The Gospel Coalition, a para-church organization founded between 2005 and 2007 to help renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel, announced eight new council members Feb. 23. Derek Buikema, pastor of Orland Park (Ill.) Christian Reformed Church and president of the CRC synod in 2024, is among them. TGC is now served by a council of 52 members, all of them pastors and all men.
Buikema, who grew up in Brookfield (Wisc.) CRC, said he learned there to love the church, a love that grew and matured while he was at Wheaton College, and especially during his time in college ministry where he attended one of the initial TGC National Conferences in 2009. “My heart was captured by a vision of relentlessly Christ-centered ministry. I was also exposed to—and began to develop a love for—expositional preaching. Through TGC, I encountered Tim Keller, and found that he was animated by many of the great Continental Reformed theologians in my own tradition. In this way, TGC helped me understand and love my own theological tradition better.” Buikema recognizes that “TGC has given me a lot. And I want very much to give in return. I'm excited to serve.”
A fellowship of evangelical churches in the Reformed tradition, TGC was cofounded by Tim Keller and Don Carson, with the first council convened by their invitation in 2005 and foundation documents adopted in 2007. TGC describes the council members as “primary stakeholders who provide leadership and vision for the work of The Gospel Coalition.” Appointments to the council are not term limited.
Buikema joins three other Illinois-based pastors on the council. There are also council members from Massachusetts, New York, Washington, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California, and Oregon and one council member from Canada, one in the United Kingdom, and an emeritus council member in the Dominican Republic.
TGC says the council meets “annually for fellowship, discussion, planning, accountability, and prayer around the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Aiming to bring biblical conviction and pastoral sensitivity to bear on a range of pressing contemporary issues, the council is committed to shepherding the next generation of church leaders in line with TGC’s foundation documents.”
Buikema is the first Christian Reformed pastor named to the council, though he notes there are a number of Christian Reformed participants involved with TGC, attending national conferences and publishing articles, including Iowa pastor John Lee, and long-time senior writer Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra. “While there hasn't been formal council participation before, there have been a number of CRC men and women who have benefitted from the gospel-centered work of TGC,” Buikema said.
TGC emphasizes the importance of the local church in its mission. In announcing the new council members Mark Vroegop, TGC’s president, said “This group of trusted, experienced leaders from a variety of denominations and ministry contexts keep TGC on mission and connected to the practical needs of local churches.”
Buikema sees himself serving both as a CRC pastor and a Chicagoland pastor. “The unique aspect that I'll bring to the council is my affiliation with the CRC. But I'm thankful that the Lord has called me to serve the CRC in the Chicagoland area, an area I've come to love fiercely. I have been shaped by this denomination in this region, and specifically by Orland Park CRC's faithfulness to the gospel, generous service to others, and deep love for the Lord Jesus.”
Other pastors recently named with Buikema to The Gospel Coalition council are from Presbyterian, Anglican, Southern Baptist, and non-denominational churches.