While many of the challenges are unique to this particular time in history, some challenges are literally thousands of years old.
Features
The rising criticism and falling esteem pastors face in their communities could cause some parents to think twice about letting their babies grow up to be pastors.
While church leaders are understandably concerned about the church’s future, most people today are instead asking about what the gospel means for them in their life.
Turning Over a New Leaf
What My Houseplants Taught Me About FaithI used to be the kind of person who inadvertently killed any houseplant to cross our threshold.
When we get impatient, we try to control change and force change. The result is the church sinking to another level of stuckness even worse than before.
On Ascension Day, Jesus takes up his seat at God’s right hand as king of kings and Lord of lords. We let that pass with a yawn. How does this make any sense?
Where do we begin to become a countercultural force in this slow, missional movement and join in what God is doing today?
It is a true gift to be able to carry these songs with us! As I reflect on the songs that have shaped me, I find that I often turn to them to comfort me or to lift me up when I need to be reminded of something.
Wanting to be big without the leading and loving presence of the Holy Spirit is a kind of sickness, an addiction that can lead to ruin.
If loving God is obeying his commands (John 14:21), how were they to love their son without compromising their love for Jesus?
What’s in a Name?
Complementarianism, Egalitarianism, and the CRC’s Stance on Women’s Ecclesiastical RolesSynod wrestled again and again and again with differing positions on what the Bible says about women. In the end, the CRC’s position cannot be described as either
“What message would you have us take of this island?” I asked. The answer: “That slavery happened, and that it must never happen again.”
Dust and the Divine
What Lent Can Teach Us About Caring for CreationHumans are both dust and reflections of the divine. Two sacred, God-given identities meant to sit side by side, each meant to inform and contextualize the other. But what happens when the balance is thrown out of whack?
They Disagreed Well
What the CRC Can Learn From a Standout Synodical CommitteeCommittee 7 gave me a glimpse into a beautiful church: the Christian Reformed Church. These are people who hold a high view of Scripture and the confessions. These are people who love Jesus. They recognized that they have often failed to love as Jesus has called them to love, and by God’s grace they want to do better.
Every person’s journey toward healing is different. But church communities can have a significant impact on how the trauma from abuse affects a survivor.
What happens when our expectations turn to disappointment? When the predictable patterns of the past cease, like a clock with dead batteries? When somber silence replaces the upbeat tunes and ticking?
Here are five ways to delve into the icy months and glean the most reward and meaning out of the season even as we look forward to spring.
What if, instead of being caught up in hyperpartisanship, the CRC tried to provide an alternative to polarization and fragmentation in the church, society, and politics?
Classical and denominational work can be demanding, but it is another important part of ministry, several pastors agreed.
As Christian Reformed folk Americanized and Canadianized, they became part of networks of North American Christianity.
If we do not respect the historical, cultural, and linguistic differences between us and Scripture, we are in danger of distorting whatever insights we might get out of it
What enduring loves have held the CRC together more often than not over the past century and a half?
I think we all have something we’re personally moving toward, our own personal goals and pursuits—until we meet Jesus.
Clearly, the face of the once-primarily Dutch denomination is in transition. But becoming more diverse has not been easy.