Interest in the work of Toward CRC Canada (TCRCC) is growing in the wake of Synod 2024, which was held last week in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Church leaders are contacting me,” said Pastor Everett Vander Horst, Chair of TCRCC, “because they see that we need a different way of being church in Canada.”
TCRCC has identified three main areas of concern as the impact of Synod’s decisions are felt in local churches. It proposes a different approach in Canada by Canadians to deal with them.
-
What it means to be a “confessional church”. In-out; us-them; yes-no. Those speaking from the floor were required to state, at the outset, on which side of the issue they stood. While many lauded the clear decisions of Synod 2024, the fallout is a polarization within churches that will hinder rather than help local ministries in our unique and diverse Canadian contexts. Dialogue, conversation and a genuine wrestling with what it means to fulfil the Great Commission has been superseded by the requirements of a new and narrowly defined confessionality. Church life, where we are called upon to make disciples, requires sensitive care for people who have a diversity of views and real-life experiences and relationships, within and outside of local churches. This includes matters such as same-sex marriage, but also diverse views on baptism and Indigenous ministries and justice issues. TCRCC proposes that Canadian CRC members be able to come together and discern what is best for ministry in Canada.
-
Separating ecclesiastical and operational ministry. The outcomes of Synod 2024 show that the division between the ecclesiastical and operational aspects of ministry, which lies at the core of the current approach to binational governance, does not serve Canadian churches well. Synod is an ecclesiastical assembly where Canadian churches are in a significant minority (75% US, 25% Canada). Decisions made at Synod 2024 directly impact the day-to-day operations of churches and ministries across Canada. Our Reformed approach to life and doctrine has always been a holistic one; to separate Word and life ministry, orthodoxy from orthopraxy, is contrary to our worldview. TCRCC proposes a Canadian ecclesiastical assembly to make decisions that better integrate the theology and the practice of Reformed ministry and witness for communities across Canada.
-
Canadian charities and our contribution to Canadian society. Canadian charities, including our churches, must exercise direction and control in Canada. It’s the law of the land. These laws exist to benefit society and to ensure strong accountability for the use of all resources. Three quarters of the voters at Synod 2024 were US citizens, making decisions that impose significant limitations on the scope of direction and control within local churches and ministries in Canada. TCCRC proposes a Canadian CRC in which Canadian members can take full responsibility and accountability for ALL decisions that impact ministry at the local and national level of our country, honouring the command to love God and our neighbour.
Looking forward
TCRCC will be stepping up its work, given the tight timelines imposed by Synod 2024. We will use inclusive ways such as Zoom calls to hear suggestions by Canadians on practical ways to move forward on the Vision that is posted here.
