Episode 273: Synod 2026 — The New Leaders of the Denomination

“Four or five years ago, would we have guessed that anybody associated with Abide would be an officer of Synod? No way. They all had the black mark of the plague put on them. Now one of the leaders of the Abide Project is president, and we’re all kind of like, yeah, that makes sense. Of course this is where we’re at. This just points to this massive shift, and I just want to keep reminding us of it…There’s always further reformation that needs to happen, but it’s so important to remember how far we’ve come and how far things have changed…There’s a fog of reformation. You’re so in it, you’re always seeing the next hard part, and it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come.” — Jason Ruis

Summary of This Episode

It is that time of year again, folks! On this episode of the Messy Reformation, Jason and Dan break down the convening session of Synod held on May 27, the primary purpose of which is to elect the officers of Synod 2026. Chad Steenwyk, pastor of Central Avenue CRC in Holland, MI and vice-president of Synod 2023, was elected as president. Derek Buikema, pastor of Orland Park (IL) CRC, vice-president of Synod 2022, and president of Synod 2024, was elected as vice-president. Jose Rayas, pastor at Valley Ridge Community Church in Socorro, TX, vice-president of Synod 2016, first clerk of Synod 2019, and president of Synod 2022, was elected as first clerk. Dave Ten Clay, pastor at Bauer CRC in Hudsonville, MI, was elected as second clerk.

Jason and Dan agree this is a solid officer group. The major theme Jason points out is a clear shift in who’s being picked to lead the CRC in this capacity. He sees that in the fact that we weren’t surprised that leaders of The Abide Project are being elected in 2026, but it would have been surprising five years ago. He also notes those elected are part of the “new leaders” as opposed to the “institutionalists” or “old guard.” We are continuing to see shifts in the denomination of who delegates and members more broadly are seeing rise up.

Dan highlights that three of these men have been on the Messy Reformation before, and so our listeners have some familiarity with them (perhaps podcasts like ours are having some impact). He also notes, in recent years, some have alluded to the inexperience of the officers. As previous delegates and officers, there’s a lot of experience leading this year’s Synod.

Jason and Dan spend some time looking at trends in the delegate make-up. They note that Chad shared there are over 100 first-time delegates, which puts the number likely over 60% of the delegates. (If you are or know a first-time delegate, check out or share our “Prepare for Synod” links below). That’s a lot, but it also seems pretty average. Dan noted that most classes send a mix of experienced and first-time, but there are three or four classes that have four first-time and the same number that have four experienced delegates. He shares there are different ways and values that classes operate in choosing who to send. They also talk a bit about a relatively high number—at least 20 at one point—of delegates who missed the meeting. Schedules are busy this time of year, but delegates need to take this meeting and the delegation by their classis seriously.

Dan shares some insight from a recent Paul Vander Klay video about synod. Paul is the pastor of Living Stones CRC in Sacramento, CA, and has a wealth of experience in the CRC as a member, a pastor, and serving in his classis. He expects centrist delegates to pull back the reins on confessionalists this year, and so Synod won’t be too controversial. Dan sees that as a possibility, but notes confessionalists see work that still needs to be done. The fact that the votes for the officers were with confessionalist picks may be an indicator that Synod will keep moving that direction. Jason agrees and puts forth with the level of trust that’s been lost by members towards the denomination or Synod in recent history, he believes Synod is willing to step in and steer the ship where they want it.

They wrap-up talking about demographics when it comes to ethnicity and thoughts about how shifts from first-generation to second-generation immigrants may bring changes. Also, that no women allowed their names to stand or were nominated for officers, that the overall number of women sent as delegates continues to fall, may be showing some trends about local churches. Jason encourages us to pray for God’s working and delegates as they get ready in the days ahead for Synod 2026.

2025: Complete Guide: 50 Essential Tips for Delegates (Jason, Willy, and Roger Mash-up)

2024: Glorifying God through Synod Leadership (Willy) and Equipping Joyful Warriors (Jason)

2023: Final Thoughts Before Synod (Jason)

2022: Prepare for Synod with Me—General Advice (Jason and Roger), Advisory Committee Advice (Jason and Roger), and Church Order and Synodical Procedure (Jason and Roger)

Readers, this will be my last write-up as I head into my sabbatical this summer. The upcoming summaries will be supplied by AI. Lord-willing, I’ll be back in late August!