Classis Watch: Spring/Summer 2024

A correction was made to this story Sept. 4, 2024 to note that Classis Toronto approved the amalgamation of Friendship Community Church with All-Nations Christian Fellowship. The amalgamation has not yet taken place.

Two or three times each year, Christian Reformed churches send representatives to their classes (regional assemblies of churches).

Many of the actions taken by classes are governed by the CRC’s Church Order, the rules that govern denominational life. Here are some of the actions by classes in the past several months. (Unless otherwise noted, quotations come from minutes of the classis. Links to the relevant articles of Church Order are included.)

Ministers welcomed to CRC ministry from other denominations (Art. 8): Revs. Mark Park, Lloyd Hong, and Michael Johnson.

Ministers loaned (Art. 13-c): Revs. Zhengfei “Stone” Wang to the Chinese Christian Church of Rochester, New York; and Tim Holwerda to the Heliopolis Community Church in Cairo, Egypt.

Ministers released from ministry in a congregation (Art. 17-a): Revs. Petr Kornilov from Ocean View CRC in Norfolk, Va. (due to disbandment); Richard Britton III from Trinity CRC in Fremont, Mich. (due to closure); Nicholas Bierma from Kelowna (B.C.) CRC; Derek Zeyl from Third CRC in Kalamazoo, Mich.; Kevin Heeres from Oakwood CRC in Belding, Mich.; Mark Van Drunen from Calvary CRC in Wyoming, Mich.; and Kyle DeYoung (a Reformed Church in America pastor) from Shalom CRC in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Classis Muskegon noted, “Classis was informed that Rev. Mike Westerveld was released from his call at Christ Memorial Church,” a Reformed Church in America congregation in Holland, Mich.

Declared eligible for call: Revs. Petr Kornilov, Derek Zeyl, and Cedric Parsels.

Eligibility extended: Revs. Robert Byker, Nate Bradford, Aminah Al-Attas Bradford, Marc Nelesen, and Jeffrey Janssen..

Leaving Ministry in the CRC

Classes may end a pastor’s ordained ministry status guided by Church Order articles 14 and 17. In the case of Art. 14, designations of release (reflecting the manner and spirit in which the minister acted during the time leading up to and including resignation from office) are “honorably released,” “released,” “dismissed,” or in the “status of one deposed.”

Mark Knetsch, Mary Stegink, and Sam Sutter were honorably released.

Ministers retiring (Art. 18): Revs. Heung Rok (James) Lee, Won Chol (Joshua) Ma, Douglas Bratt, Jane Porter, Sam Cooper, Charles Geschiere, Randy Buursma, Jon Huizenga (effective Sept. 8), and David Cheung (effective Nov. 30).

Commissioned Pastors

Approved as commissioned pastors called to specific roles within their classes (Art. 23): Jeff Huntley and Dylan Kern (Southeast U.S.), Sergio Paz (Greater Los Angeles), Bethany Besteman (Hackensack), Amie Spriensma (Zeeland), and Uri Alcivar (Thornapple Valley).

Ron Boersema (Zeeland) and Justin Ruddy (Atlantic Northeast) were honorably released, and David Murray (Grandville) was dismissed from ministry as a commissioned pastor (Art. 24-d).

Commissioned pastor emeritus status (Art. 24-e) was granted to John Aasmen (Thornapple Valley).

New Ministries and Ministry Changes

An emerging (unorganized) church does not have its own council and is under the care of the council of a neighboring CRC. An organized church has its own council (Art. 38).

Victory Fellowship in Grand Rapids, Mich., received organized status.

Recognized as emerging: Joy Love Church in Oakland Gardens, N.Y.; The Source Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Sunlight Winter Garden and Sunlight Winter Garden Brazil in Winter Garden, Fla.; Haitian CRC-Salem.

Closed or disbanded: Crossroads CRC in Ajax, Ont.; Trinity CRC in Fremont, Mich.; Maranatha CRC in Woodbridge, Ont. (last service June 23, 2024); Ocean View CRC in Norfolk, Va. (last service June 30); Overisel (Mich.) CRC (effective Aug. 31, memberships transferred to Overisel Reformed Church-Alliance of Reformed Churches).

Classis Toronto approved the amalgamation of Friendship Community Church in Toronto, Ont., with All Nations Christian Fellowship in North York, Ont., and approved disbanding Friendship Community Church "at the time of amalgamation."

Disaffiliated: Emerging congregation Resurrection Life Church in Apex, N.C. (now affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of America).

Other Matters

Classis Rocky Mountain has adopted a practice of including Spanish interpretation for all of its meetings, beginning with the March 2024 classis meeting. Stated clerk Kelly Vander Woude said, “We are blessed with having a multilingual classis—Spanish, Korean, English—and have had the blessings of examinations and conversations in different languages.” To better prepare for that, instead of continuing to rely “on our bilingual brothers and sisters to interpret for us, we are stepping up our game,” Vander Woude said. The classis will have a professional interpreter at each meeting, employing a personal public-address system to relay the interpretation to participants not fluent in English.

At the May 2024 meeting of Classis Toronto, delegates voted to “send classical delegated visitors to discern the current convictions of Meadowvale council regarding their ongoing relationship with the Christian Reformed Church.” This vote came after discussion of Meadowvale CRC’s communication to classis identifying Meadowvale as a “church in protest” over Synod 2022’s confessional decision declaring homosexual sex to be among behaviors prohibited by the seventh commandment. Synod 2024 later determined those in the status of “in protest” shall be entered into the process of discipline.

Christ Community Church in Nanaimo, B.C., whose council had previously reported to Classis B.C. North-West its intention to begin a process of disaffiliation from the CRCNA (see Classis Watch Late Fall 2023), has come to the end of that process. It did not receive the two-thirds majority vote needed to disaffiliate. Classis B.C. North-West at its May 2024 meeting released the classical advisers who had been appointed to oversee the process and appointed Rev. Curtis Korver as counselor for the remaining congregation of Christ Community Church while the church is without a pastor.

At its May 2024 meeting, Classis Grand Rapids North discussed its status and “the reality of the weakness of Classis without many positions filled or active.” The classis interim committee is expected to “return to Classis at (a) subsequent meeting with recommendations.”