Lee Christoffels & CJ den Dulk — Pastoral Ministry: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
“I would say without any hesitation that the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.” —Martin Lloyd-Jones
One of our goals at Messy Reformation is to highlight the good work happening across the CRC. This conversation from Classis Minnkota is exactly that. Pastors Lee and CJ represent nearly 90 combined years of faithful gospel ministry, and their wisdom, humility, and love for the church shines through every word. We’re grateful for men like these who have devoted their lives to preaching the Word and shepherding God’s people. Watch, learn, and enjoy.
Summary of This Conversation
Between them, Pastor Leroy and Pastor CJ represent nearly ninety years of faithful gospel ministry in the Christian Reformed Church. At a recent Classis Minnkota meeting, these two seasoned shepherds sat down for a candid conversation about the past, present, and future of pastoral ministry. What emerged was a compelling call to reformation, faithfulness, and confidence in the power of God’s Word.
The discussion opened with a striking portrait of pastoral ministry from the biography of William Hamilton Burns, a Scottish pastor who served his congregation for over fifty years. Burns “preached the word, dispensed the sacred supper, warned the careless, comforted the sorrowing,” and did so “with a calm, serious, cheerful, loving diligence that was the fruit of faith and prayer, always at his work, and always happy in it.” This vision of devoted, Word-centered ministry set the tone for the entire conversation.
Both pastors reflected on the influences that shaped their callings. They pointed to godly parents, faithful churches, wise professors, and mentors who invested in them. Pastor CJ recalled his grandfather taking him to the basement after sermons to offer correction and encouragement. Both emphasized that the Holy Spirit uses the kindling of faithful instruction and eventually “lights it,” with the church continuing to “fan into flame” the calling to ministry.
When asked about priorities, the answer was unequivocal: the Word of God must remain central. Pastor Lee insisted, “I’m first of all a minister of the word,” whether in the pulpit, at a hospital bedside, or in premarital counseling. Pastor CJ echoed this, noting that pastors should view all of life through the lens of “that preaches, this will preach.” Alongside Word-centeredness, they stressed prayer and personal integrity. Spurgeon’s habit of approaching the pulpit with the prayer “I believe in the Holy Spirit” reminded them that ministry is impossible apart from divine help. And the call to “watch your doctrine and your life closely” from 1 Timothy 4:16 remains essential, for hypocrisy is a major barrier to the gospel, especially among young people.
The conversation then turned to changes in the world and the church since these men entered ministry in 1970 and 1992 respectively. While cultural assumptions about biblical literacy and morality have shifted dramatically, the fundamental need remains the same: people need the gospel. Pastor Lee warned that many confuse the gospel with “being good,” a dangerous conflation that obscures the message of grace. Yet the pastors also noted encouraging changes, such as greater lay involvement in worship, renewed commitment to the confessions among younger believers, and a rising generation eager to engage in missions both locally and globally.
Looking ahead, the pastors expressed genuine hope. They see young men with renewed hunger for the gospel and the Reformed confessions. They see young women answering the call to missions, traveling to Peru, Africa, and flood-ravaged communities in North Carolina. They see local churches becoming more intentional about hospitality, welcoming even a motorcycle club full of bikers who showed up one Sunday morning on their Harleys.
But they also sounded notes of sober warning. The challenges facing the CRC are real. The regulative principle of worship, the question of women’s ordination, and the broader cultural pressure to conform require careful attention to Scripture. Pastor CJ quoted Proverbs 23:23, “Buy the truth and sell it not,” and urged the denomination to humbly reconsider where it may have strayed. “The Bible cannot say yes and no on the same thing,” he said. “That’s contradictory. That’s dishonoring to the inspiration of scripture.” True reformation, they agreed, must begin in individual hearts and extend to the whole church.
The conversation closed with a practical challenge: How do we raise up the next generation of pastors? Pray to the Lord of the harvest. Budget for seminarians. Include the need for pastors in congregational prayer. Invite young men to shadow pastors and attend elders meetings. Create space for them to preach in nursing homes and jails. Train women for the vital work of teaching and mentoring other women. Welcome strangers with open arms. Be the kind of church that displays the marks of the true church: faithful preaching, proper administration of the sacraments, and loving church discipline.
Quoting Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Scott Muilenburg concluded, “The most urgent need in the Christian church today is true preaching. And as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.” After ninety combined years of ministry, Pastors Lee and CJ would say amen to that, and so should we.