Episode 227: Synod 2025—Living Into Our Decisions & Rebuilding Trust (Chad Steenwyk & Aaron Vriesman)
"Don't fret. This is the Lord's church. He's going to build it. Synods rise and fall, but the Lord will remain forever and remain steadfast. I would also just mention the importance of prayer. I think that prayer is much more powerful than we even realize. I would say that one person praying is much more powerful than a person being a delegate at Synod and casting a vote. The Lord can work in hearts and minds in ways that we cannot. Let's not underestimate the importance of praying for Synod, the Christian Reformed Church, the delegates, and God's leading in all of this." —Aaron Vriesman
Summary of This Episode
This week on the Messy Reformation, we have a special episode with Jason being joined by Rev. Chad Steenwyk (Central Ave. CRC, Holland, MI) (Episodes 25-26) and Aaron Vriesman (North Blendon CRC, rural Hudsonville, MI) (Episodes 23-24) to talk about what’s coming up at Synod 2025. One of the general notes as the episode begins is that we’re getting closer to normal levels of overtures and communications. At the end of the 2010s, Synod agendas had around 20 overtures and communications. That skyrocketed the last three years (over 60 in 2022; over 80 in 2023; over 90, including deferred, in 2024). The agenda for 2025 lists 30 overtures and 8 communications. While some continue addressing aspects of recent Synods, the guests point out it seems we’re looking for stability and following through together.
Chad brings us to the broadest collection of overtures related to the Covenant for Officebearers and gravamen (Overtures 11-21). They spend some time on the topics of Overtures 17 and 19, which try to provide a way for confessional submission with a personal disagreement. Chad notes this idea was already considered similarly in the idea of a confessional exception gravamen, and the current confessional difficulty gravamen already includes submission. It’s impractical to expect that a person can keep their ongoing private disagreement truly private while signing on with promoting and defending our confessions. They wrestle with this and other overtures that seek to turn back recent decisions as not really having new grounds. Aaron notes that submission functions for us as a unit, and to take exceptions on one matter likely leads to other exceptions and undermines how the CRC uniquely views our confessions. Chad notes when it comes to re-signing the Covenant for Officebearers—whether that’s a physical signature or standing—it’s a renewal that he would prefer to be not just annual but at every classis meeting.
Jason steers the conversation towards some of the institutional reports as Synod 2024 instructed them to come into alignment. Aaron starts with the Calvin University Board of Trustees report, which might be best summarized as “polite resistance.” In his interpretation, it’s telling the church to stay in its sphere or lane and let the academy be in its own. He later points out how many universities started out as church-owned or connected institutions, but given independence, turned down very different paths than their initial denomination. When Calvin says it wants to stay CRC, it would make sense to closely align. Jason notes the often-mentioned academic freedom argument allows professors to study and research widely; it just limits their teaching.
The three have a brief discussion on the Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) Board of Trustees report. Calvin University and Calvin Seminary are separate institutions with their own boards. The general takeaway is that CTS continues to say the same thing year after year, noting they’ve talked about this, and don’t need to do anything different. Yet Jason notes, they haven’t been as clear as they think they have. Chad highlights seminarians continue to share that they wonder about the convictions of the seminary. He also believes offering some clarifications would help show how the seminary is operating faithfully in alignment when it comes to hiring new staff, evaluating current staff, managing social media posts and conversations with staff that have brought criticism. Jason recognizes CTS wants trust from the denomination and to continue building that, but disagreement seems to continue on how.
Next up in the conversation is Overture 7, which asks synod to set up an advisory committee to interview or vet nominees to agency and institutional boards. Synod is asked every year to approve a lengthy slate of nominations, and often the delegates don’t know all the names or know about them or why they’ve been nominated. Chad shares how as one of these nominees for a committee, he hasn’t experienced anyone learning more about him beyond what he’s answered on a Google Form. This overture came out of Classis Zeeland, Aaron’s classis, who recognizes those serving on our boards are so important; we should be more diligent about who serves on them.
One of the most difficult matters before Synod 2025 is reviewing the relationship between the CRC and the RCA. The Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee (EIRC) was tasked with reviewing this, and reports to continue on. When it comes to minister’s convictions, RCA ministers serving in the CRC should be signing the Covenant for Officebearers, so all is well. Yet Aaron highlights how the RCA has lost 60% of its membership in recent years and continues to change. Sure, the RCA says their stance hasn’t changed on marriage; however, it's quite clear there is no enforcement of such things. Chad is clear—they deliberately don’t enforce it; that’s part of the spirit of the RCA. He points out how there is a historical fundamental difference in our denominations about the confessions as officebearers in the RCA submits insofar as the confessions agree with the Word of God while those in the CRC hold are expected to hold a much stronger belief that the confessions do agree with the Word of God. He shares how closely intertwined the CRC and RCA are in Holland, it would be difficult to comb through, but this should be dealt with. Jason correctly concludes, this advisory committee has to do some work.
They move on to Overture 10 next which is a bit of a delicate one. It asks synod to reaffirm “that the authority of granting baptism is held with the local consistory.” Aaron summarizes what’s behind the overture is when Synod decides and declares what puts someone not in good standing (e.g., a married same-sex couple)—so not able to enjoy the baptismal privilege of membership, that’s infringing on the consistory. He points out, though, in the overture the classis recognized that baptism is larger than that congregation as well as the CRC—it’s not a local only thing. Chad acknowledges Synod can’t get into every situation, but local consistories are guided by decisions that get made by Synod. This is another area where our covenanting with one another factors in.
The last overtures they discuss are Overtures 5 and 6, which deal with The Banner. Chad believes it would be good to rethink the magazine’s purpose and give a clear mandate, especially because things have changed. Its present format may not be the avenue to communicate what needs to be communicated. Jason points out that he would like to see it more promote and defend the doctrines of the CRC. Chad allows there can be a place to be provocative, but it seems so light on teaching and encouraging what it means to be CRC or Reformed. Along with that, Jason identifies that it seems to focus so much on lamenting synod’s decisions. We would benefit by having a denominational publication and personnel who are excited and unashamed about what we believe.
Also on the agenda for Synod are overtures requesting a celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed (Overture 8), including the Belhar Confession in the Covenant for Officebearers (Overture 9)—which is noted to seemingly not have new grounds, nurturing healthy pastoral spouses (Overture 4), officebearer training (Overture 25), and prioritizing church planting (Overture 29). Chad and Jason both note many of these are exciting things, the things we’ve been saying we want to get to, and hopefully we can make progress. Aaron cautions delegates to not overlook the reports that are coming from a task force on assisted suicide/medical assistance in dying (MAiD), a task force on virtual church, and a team on synodical pronouncements, decisions, reports, positions, and advice. Chad adds that delegates shouldn’t overlook or fall asleep on the “little” or “one-off” overtures. For non-delegates, they all agree, keep the delegates, Synod, and the CRC in prayer, and trust the Lord will continue to build his church.