Synod 2026, the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, made several consequential decisions for the future of the CRCNA, including adopting a 10-year strategic plan for discipleship, church planting, and renewal. It also requested a study of Christian nationalism, to report to Synod 2028, and a one-year task force to review the current classis structure and make restructure recommendations to Synod 2027.
Individuals have now been named to the study committee and task force, appointed by the officers of Synod 2026. And denominational staff have been allocated to provide leadership to the implementation of the strategic plan.
Jon Hoekema, CRCNA prayer shepherd, is the lead on the prayer and fasting initiative “Project Antioch.” A Nov. 2-4 Prayer Gathering is planned in Katy, Texas, to assemble “150 leaders and believers representing the full, rich ethnic diversity of the Christian Reformed Church in North America” … to submit and surrender “to the Spirit’s leading for the church … and to pray that we would be sent out boldly in the power of the Spirit.”
The rest of the implementation team looks like this:
- Discipleship and multiplication: Rev. Elaine May, Thrive renewal consultant
- Leadership development: Rev. Susan LaClear, director of Candidacy
- Church planting pathways: Vivy Cassis, Resonate church-planting operations manager
- Legacy pathways: Lee Carter, director of Thrive
- Financial sustainability: David Morgan, Resonate director of operations
- Team leadership: Roberta Vriesema, director of partnership administration, and Tim Sheridan, director of church planting for the CRCNA
Serving on the committee to study Christian nationalism are pastor and church planter Christian Sebastia; Calvin Theological Seminary professor Gabriela Pike; Rob Joustra, professor of politics and Spoelhof Chair at Calvin University; pastor Lee Khang of Ocheyedan (Iowa) CRC; Jordan Ballor, executive director of the Center for Religion, Culture &Democracy; pastor John Lee of Bethel CRC in Sioux Center, Iowa; Jeff Taylor, professor of political science at Dordt University; Gina Taylor, member of the classis interim committee for Classis Hamilton; and Michael Bentley, pastor of Trinity CRC in Maryland Heights, Mo. Lee will chair the committee, and Joustra is its reporter.
The task force on classis restructuring includes Kaitlyn Hofsink, stated clerk of Classis B.C. South-East; Gregg Lawson, a retired pastor and interim committee chair for Classis Eastern Canada; John Granada, a commissioned pastor with Sunlight Community Church in Miami, Fla.; pastor Cory Nederveld of Hillcrest CRC in Hudsonville, Mich.; pastor Drew Hoekema of Orland Park (Ill.) CRC; pastor Jose Rayas of Valley Ridge Community Church in Socorro, Texas; pastor Dan DeGraff of Baldwin (Wisc.) CRC; David van der Woerd, a Canadian at-large member of the CRC’s Council of Delegates; Cindy VanderKodde, Council of Delegates member for Classis Grand Rapids East; and pastor Mike Koetje of Westwood CRC in Kalamazoo, Mich. Hoekema will chair the task force, and DeGraff is its reporter.
The Project Antioch Prayer Gathering is a response to commitments made in the discipleship, church planting, and renewal plan. Published on pages 514-539 of the Acts and Agenda of Synod 2026, the plan includes milestones for the first, third, and fifth years, and a subsequent five-year reset. Ahead of those, the plan emphasizes laying a foundation of prayer and fasting, highlighting the biblical story from Acts 13 that “shows that prayer is a catalyst for mission and the launching of new works of evangelism, including the work of church planting” (Acts and Agenda pp. 516 and 517).
In adopting the plan, synod drew particular attention to instructions for “the Office of General Secretary to design and align an ideal church-plant journey, with clear ownership for each stage from disciple to leader to church planter to launch, along with an agreed staffing structure and committed funding plan to support implementation” and the request for “an annual update on progress achieved in this strategic plan on an annual basis for the next ten years” (p. 644 of the 2026 Acts and Agenda).
Expect future updates on the Office of General Secretary’s progress in these assignments as well as updates on the following:
- The dismissal of the Dignity Team. Synod asked the Council of Delegates to work with current team members to resolve any current cases of support within a year.
- New denominational vision and mission statements. Synod asked general secretary Zach King to form a committee to work on the update and give an initial report to Synod 2027.