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 that the wording in the Covenant insufficiently distinguished the binding nature of the Reformed doctrinal standards from the ‘recognizing the witness of’ a contemporary testimony. Another reason was the inconsistency of “Our World Belongs to God” being included in the Covenant while another contemporary testimony of the CRC, the Belhar Confession, is not. In 2025 synod declined to add it.
Brittany Clark, Classis Grand Rapids North, agreed with the change. “I think it just adds too much confusion. I agree there is a distinction, but it does not need to be in the Covenant.”
Jeremy Scripps, also from Grand Rapids North, said that when “Our World Belongs to God” was crafted in the 1980s, it was never intended to be something officebearers would pledge themselves to. The testimony was updated in 2008 and included in the Covenant in 2012.
Mitchell Leach, Classis Northern Michigan, said, “We’re not debating the value of the contemporary testimony. We’re talking about whether it belongs in the Covenant.”
Brandon Seaver, Classis Georgetown, agreed. “We highly value this testimony, but it is not in the same space as doctrinal standards,” he said. “Synod says it is a doctrinal application to be used at the local level, as opposed to subscription to the creeds and confessions.”
Will Brouwers, Classis Rocky Mountain, was against the move. “There are things that bind us and things that do not bind that we still believe. For many years our denomination (has been) getting narrower and narrower. How much narrower will we get?”
One proposal was for a future synod to consider removing the Belhar from the contemporary testimony category, noting it’s of different historic provenance, theological nature, and ecclesiastical function than “Our World Belongs to God.” Synod declined to consider that option.
The officers of Synod 2026 judged that removing mention of the contemporary testimony from the Covenant is a substantial enough change that it must be ratified by a future synod before it is adopted.
Synod 2026, the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, met 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.