Synod delegates gave a standing ovation to Rev. Mary Hulst Wednesday evening, June 13, after interviewing and confirming her as assistant professor of preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary.
“Tonight you taught us some things about preaching . . . and you taught us that you ought to teach that to others. Congratulations,” said synod president Rev. Joel Boot.
Hulst was asked if sermons have become a relic of the past. “There is nothing else that works the way preaching works,” she said. “Good preaching is changing the world. . . . That’s why I’m taking this job.”
When asked where she gets her authority to preach, Hulst answered, “What right do I have to preach? Only the call God has given me and the gifting of the Word. Our authority given comes from first submitting ourselves to the Word.”
Hulst described herself as a “God nerd” and told synod that when she was young her pastor encouraged her to pursue her gifts for ministry—and that was even before the CRC was ordaining female deacons. “He said to me, ‘You’re going to become a minister,’” she said.
About the Author
Roxanne VanFarowe is a freelance writer who claims both Canadian and American citizenship and grew up in the Christian Reformed Church. She is a member of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.
