Synod is the denomination’s annual general assembly. It is meeting June 13-19 in Ancaster, Ont.
King said, “We like simple stories where things only go one direction—‘and they lived happily ever after’—but the real world is much more complicated.”
He read Ezra 3:10-13 and noted the “contradictory emotions” between the “great shout of praise to the LORD” and the weeping of “many of the older priests and Levites and family heads who had seen the former temple.” Recognizing “it certainly was not a ‘happily ever after’ moment,” King pointed out from the story “four stages on God’s road of rebuilding and renewing.”
The first is to “recognize where we’ve been.” King said, “Remembering God’s faithful love is a foundational spiritual discipline that frames the way we think about present and future.” He noted the upcoming 100-year anniversary of First CRC in Chatham, Ont., the host church of Synod 2025; and the 150th anniversary of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary, as well as the 150th anniversary of Kellogsville CRC in Kentwood, Mich. In 2027 the CRCNA will mark 170 years.
The second stage is to recognize where we are now. “The road to renewal and rebuilding of our churches and ministries must pass through this present moment,” King said. He recognized how it’s “been a challenging three years, for our community of churches as we’ve debated our position on human sexuality and defined the boundaries of belief and behavior around it.” He shared that 34 churches have disaffiliated or are in the process of disaffiliating from the CRCNA. “Most of them have left our denomination because of these synodical decisions and their implementation.” Though there are challenges, King said, “God is rebuilding and renewing the ministries and congregations of the CRCNA.”
He told delegates about Hesed Community Church of Detroit, a church that is supporting community members with Bible studies, discipleship, mentoring, laundry, meals, and more.
The third step is to recognize where we are going, which King illustrated with a story from Classis Red Mesa about their Leadership Development Network. Red Mesa has many relatively isolated areas in northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona, where it’s hard to call and retain pastors. The network trains leaders in theology, biblical interpretation, and ministry skills. King said, “After many years of training, the pulpits of Red Mesa congregations are mostly filled with ministers, commissioned pastors, and trained lay-leaders” who love their congregations.
Ending with the four-milestone ministry plan “Our Journey” King talked about the fourth stage: how we are going to get where we’re headed. “God is cultivating in us habits of prayer and spiritual practices, transforming our lives and communities by the power of the Holy Spirit,” King said. “On our journey of rebuilding and renewal we acknowledge God helping us listen to the voices of every generation; shaping us for ministry together; … growing us in diversity and unity by seeking justice, reconciliation, and welcome; sharing our faith as we build relationships with our neighbors and newcomers; … (and) helping us to share the gospel, live it missionally, and plant new churches in our neighborhoods.” He shared how Hebron CRC in Whitby, Ont., is one among many congregations embodying these milestones. Hebron CRC started 65 years ago as a congregation of recent Dutch immigrants to Canada “who came to rebuild and renew … on unfamiliar soil.” Now, Hebron CRC is welcoming Chinese immigrants who are rebuilding their lives in Whitby. The church has two worship services, one in Mandarin and one in English, combined ministry for the children from both cultures, and mutual fellowship.
King concluded that the story of rebuilding and renewal for the Christian Reformed Church, like the biblical story of rebuilding the temple, “very likely will be full of starting, struggling, and restarting again. It may be that as God lays a renewed foundation, we may both lament because it isn’t what we expected and rejoice because it’s so much better.”
Synod 2025 president Stephen Terpstra thanked King for his leadership and encouraged the body to thank him again. Delegates responded with standing applause.
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
Kristen Parker is a freelance writer. She has a passion for words and creativity. Kristen and her husband Chris, enjoy board games and thrift shopping. They attend Stratford CRC in Stratford, Ont.