Development of CRCs outside of the United States
There are some 12-15 CRCs outside of North America. Many of these were assisted and supported through as mission efforts of the NA’n CRC; by and large, all of these are now autonomous and self-sustaining CRCs with their own governance structures, contextualized mission and goals and the authority to make all the necessary decisions about their futures. Save for the Canadian CRC.
For example, the CRCs of Nigeria and The Philippines largely began as missions of the CRCNA, although in both cases, Christianity was already established in many regions in the countries.
Through the time that the CRCNA was involved in the mission efforts, it was quite intentional about helping to ensure that the group of churches would grow together as a unit (a “Synod”) and would eventually become autonomous. Save for the Canadian CRC.
The first CRC in Canada was established in 1905 in southern Alberta. Its earliest membership was made up of both immigrants directly from The Netherlands, and Dutch immigrants who, after having been in the US for perhaps a generation, came north from Montana, and had earlier emigrated from The Netherlands. Already in the 1930’s, the US CRC officially saw the growing network of CRCs in Canada as a mission field. By the beginning of WW II, there were 15 CRCs in Canada, which by that time, were largely made up of immigrants directly from The Netherlands. Each of these churches were grafted into American classes (groups of churches) which lay proximal to the US-Canadian border. There was a great deal of American assistance to and support for these congregations from the start: ministers were provided by the US CRC; often, funds for building (or at the least, for hymnals, pews, Lord’s Supper sets and the like) were offered to the new congregations.
The American CRC saw its role in the world as sharing God’s word and planting churches…in short, going into all the world and preaching the gospel. That started by establishing a mission in the American southwest and preaching to the Indigenous folks who lived there. Soon, a growing number of congregations emerged in the Navajo nation.
The CRC also developed missions in Nigeria, The Philippines, Liberia and elsewhere. Nigeria was the first, beginning in 1896. The biggest impetus to that mission was in 1919, when Johanna Veenstra left the US for Africa, with a vision to help create a self-sustaining church/denomination that would ultimately be independent of the North American CRC (see
here a Banner article for a description of her work). Veenstra remained in Nigeria for 13 years (she died of acute appendicitis there), but the work that she began continued to grow. Missionaries and funds poured into the country, congregations/churches were planted, schools were established, including a theological college. The trajectory that Veenstra had established, continued for several decades; there was a concerted effort to enable local leadership to develop and flourish. The missionaries made a point of enabling the Nigerian church(es) to contextualize their worship and their OWN mission, and to establish and grow local leaders. Ultimately, a national Synod was born (1951), and in 1984, a fully autonomous denomination was created. It could chart its own course, establish its own (ecclesiastical and organizational) rules, certify its own leaders, and act as a full partner (not a missional appendage) of the CRCNA.
A similar story played itself out in The Philippines. Churches were planted in the 1960s through the (then) Christian Reformed World Missions (now Resonate). The missionaries sought, from the outset, to adapt many elements of the church(es) to local culture: worship, organizational structure, leadership. The plans that were developed, largely in consort with the newly established churches, had as a major intention, to ultimately create self-sufficiency and autonomy. This planning and church planting culminated in 1976 with the establishment of the CRC-P, which had its own Synod. Then, in 1994, the CRC-P had full autonomy, and was in full partnership with the CRCNA.
Similarly: Liberia. CRWM began its work in Liberia in the 1960s. In the first years, the church(es) was tied financially to the CRC mission agency in North America; this tie was typical of all the fields with which the CRCNA was involved in their “infancy.” That is, funds needed for the work of the church(es) were sent from North America, causing at first, a dependency. However, as with the church(es) in the other countries, a concerted effort was made to develop in the long run, a financially, organizationally and ecclesiastically self-sustaining church. Through a large number of twists and turns (not the least of which was the Civil War), the CRC of Liberia was born, with a national Synod, able to chart its own course into the future. It was and is a full partner of the CRCNA.
Last example: Australia, in many ways, similar to Canada. Essentially, the beginnings of the CRC in that country can be traced back to the Dutch immigration following the Second World War. The CRC in the United States, already having experience in translating the Reformed tradition into a non-European region, supported the establishment of the CRC-A. It assisted in creating a theological college in 1954 (already!), and encouraged the church to develop its own Synod, which it did in 1957, thereby leading to self-governance.
These autonomous denominations were assisted and supported by the CRC in the United States. In each case, the churches were grateful for that support; in each case, the church created its own national denomination and moved forward in partnership with the American CRC. Save for Canada.
In each case, a consistent pattern could be seen:
- missionaries were sent and churches were planted
- worship and organizational structure were both contextualized,
- local leaders were trained, in local theological schools,
- (local) financial stability was sought and found,
- domestic governance was encouraged and developed,
- national ecclesiastical autonomy was developed,
- partnership was established.
Save for Canada.
The ideal of having the two countries on the North American continent structurally being in the same denomination, has consistently been foundational to the American side of the CRCNA, and to some folks on the Canadian side as well. It has been claimed that the “binationality” has been a blessing to both countries. Hence, there is yet one denominational theological college, one annual synod, one overall office of the General Secretary (notwithstanding two equal EDs on both sides of the international boundary). There have been multiple attempts to ensure that the two countries remain together structurally. The story of these attempts has been masterfully researched and told by Gayla Postma, available as: "The CRC in Canada: A Field Guide"
The Banner, Oct. 18, 2021 (
here).
Synod 2024 adopted the report of a CoD study committee tasked with exploring “the integration of international churches into the composition of the CRC.” The adoption of this report reflects a desire to bless and be blessed in turn by our sister denominations around the world through a shared reformed identity and unique cultural and contextual differences. It is an expression of a “vision for a deeper global engagement.”
While the CRCNA has decided to pursue this initiative, synod also acknowledged a number of challenges identified by the Global Vision report including “physical distance; cultural and language differences.” They also stated that “an ever-present concern is paternalism,” along with the “concern about maintaining local autonomy” expressed by some leaders of Reformed denominations outside North America. The Canadian experience suggests these global leaders are wise to be cautious, and these concerns have been repeatedly experienced and identified by CRC ministry leaders in Canada.
In pursuing this Global Vision, Synod 2024 made a firm statement that free and equal partnership with churches in different countries is a high value. It was also made clear that the goal is not incorporating or absorbing those other denominations into the CRCNA and blunt their distinctiveness or unique contribution, but instead “developing an ecclesiastical body that would be the global CRC church. This body would not be a single global denomination but, rather, an opportunity for the CRCNA and its global partners to go deeper in partnership with each other.” The creation of a distinct Canadian CRC in an equal partner relationship to a distinct U.S. CRC would be a consistent application of these expressed values.
Ultimately, there is a desire, as evidenced by the formation of Toward CRC Canada, to ensure that all the decisions that affect the Canadian CRCs, are made in Canada, for and by Canadians. The apparent Synodical shift in the interpretation of the meaning of and reason for the Confessions, has encouraged some Canadians to reconsider being connected structurally with the CRC in the US, and are advocating instead for a partnership of equals. This partnership, it is proposed, will be similar to the relationships that characterize all the other CRCs around the globe that have had a birth and adolescence connected with the American CRC, and then in adulthood, developed an adult partnership arrangement.
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