Synod 2026 voted to not apply the term “church” to exclusively digital forms of ministry for now. The decision comes after Synod 2025 called for further study on the matter and said it was “premature” to make a decision about whether a purely digital congregation constitutes a church. Synod 2026, however, declined to establish a study committee on Reformed ecclesiology, or the nature of the church, so revisiting the question was within bounds. The request came from Classis Atlantic Northeast.
Synod is the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Synod 2026 met June 12-18 in Grand Rapids, Mich., on the campus of Calvin University.
Josh Dykstra, Classis Illiana, spoke in favor of the ruling. He said there was potential for confusion about what the decision means, and it’s important to note it applies to something different than what might come to mind when thinking of digital ministries. “What we are talking about exclusively is a church entity which only exists in a virtual realm.”
“There is an implicit anonymity online where a persona can hide a person. And to try and be genuine online, there is always going to be, if not a mask, a milieu that will prevent genuine human interaction,” Dykstra said. Synod said it “has a responsibility to maintain the confessional understanding of the church and to guard the use of the term ‘church’ within the CRCNA.”
Ron Kool, Classis Grand Rapids South, argued further study was necessary before making a formal decision about the nature of a church. “I think there might be more room still to address this question … just agreeing to (this request) because we said we didn’t want to study more doesn’t go in that direction.”
Some delegates spoke against creating a separate category for digital ministries because of the varied context of global Christianity. “What happens when there are places in the world that aren’t here, that they may not be able to meet in any way, any capacity other than online, even if it’s for a brief time,” Miles Davis, Classis North Cascades, said.
Tony Krossman, Classis Lake Superior, read from Acts 2:42-47, saying God has given, through his Word, a description of what the church is: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Synod 2026, the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, met June 12-18 on the campus of Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Go to crcna.org/synod for plenary recordings, photos, and reports. Find daily news and our video Synod Recap at thebanner.org/synod.