The January 2025 meeting of the Christian Reformed Church in North America’s Grand Rapids East classis released eight ministers from the office of Minister of the Word and acknowledged 10 congregations in the process of disaffiliation from the denomination. That represents more than half of the 17 organized congregations in the classis.
One of the ministry releases, for Eric Kas, was done through Art. 14-c of Church Order, the guiding document that rules the ecclesiastical life of the denomination. Kas was released to enter a vocation other than that of a minister of the Word—he’s an advancement director with a Christian school. The other seven ministers were released through Art. 14-b, “a minister of the Word who resigns from the ministry in the Christian Reformed Church to enter a ministry outside the denomination.” Each of the seven were welcomed into ordained ministry in the Reformed Church in America, North Grand Rapids Classis, Feb. 18, along with a reported 26 other CRC ministers who had requested ministry transfers from throughout West Michigan.
“North Grand Rapids Classis has a history of being open to ministers and churches that share common theology, faith practices, and approaches to ministry,” said classis president Katie Musick-Reynhout. She explained that in the RCA “a minister’s ordination and membership is held by classis. CRC ministers may request to transfer to the RCA by contacting the classis. The decision to receive the transfer of their ordination is at the sole discretion of the classis, following guidelines provided by the Book of Church Order.”
‘Not Alone’
In agenda materials for the Jan. 16 meeting of CRC Classis Grand Rapids East several of the departing ministers indicated their reason for seeking release was connected to a recent confessional interpretation of synod, the CRCNA’s broadest assembly, which requires upholding the teaching that homosexual sex is unchaste, or sinful. “Regrettably, given the direction of the denomination in recent years—as evidenced by Synod’s tenor, decisions, and actions—I no longer feel at home in the CRC,” wrote departing Western Theological Seminary professor Sue Rozeboom who had been ordained in the Grand Rapids East classis in 2013 and whose credentials were held by Boston Square CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich. “I realize I am not alone,” Rozeboom wrote. “Many ministers and congregations in the CRC are feeling alienated and moving on, out of the CRC. Even as I deeply lament the circumstances that have brought us all to this moment, my good hope for the one body of Christ remains.”
Some of the ministers who transferred into the RCA North Grand Rapids classis have not yet been released from ministry in the CRC. Steven Koster, pastor of congregational life at Grace CRC in Grand Rapids, is one of the 33 transferred ministers. Koster told The Banner “Grace Church is in the process of disaffiliating (from the CRCNA) and expects to complete the process at the May 15 Classis Grand Rapids East meeting and will have to resolve the status of all its ministers at that time.” He said, “Grace's re-affiliation with any denomination is undetermined as yet.” Ryan Schreiber, another pastor at Grace who transferred to the RCA North Grand Rapids classis Feb. 18, confirmed, “While Grace’s ministers are transferring their credentials, the congregation itself is hoping to enter some discernment about next steps regarding any congregational affiliation.”
The disaffiliation process is prescribed in the supplement to Church Order Art. 38-f and includes filing a resolution to disaffiliate with the classis, two congregational votes, and a final acquiescence of the classis to the congregation’s request. Classis Chicago South acquiesced to the disaffiliation of Suburban Life CRC at its meeting Feb. 22, marking the first completed congregational disaffiliation due to the decisions of Synod 2024. Hessel Park, Roseland, and Hope CRCs are also in the process of disaffiliating from that classis, which has a total of 15 organized churches.
Living Together, With Difference
Boston Square filed its resolution with Classis Grand Rapids East in October 2024. “Because Boston Square Christian Reformed Church is a congregation of followers of Jesus Christ who desire to continue to worship and serve God together despite our differing opinions on the definition of chastity and its confessional status, the Council of Boston Square Christian Reformed Church, with gratitude for our history and with heavy hearts, hereby informs Classis Grand Rapids East of our intent to disaffiliate from the Christian Reformed Church of North America,” its resolution reads.
The RCA North Grand Rapids classis has also expressed a desire for “living together with difference around human sexuality.” It adopted a policy with that name in 2023, expressing “The Classis of North Grand Rapids’ ministers, elders, and congregations sincerely hold divergent scriptural interpretations regarding human sexuality. We accept our divergent interpretations of scripture as genuine attempts to follow the Spirit of God obediently. … We commit to respecting classis members who hold different scriptural interpretations regarding human sexuality. We commit to respecting the work of ministers and consistories as they exercise local pastoral authority in decisions regarding marriage and congregational leadership.”
Ecumenical Ties
The Reformed Church in America is currently a church in communion with the CRCNA; the two denominations have several jointly affiliated congregations, and pastors ordained in one denomination can serve in the other, in accordance with Church Order Art. 8-b. Some formerly RCA congregations co-affiliated with the CRCNA now have affiliation with either the Kingdom Network or the Alliance of Reformed Churches, two associations formed since 2021 when restructuring within the RCA was anticipated. The RCA shares confessional documents with the CRCNA, but the denominations differ in their approach to polity, with differing emphasis on confessional alignment and accountability. Laura Osborne, the RCA’s coordinator of interreligious relations and an ecumenical guest of Synod 2024, clarified to that synod that neither the RCA’s articulated position on same-sex marriage nor its polity giving the responsibility of ordination of ministers to classes had changed. “We have our historical stance that marriage is between one man and one woman,” Osborne said. “Many of our classes still will not ordain or solemnize same-sex marriages. Some will.”
