Episode 154: Empty Pews, Empty Pulpits - Reshaping the CRC to Attract a New Generation - Steve Bussis (Part 1)
“There are only so many CRC churches that I would feel comfortable serving and that would likely even call me…They may be in alignment on paper, but not in alignment in practice…I think we would all love to focus our attention less on one specific issue of human sexuality, and focus our attention on the [proclamation of the gospel], and God’s work through it.” -Steve Bussis
Summary of This Episode
Welcome back to the Messy Reformation where Jason and Willy are joined by Rev. Steve Bussis. Steve is a pastor at Bethel CRC in Churchill/Manhattan, MT. He grew up at Beaverdam CRC in Michigan and previously pastored in Coopersville, MI. As he shares a little about his call and path to ministry, we find another pastor who didn’t grow up planning to head this route, but he had a moment in college when he felt an overwhelming sense that his plan was not what God intended for him. Through discussions with his pastor and beginning to volunteer at his church, a call to ministry emerged.
Steve attended Westminster Seminary California for his MDiv. This got him away from home, but he also found it to be a very fruitful place to train for ministry. Westminster has professors who are “very, very biblically-based, spoke very highly about the authority of Scripture, [and are] committed to the Three Forms of Unity…and also the Westminster Standards…The seminary is very intentional about training pastors to preach Christ from all the Scriptures and all the classes tie into that.” Knowing there were other CRC pastors who had graduated from there, he felt comfortable attending there and returning to the denomination he has grown up in and loves.
Being a lifer in the CRC, Jason asked about changes Steve has seen in the denomination. For him, there’s a lot that hasn’t changed, at least in the congregations he’s been a part of. However, he does note that in the past, there was far more uniformity from one congregation to the next, and that’s not the case anymore. Steve shares, “…There are only so many CRC churches that I would feel comfortable serving and that would likely even call me.”
Jason picks up on that related to the large number of pastoral vacancies in the denomination and the longer time that churches are remaining vacant. He proposes that the differences among pastors and churches is part of that. Because there’s less uniformity, there’s a greater hesitation with finding out who and what the pastor is about and who and what the congregation is about. “They may be in alignment on paper, but not in alignment in practice.”
Willy adds that part of the search process difficulty is also the current state of large numbers of pastors hitting retirement age without there being near enough candidates to replace them. Steve wonders if this is unique to the CRC—which Jason does not think it is—while also recognizing it relates to the ongoing division in the CRC. Given what the last two Synods have done, this group feels like the CRC is still a good place for likeminded pastors and there have been students who are willing to go to Calvin or head for CRC candidacy because of the recent decisions and actions. This is extremely important, as Steve shares, “I think we would all love to focus our attention less on one specific issue of human sexuality, and focus our attention on the [proclamation of the gospel], and God’s work through it.”
Since Steve is a representative from Classis Yellowstone on the Council of Delegates, Willy asks him to share his experience in that role. Over the last year—his first year, Steve’s enjoyed the opportunity to connect with leaders throughout the CRC. He does wonder about the productivity and efficiency of the Council, noting that “…The COD is a little hesitant to dive too deep into things, not wanting to overstep its bounds.” Jason points out that one of the tradeoffs in moving from the much smaller Board of Trustees to this larger Council of Delegates does seem to be that we traded efficiency for the sake of representation, accountability, and greater connectivity with the classes. Steve views that in a positive light—having a COD rep in each classis can help with some of the isolated feelings that those outside of West Michigan tend to have. Jason points out it’s worth the CRC looking at how to change “having all of the frenzy and activities [surrounding] Grand Rapids.”
The episode wraps up with Steve sharing the difference in his experiences at three different Synods and what he’s noticed in the last couple of years. More on that next week.