Synod 2015 approved 44 new candidates for Minister of the Word to serve the Christian Reformed Church. This year's group included 33 men and 11 women. Ten of the 44 came from Canada, and six from overseas. Nine candidates were present in Sioux Center at synod, while others were watching live online streaming of the event.
President of Calvin Theological Seminary Rev. Jul Medenblik addressed the candidates. He urged them to “think about the people and the places that have formed you. We know that you’re grateful for them and we’re grateful for them.” He thanked them for responding to God’s call and concluded by saying, “We desire God’s blessing on you—you have the opportunity to be a blessing in the lives of others—even those you may not know.”
Following a commissioning litany, synod president Rev. Bruce Persenaire also gave a charge to the candidates. “Each of you has a story of how you got here and why you are here. You will go into fields of labor in churches where you will also hear stories, stories that will touch your heart, stories you will cherish. That is the special privilege you get as minister of the Word, to hear stories, God’s stories, stories of grace. Keep your ears and your hearts open to hearing those stories.”
The list of candidates is available at crcna.org/candidacy/prospective-candidates.
Synod 2015 is meeting at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, from June 12-18. For continuous Banner coverage, please follow The Banner Magazine on Facebook or @crcbanner on Twitter. You can find more tweeting by following hashtag #crcsynod. News stories will be posted at thebanner.org several times daily. For CRC Communications releases, webcast, and live blogging, please visit crcna.org. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are by Karen Huttenga.
About the Author
Julie Jansen Synod intern for The Banner
