Chicago South Racial Reconciliation Committee Suspends Its Work

Citing “a perceived lack of support from classis” the members of the Chicago South Racial Reconciliation Committee declared the committee’s work suspended in a report to the fall meeting of Classis Chicago South (regional group of Christian Reformed churches). “Because classis has constituted this committee,” the committee noted, “it is up to classis to decide to reactivate or eliminate the committee.” At the Sept. 17 meeting classis received the report for information.

The report detailed some of the committee’s history, attempts to fulfill its current mandate, and frustrations with lack of engagement.

“Over its term, a variety of congregations were represented on the committee and various activities have been organized. The committee appreciates those congregations that responded to its efforts by attending the unity services and by following the suggestion of a preaching series based on biblically founded synodical report ... ‘God’s Diverse and Unified Family.’ We are thankful that most pastors preached a series of sermons on the significance of ethnic diversity and harmony. We are disappointed that our unity services, and especially the February 2024 Racial Reconciliation Forum, that we thought were crucial, were sparsely attended,” the report reads. “It seems to the committee members that overall there has been little interest in and support of the work of the committee.”

Related: Chicago-Area Churches Worship Together at Unity Service (July 21, 2023)

The report notes particularly that the committee received only two responses to feedback it requested after a confessional liturgy it was mandated to write did not go over well at classis.

“In response to comments made at the February 2025 meeting of classis, the committee sent out a communication soliciting reactions and possible changes to the liturgical confession. … Also, the committee emailed a questionnaire to the councils of classis to attempt to understand the congregations’ expectations for the committee. Only two responses have been received from representatives of church councils in Classis Chicago South to either of those communications,” the report reads. That is from a classis of 14 organized congregations, though three of them—Center Grove Church, Roseland Christian Ministries, and Hope Christian Reformed Church—have now disaffiliated from the CRCNA. Two more South Chicago churches are in the process of disaffiliation.

Tim Toeset, a member of Pullman CRC, chaired the Racial Reconciliation committee until its suspension. He noted the committee has included various members from a variety of congregations but became “somewhat heavily represented from Pullman” in recent years. “That’s not odd since the originating overture (in 2021 to form this committee) came from Pullman and the issues are ones that Pullman people care about deeply.” Other active members at the time of deciding to suspend the committee's work were from Hope, Roseland, and Grace Community churches.

In reports included in the September 2024 and February 2025 meeting minutes of Classis Chicago South, the Racial Reconciliation committee observed a potential disconnect with its work attempting to call out and repent of racially motivated sin.

“Synod 1996 declared ‘to be in Christ is in principle to be reconciled as a community of racially and ethnically diverse people and that to ignore his calling to turn this principle into experienced reality is sinful according to God’s Word and the Reformed confessions’—from God’s Diverse and Unified Family. This statement clearly indicates that racism is contrary not only to Scripture but also to the confessions that all officebearers in the CRC, including us here, have covenanted together to uphold and abide by,” reads the September 2024 committee report to classis. “Part of our covenant relationship calls for us to challenge one another to be faithful to our confessional declarations. Our call to racial reconciliation should be recognized as seriously and energetically as the attention paid to other deviations from biblical and confessional standards. That recognition is at the heart of this committee’s attempt to unveil the sin of racism that remains hidden in our social structures and attitudes, including in our churches.”

The February 2025 committee report presented a litany of confessions and requested “a response from the delegates to classis about holding another Unity Service.” The minutes note that “classis offered feedback,” but do not record what the feedback was. [1]

In its report in the September 2025 agenda for Classis Chicago South, the committee observed, “Declaration for imperative confessional adherence to another matter has gained prominence, denominationally and classically. It seems it is easier to call people to confessional obedience and demand discipline when the issue seems not to affect one personally. However, calling for confessional submission and discipline when it may involve a sin one is connected to, is far more difficult to deal with and easier to disregard. Given the duplicity involved in the current climate of confessional submission, the committee members have no desire to continue in this effort under the auspices of Classis Chicago South.”

Toeset said committee members “intended to communicate that we are not giving up on the concept of racial reconciliation. What shape that will take, we have not determined.”