Synod 2019 Officers

The officers elected for the Christian Reformed Church’s Synod 2019 reflect the diversity of the church. For the first time, a deacon delegate was elected as an officer.

Rev. William Koopmans is president, a role he has played before. A pastor from Brantford, Ont., he has served in many capacities for the denomination, including nine previous times as a delegate to synod.

Rev. Thea Leunk was elected vice president, also a role she has held in the past. Like Koopmans, she has served the denomination in various roles for many years. She is the pastor of Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich., and this is her fourth synod

First clerk Rev. José Rayas has been to synod 12 times previously, and has also served on the executive committee. From Classis Arizona, he is pastor of Valley Ridge Community CRC, Socorro, Tex.

Second clerk Melissa Van Dyk is the first deacon ever elected to the executive committee of synod. Deacons have been delegates to synod since 2016. Van Dyk is from Classis British Columbia North-West, where she is active in her local church and classis level. This is her fourth synod.

Synod 2019 is meeting at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., from June 14-20. For continuous coverage from our award-winning news team, download the Banner app on your mobile device or follow The Banner Magazine on Facebook or @crcbanner on Twitter. You can find more tweeting by following hashtag #crcsynod. News stories will be posted on The Banner’s dedicated Synod web page several times daily. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are by Karen Huttenga.