Ken Vanderwal will be remembered for his exuberant spirit, his love of adventure, and his sense of humor. “He spent his life serving others and sharing God’s love in Honduras, Costa Rica, and wherever God called him,” said a daughter at his funeral. Ken, 85, died June 8 in Grand Rapids, Mich.Born in
Two or three times each year, Christian Reformed churches send representatives to their classes, regional assemblies of churches.Many of the actions taken by classes are governed by the CRC’s Church Order, the rules that govern denominational life. Here are some of the actions by classes in the past
The Banner editors have chosen the winners of this year’s Young Adults Writing Contest.This year, the biennial contest, with the theme “Sustaining Faith,” is sponsored by Plough Publishing HouseImage:“What does sustaining faith look like? What does it mean to be sustained in faith in today’s world?
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Aleja Hertzler-McCain, was published July 2, 2026 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style. The Banner added the fifth and sixth paragraphs and the last four paragraphs to provide
Teens in Classis Columbia, a regional group of Christian Reformed churches in the western U.S., have counted on Camp Calvin’s volunteer teachers and other professionals for opportunities in spiritual growth, friendship, and leadership since 1975.Preschool teacher Amy Toornstra, a member of Sunnyslop
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by David Katibah, was published June 18, 2026 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style. The Banner added a sentence to the third paragraph and added the last paragraph to provide con
Synod 2026 delegates Andy Sytsma and John Sinnema from Classis Yellowstone carried a memorial “yellow stone” with them when they attended the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church June 12-18 on the campus of Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich. The painted rock displayed “RIP
Here's a thumbnail of what synod covered:424 pages173 supplemental pages4 task force reports52 recommendations from the Council of Delegates40 overtures + 1 (deferred)2 communications9 agency, institution, and ministry reports5 related educational institution reports4 standing committee reports1 10-
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Kathryn Post, was published June 10, 2026, on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style. The Banner added the last paragraph to provide context for the Christian Reformed Church.Betha
The Christian Reformed Church in North America longs to be faithful. To be renewed. To be united. At Synod 2026, meeting June 12-18 in Grand Rapids, Mich., members who served as delegates did their best to move the car a little further down the road, but there were bumps and swerves.Mark Verbruggen,
Synod 2026 voted to not apply the term “church” to exclusively digital forms of ministry for now. The decision comes after Synod 2025 called for further study on the matter and said it was “premature” to make a decision about whether a purely digital congregation constitutes a church. Synod 2026, ho
“Renewal has been happening within the Christian Reformed Church. Right now 30% of the Christian Reformed Church ain’t white. That's a good thing,” Reggie Smith, diversity consultant with Thrive, began a presentation of the Diversity Connection Advisory Committee, near the close of Synod 2026.Smith’
Synod 2026 came to a close with multilingual prayer, a meditation from parliamentarian Michael Winnowski, and a final sermon and blessing from president Chad Steenwyk.Synod is the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. It met June 12-18, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mic
In response to a request to require all denominational employees and those on volunteer boards to show that they are professing members of a congregation in the CRCNA who fully support and defend the fullness of God’s Word and that the creeds and confessions of the CRCNA faithfully reflect Scripture
In a conversation about the financial health of the Christian Reformed Church, Synod 2026 recognized that the conversation shows the need to rebuild trust in the ministry share system and how those funds are allocated.In 2020, the denomination went from expecting a certain amount of money from each
Synod 2026 removed mention of contemporary testimony “Our World Belongs to God” from the Covenant for Officebearers that elders, deacons, and pastors must sign to signify their agreement with the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions of the Christian Reformed Church.One of the reasons given was
Synod 2026 was asked by churches in Classis Grand Rapids East (a regional group of churches) for clarity for local church councils when a proposed officebearer has a difficulty with one of the Christian Reformed Church’s doctrinal confessions. “That will increase the opportunity and expectation that
Synod makes a point to welcome each year seven young adults between the ages of 18-26 to attend, contribute to advisory committees, and be informed of the decisions and inner workings of the deliberative assembly of the Christian Reformed Church. This year’s young adult representatives expressed bei
Host Lora Copley, The Banner’s editor-in-chief, discusses synod’s last day of deliberations with Sarah Zylstra, a member of New City Church (Kansas City, Mo.) and Derek Buikema, pastor of Orland Park CRC (Orland Park, Ill.).
Synod 2026 accepted a review of the work of World Renew, part of a rotating evaluation schedule of Christian Reformed agencies adopted by Synod 2025.Synod recommitted to its covenantal relationship with the relief and development agency and encouraged congregations to create opportunities for World