The Council of Delegates of the Christian Reformed Church met by video conference Feb. 16-18, 2022. The delegates took several actions:
- Nominated Zachary King to become the denomination’s General Secretary, pending a successful interview at Synod 2022.
- Agreed on a plan to encourage delegates to Synod 2022 to hear more LGBTQ perspectives before discussing the human sexuality report at synod.
- Gave the green light to explore another tweak in the Canada-U.S. administrative restructuring of the denomination’s governance. The proposal to be explored would move the new office of the general secretary out of the U.S. Corporation to a separate ecclesiastical corporation.
- Heard that Classis Minnkota declined to be in a prayer group with Classis Grand Rapids East in preparation for Synod 2022.
- Dropped the COVID vaccine requirement for in-person meetings that it had put in place last October, citing the fluidity of COVID-19 protocols. Delegates will be responsible for following travel protocols at borders. Attendees still will be required to observe the protocols put in place by the venue.
- Endorsed an implementation plan for the previously adopted CRC Code of Conduct for Ministry Leaders.
The Council also heard ministry reports and took note of revised budget assumptions for fiscal 2023. Specific decisions about the budget for the coming year will be made in May, in time for Synod 2022 in June.
The Council is next expected to meet May 4-6, 2022, in Grand Rapids, Mich., its first in-person meeting since February 2020. Council acts on behalf of synod, the broadest assembly of the CRC, in between meetings of synod.
About the Author
Gayla Postma retired as news editor for The Banner in 2020.
