The first plenary session of Synod 2026 opened with worship, thanksgiving, and the opening exercises familiar to the Christian Reformed Church’s annual general assembly: roll call, speeches, and welcomes. Synod president Chad Steenwyk, elected in an online convening two weeks ago, along with three other pastors to serve as officers, welcomed and reminded delegates they are here with a purpose, sent from their classes to work with one another.
Joel VandeWerken, director of ecclesiastical governance, followed the pattern set by Synod 2019 to consider how perceptions of power and privilege can affect synodical proceedings. He exhorted the delegates to consider how God would “have us speak and act as we interact with one another this week” and used instructions in Ephesians 4 as a model.
Synod 2026 is meeting June 12-18 in Grand Rapids, Mich., on the campus of Calvin University. Calvin president, Greg Elzinga, addressed synod, welcoming the delegates to campus, particularly as the school, along with Calvin Theological Seminary, celebrates its 150th anniversary.
Elzinga said he hoped all the delegates’ times here are “marked by grace,” and with a “renewed sense of God's faithfulness.”
As delegates stood for the Public Declaration of Agreement with the Beliefs of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, an act laid out in the Rules for Synodical Procedure and done at the beginning of the gathering every year, Steenwyk said, “We do this public declaration to make a testimony of what we are doing.”
“We’re not here because of a particular organization. We’re not here to promote ‘CRCNA Incorporated’—that’s not what we’re here for but we are here as those who are united in Christ who are called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
In his reflection of Ephesians 4, VandeWerken reminded, “We (as a body) are to do more than just avoid evil, we are called to build up our neighbor.”
Continuing, he said, “I think there are people who come to synod feeling a bit more self-conscious than others—maybe for their age, gender,” their language, or their ethnic background.
But each of those things, “whatever we’re bringing to the table in our experience or our perspective, is something that we are bringing as a trust that we hold from the Lord,” VandeWerken said.
He encouraged participants to look out for those voices that might be drowned out, and encourage their voices to be heard. “The point of being here is not to win the vote counts or make sure that our voice gets to the table.” Rather, “we want to be stewards of what God has given us,” and to reflect what God has done through us.
Before delegates broke to meet in nine separate advisory committees that will each review and come back with recommendations for their part of the synod agenda, synod approved what's known as the program committee report—the document prepared by the officers of last year's synod to assign delegates to committees, assign parts of the agenda to each committee, and assign a certain number of matters to a consent agenda. That item is expected to be taken up in a plenary session on Saturday.
Synod 2026, the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, is meeting June 12-18 on the campus of Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Go to crcna.org/synod for the livestream, photos, reports, and a live blog of synod proceedings and decisions. Find daily news and our video Synod Recap at thebanner.org/synod.