“Truly God has more for this denomination instead of an ongoing church decline. The question is what are we going to do collectively?” Tim Sheridan, director of church planting for Resonate Global Mission, said that was the question of Synod 2025, and it only gave a year to have a plan for a 10-year
Elaine May, congregational renewal consultant for Thrive ministries, gave an impactful presentation to Synod 2026 of Thrive’s newly developed resources for church renewal across the Christian Reformed Church.Thrive is the CRC’s congregational support ministry that equips and encourages churches and
Delegates rising to their feet with applause after a synod speech is rare in the Christian Reformed Church, but that’s how Synod 2026 reacted to general secretary Zach King’s address this year—one where he encouraged the church to embrace its moment for mission.“I think they said ‘thanks,’” synod pr
Will Brouwers, a delegate to Synod 2026 from Classis Rocky Mountain, says he’s nostalgic for synod, despite this being his first time as a delegate. His first experiences of the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church were as a son tagging along with his pastor dad, Gary Brouwers, m
Psalm 117, “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples,” opened worship for Synod 2026 on June 13, as delegates met in plenary session before returning to advisory committee deliberations for most of the day.The assembly sang in Spanish and English, with worship leader Rachel Bouwk
The Alumni Association board room, on the upper floor of Calvin University’s Commons building, typically hosts two things when the Christian Reformed Church’s synod meets at Calvin: early morning prayer and specialty dinners. Deacon delegates have one. Korean delegates, ecumenical guests and the com
Host Lora Copley, The Banner’s interim editor-in-chief, talks with guest Joshua Jiang, a first-time observer of synod, to get his take on the proceedings so far. Jiang is a member of Princeton CRC (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and a South Korea-based Chinese pastor working with Resonate Global Mission.Synod
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 o
Host Lora Copley, The Banner’s interim editor-in-chief, and guest John Hoekema, pastor of Horizon Community Church (Downers Grove, Ill.) and the denomination’s prayer shepherd, talk about the foundation of prayer laid before and during this year's synod.Synod 2026, the annual general assembly of the
Jerry Dykstra, a pastor who served congregations in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Walnut Creek, Calif., before working in denominational leadership, lived, worked, and served in lay ministry in Arizona after leaving CRC service in 2011. He died April 27 after a 19-month illness. He was 76.Dykstra was bor
Pastor and chaplain Peter W. De Bruyne is described as a compassionate, humble, and selfless man with a pastoral heart who blessed all who knew him. He saw the brokenness and suffering around him and stepped into it, walking alongside and loving people through difficult journeys. De Bruyne, 93, died
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Yonat Shimron, was published May 29, 2026, on religionnews.com. It has been edited for Banner style. The fifth paragraph, with context for the Christian Reformed Church, has been added.(RNS) — Samaritan’s P
“There’s a ‘u,’” a chorus of voices rang out from the back of the room, wanting to be clear on the Canadian spelling as notes were jotted down from reporters sharing wisdom and challenges from their particular focus area to the gathering of Canadian Christian Reformed Church in North America members
In this first episode of The Banner Synod Recap, host Lora Copley talks with guest Nate Van Denend about the officers chosen for the Christian Reformed Church’s Synod 2026, what the officers’ roles are, and what to look forward to at this year’s annual gathering.Van Denend was Synod 2025’s president
The Evangelical Press Association and the Associated Church Press, two professional organizations for Christian publishing, had their annual conventions in May, distributing awards for work produced in 2025. This year the ACP hosted its convention jointly, in Toronto, Ont., with the Canadian Christi
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Fiona Murphy, was published April 27, 2026 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style. The Banner added the last three paragraphs to provide context for the Christian Reformed Churc
Three experienced officers and one new clerk will serve Synod 2026 of the Christian Reformed Church in North America as the assembly comes together in June in Grand Rapids, Mich.Delegates to Synod 2026 convened by Zoom video conferencing May 27 to elect the officers, test out the meeting tech, and p
Mount Hope (Ont.) Community Christian Reformed Church celebrated 150 years of gospel proclamation in its location at the end of May, even though only eight of those years were as Mount Hope Community CRC.The congregation, formed in 1952, used to be known as Mount Hamilton Christian Reformed Church a
Seven volunteer fabricators from Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, Iowa, are helping to increase production of Hope Haven International’s tiltable wheelchair, a tool developed in 2020 by engineering students at Dordt University.“Each wheelchair is carefully selected and tailored to m
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Tonny Onyulo, was published May 5, 2026 on religionnews.com. It has been lightly edited for Banner style.GOMA, Congo (RNS) — As gunfire and explosions echo across eastern Congo’s hills amid the ongoing viol