Synod 2024 requested that the CRC’s Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee re-examine the ecumenical relationship with the RCA, making a recommendation to Synod 2025.
What About Remaining Grand Rapids East Congregations?
In the CRC Grand Rapids East classis, non-disaffiliating congregations are considering how they might organize to continue to be effective in ministry together. The classis adopted a communication from Shawnee Park CRC at its Jan. 16 meeting to pass on to Synod 2025. Described as “a progress report on conversations that have happened at various levels: within the Grand Rapids East Executive Committee, among pastors and leaders of churches in our classis, and with input from other Grand Rapids-area CRC pastors and leaders,” the communication suggests the possibility of creating a new classis of the CRCNA for the Grand Rapids urban and metro area. It suggests this is a possible better option than two other “difficult possibilities” for Grand Rapids East congregations that have chosen to remain with the CRCNA: “either continue as a much-diminished Classis Grand Rapids East, or disband and disperse the classis to join neighboring classes.”
“We have begun a discussion of what may be a compelling alternative: invite Grand Rapids congregations from neighboring classes to join with the remaining Classis GR East congregations to form a new ‘Grand Rapids City Classis’,” the communication says, noting initial communication on the proposal has been shared “with congregations in the Grand Rapids urban and metro area, using as initial boundaries Leonard Street (North), 44th Street (South), Burlingame Avenue (West), and East Beltline (East).” The full communication will be in the Agenda for Synod 2025.
Ongoing Process
To date, the 10 Grand Rapids East congregations in the process of disaffiliation are Sherman Street, Grace, Calvin, Church of the Servant, First, Neland Avenue, Oakdale Park, Eastern Avenue, Boston Square, and Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed churches, all in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The eight ministers released at the Jan. 16 meeting were Kas, Rozeboom, Ronald Feenstra, Elizabeth Vander Haagen, James Blankespoor, Adam Rodeheaver-Van Gelder, Kathy Smith, and Chris Schoon.
The list of CRC ministers received into ministry in the RCA North Grand Rapids Classis on Feb. 18 is not available publicly as minutes are not posted until approved at the next meeting. The classis stated clerk provided to The Banner the names of those consenting for their names to be shared: The Revs. Amanda Benckhuysen, Ken Bieber, Jay Blankespoor, Kelly Buist, Randall Buursma, Phillip De Jonge, David Deters, Julie DeGraaf Feenstra, Ronald Feenstra, Rebecca Jordan Heys, Duane Kelderman, Steven Koster, Alfred Mulder, Sherri Leisman, Thea Leunk, Lisa Meyer, Matt Postma, Adam Rodeheaver-Van Gelder, Sue Rozeboom, Christopher Schoon, Ryan Schreiber, Sarah Schreiber, Kathy Smith, Heather Stroobosscher, Becky Tjapkes, Elizabeth Vander Haagen, Karl Van Harn, Len Vander Zee, Rhonda Workman, and Brad Zwiers. Classis president Musick-Reynhout said the North Grand Rapids Classis “has established a 200-mile radius for receiving ministers and congregations choosing to transfer to the RCA” and they have received “requests from active parish ministers, specialized ministers, and retired ministers.” Tjapkes, a chaplain, was honorably released from ministry in the CRCNA at the Jan. 18 meeting of Classis Muskegon, along with fellow chaplain Nathaniel Schmidt, who was also received by the RCA North Grand Rapids classis. Bieber is from Classis Lake Erie, whose Mar. 1 agenda includes an Article 14-b release request from Bieber. Benckhuysen, who served as director of the CRC's Safe Church Ministry from 2021 to 2022 and then served with Thrive, left that agency in early February. More CRC ministers are expected to be received by the North Grand Rapids Classis in May. Classis Muskegon has received a resolution of disaffiliation from Bethany CRC, one of its 16 organized congregations. Classis Lake Erie has 14 organized churches; three of them—Akron, Ann Arbor, and River Terrace CRCs—are in the process of disaffiliation.
The North Grand Rapids classis isn’t the only RCA classis receiving former CRC ministers. Tara Foreman, another pastor in Classis Muskegon, is seeking to be received by the RCA City Classis. That assembly adopted a “framework for living together in the midst (of) difference around issues of human sexuality” in 2018.
Because the CRC’s individual classes process resolutions of disaffiliation, The Banner is only aware of the actions of congregations that have been recorded in received agendas or minutes. To date, that includes 14 of 49 classes with one or more disaffiliating congregations. Grand Rapids East has the most with 10; Chicago South has four; Lake Erie, three; Toronto, two; Eastern Canada, two; and nine other classes each have one disaffiliating congregation.
The photograph used with this story is republished from a Feb. 19 Religion News Service story, according to The Banner’s license.
About the Author
Alissa Vernon is the news editor for The Banner.