Report Proposes Supervisory Reminders, System for Recording History of Allegations

When Synod 2026 meets on the campus of Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich., June 12-18, a report following up on a request from 2024 regarding accountability for addressing allegations of misconduct will be part of its agenda.

Synod is the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Matters to be addressed by synod can come through formal requests by individuals, church councils, or groups of churches; reports of task forces and standing committees; the report of the Council of Delegates (synod’s interim committee); and responses to assignments from earlier synods. Synod 2024, responding to a request from a member of Hancock (Minn.) CRC, chose not to “explore the need for a CRCNA licensing board for CRCNA pastors,” but to have the Office of General Secretary look at “the issues of accountability mentioned within Overture 11 and report to Synod 2026 on how to address them within Reformed polity.”

Staff of Thrive, the CRC’s multi-focused congregational support ministry, prepared the Addressing Accountability in Pastoral Misconduct report with input from the Office of General Secretary. It’s available online from synodical services and will be in the published Agenda for Synod 2026.

It acknowledges that “councils do at times lack sufficient training and are too close to situations to handle them objectively. Their processes and decisions should be supported and reinforced by outside resources that can provide increased oversight and accountability.” The report aims “to strengthen the credibility, transparency, and pastoral integrity of ministry leaders in a way that benefits the CRCNA as a whole.”

Specifically the report recommends the following:

• Requiring formal involvement from outside of a church’s council for all forms of allegations—not limited to sexual misconduct
• Mandatory administrative leave during investigation of sexual misconduct allegations and involvement of a neighboring council for reinstating a pastor after suspension, not just the initial determination of suspension
• Updates to the “Guidelines for Handling Abuse Allegations against a Church Leader,” a document available under “Resources from synod” in the denomination’s collection of Safe Church Policy material
• Reminders about supervision responsibilities for council’s holding the credentials of pastors in non-congregational ministry (e.g. chaplains, professors, denominational staff)
• Encouraging the use of background checks in the pastoral search process and instructing the Office of General Secretary “to develop a process for maintaining a history of allegations against pastors while accounting for the sensitive nature of such information”
• Reminders of denominational resources, particularly through Thrive, to support the assemblies’ response to allegations of ungodly conduct
• Instructing classes to consult with Thrive in the process of appointing new classis safe church coordinators
• The Office of General Secretary review the CRCNA’s abuse response procedures every three years as to their continued effectiveness
• Expressing “deep appreciation for the councils and classes who have sought to faithfully address allegations of abuse against a church leader under their supervision” and praying for “the Spirit’s wisdom and clear guidance for all officebearers who may find themselves confronting such difficult situations in the future”

Proposed changes to the Church Order supplement and the guidelines for handling abuse allegations are included in two addenda in the report.