Maddie's Five Aunts
06/19/2026

The invitation floated into my social media inbox, evoking the same feelings as beautifully inked, ribbon-tied stationery.Titled The Aunties + Maddie, the invitation came from my almost 12-year-old niece, Maddie, who lives across the country; she had created a chat group to connect with her five aun

Christian School Celebrates 100 Years at Washington Church
06/19/2026

First Christian Reformed Church in Everett, Wash., hosted the 100th anniversary celebration for Everett (Wash.) Christian School on May 15, the culmination of a year of special events. Melissa Patton, secretary of the Everett Christian School board and on the centennial committee, said the church’s

Woodcut
06/19/2026

The members of Big Big Train were inspired by seeing woodcuts on a visit to the Munch museum while on tour in Oslo. They developed a story of an artist who struggled with his life’s work only to find freedom in creativity. The resulting album, Woodcut, the band’s 18th, is among their best work. In t

Tiny Garden
06/19/2026

Young Andrew loves flowers and growing things, but when he looks at the gardens in his neighborhood, he’s astounded at how big they are. At first, he’s overwhelmed, but then he makes a decision. He will make a garden in his own way.With a small shovel, Andrew digs up a tiny rectangle in his front la

Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness
06/19/2026

In Feasting on Hope, author Hannah Miller King, a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, shares her story of childhood trauma within the framework of her experience of finding God’s gift of hope while participating in the Lord’s Supper, first as a young adult congregant receiving Communion,

Synod 2026 Makes Changes to Synodical Operation
06/18/2026

Synod 2026 approved several changes to how the annual synod of the Christian Reformed Church operates. The CRC’s Office of the General Secretary completed a review at the request of last year’s synod.The most debated item was the role of a parliamentarian at each synod, a role that was established i

CRCNA To Leave World Communion Of Reformed Churches
06/18/2026

Following passionate speeches from the floor, Synod 2026 voted to leave the World Communion of Reformed Churches, an ecumenical organization the CRC has belonged to since its founding in 2010. Delegates to synod expressed concern over some of the organization’s statements on moral, theological, and

Synod 2026 Accepts Calvin U’s Confessional Alignment Efforts
06/18/2026

Synod 2026 expressed appreciation for Calvin University, which is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church. Synod noted the work that the university, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., has done in bringing the university into alignment with the Christian Reformed Church’s doctrinal sta

Synod 2026 Dismisses Dignity Team
06/18/2026

Synod 2026 discussed the need and value of the denomination’s Dignity Team, a group established in 2022 to work “with those who feel they have been victimized by abuses of power in the CRCNA to offer direction and support.” The Council of Delegates, the governance board that serves synod between mee

Synod Will Continue to Meet Annually, Study Classis Restructuring
06/18/2026

Synod 2026 rejected a recommendation from its Council of Delegates to move to a biennial meeting instead of meeting annually. Though there is a need to balance costs and revenue, that was a move delegates weren’t willing to make. They noted that the savings are not enough to justify a change and tha

Synod 2026 Provides New Guidelines On Multisite Church Leadership
06/18/2026

Synod 2026 commended a task force report on multisite churches to congregations considering multisite developments.The report, requested by Synod 2024, offers multiple possible pathways for “multisite expressions” of church to relate to one another. Additionally, the report provides advice on multis

Synod 2026 Recap: Wednesday Deliberations
06/18/2026

Host Lora Copley, The Banner’s editor-in-chief, discusses synod’s third day of deliberations with David Bosscher, Lakeside CRC (Alto, Mich.) and Petr Kornilov, with Resonate Global Mission.

Fathers and Sons at Synod 2026
06/18/2026

As this synod makes decisions of generational impact, there are at least four groupings of two-generational families represented at Synod 2026.Synod is the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. It is meeting June 12-18 in Grand Rapids, Mich.Will Brouwers, Classis

Classes and Synod Can Discipline Local Councils
06/18/2026

Synod 2026 received the report of a task force that recommended procedures for the discipline of officebearers. The task force resulted from confusion about how or if a church council or classis can be disciplined by a broader assembly of the Christian Reformed Church, namely synod. Its report came

Council of Delegates Members Don’t Have to Be Ordained
06/17/2026

Synod 2026 said that even though the Council of Delegates acts in an ecclesial fashion, the members do not need to be officebearers in the church. The Council acts in the interim of annual synods. Delegates to synod must be currently serving officebearers who have signed the Covenant for Officebeare

Synod 2026 Approves Lora Copley as Banner Editor-in-Chief
06/17/2026

Synod 2026 approved the appointment of Rev. Lora Copley as editor-in-chief of The Banner, magazine of the Christian Reformed Church. Copley has served as interim editor since December.The magazine was in need of a new editor after the resignation of its previous editor, Shiao Chong, who left the pub

Worship as Covenant Dialogue Now in Church Order
06/17/2026

A change of Church Order was brought to Synod 2026, to include specifics for Reformed worship directly as a supplement. The principles—to be centered around God’s Word, encouraging the singing of psalms, and being sacramental, not performative—were previously referenced in the order, but not written

Synod Wants a New Mission and Vision Statement
06/17/2026

Synod 2026 agreed that the Christian Reformed Church in North America needs vision and mission statements that are more specific and better reflect the Christ-centered vision of the CRCNA. It asked the general secretary to form a group to work on this over the next year.The decision came in response

Where Is Your Treasure?
06/17/2026

On a basic human level we know we demonstrate our values by what we spend our time and money on. If you value education, you might spend time educating yourself or educating others, donate to educational institutions, or pay for school for your children. Indeed this truth is called out by Jesus in t

Discipleship Deepens Confessional Commitment of Members
06/17/2026

Synod 2026 noted that the expectation of commitment to our Reformed creeds and confessions (doctrinal standards) is higher for officebearers than for members, and consistories have the privilege and responsibility of discipling members “faithfully towards a deeper understanding of the gospel as arti