Classis Watch: Winter 2025

Two or three times each year, Christian Reformed churches send representatives to their classes, regional assemblies of churches.

Many of the actions taken by classes are governed by the CRC’s Church Order, the rules that govern denominational life. Here are some of the actions by classes in the past several months. (Unless otherwise noted quotations come from minutes of the classis. Links to the relevant articles of Church Order are included.)

Candidates examined and approved for ministry in the Christian Reformed Church (Arts. 6 and 10): Will Brouwers, Yanyan (Ruth) Xing, Keith Hoekstra, Jake (Minho) Jeong, and Rob Golding.

Ministers welcomed from other denominations (Art. 8-c): Revs. Jean Gomes and Han Sung Kim.

Ministers loaned (Art. 13-c): Rev. Man Sub (Lewis) Kim to Valley Korean Central Presbyterian Church, North Hills, Calif.

Ministers released from ministry in a congregation (Art. 17-a): Revs. Michael Vander Laan from Sahali Fellowship CRC in Kamloops, B.C.; Joe Ellis and Michelle Ellis from Telkwa (B.C.) Community Church; John Kim from Lord’s Grace CRC in Tracy, Calif.; and Robert Hoekstra from Vanastra Community CRC in Clinton, Ont.

Declared eligible for call: Revs. George Saylor, Ram Aryal, and James A. Broekema (Art. 14-e).

Leaving Ministry in the CRC

Classes may end a pastor’s ordained ministry status guided by Church Order articles 14 and 17. In the case of Art. 14, designations of release (reflecting the manner and spirit in which the minister acted during the time leading up to and including resignation from office)

Honorably released, via Art. 14-b: Ronald Feenstra, Sue Rozeboom, Elizabeth Vander Haagen, James Blankespoor, Adam Rodeheaver-Van Gelder, Kathy Smith, Chris Schoon, Tim DeJonge, Tim Bossenbroek, Ken Bieber, Rhonda Workman, Hong Youn (Daniel) Kim, Ryan Swierenga, Tara Foreman, Nathaniel Schmidt, Rebecca Tjapkes, Nathan Groenewold, and Darren Colyn (effective July 1, 2025); via Art. 14-c: Eric Kas and Aaron Gunsaulus; and via Art 17-c: Josh Van Til.

Resigned as minister emeritus: Sam Cooper, Don Hekman, and Clayton Libolt.

Ministers retiring (Art. 18) (granted emeritus status): Revs. Luis Pellecer (effective Dec. 14, 2023), Paul Lomavat (effective July 31, 2024), Kyung Soo (Paul) Jho, Larry Spalink, Leonard Kuyvenhoven, Joe Vanden Akker, Mike Wagenman, Jay Shim, Daniel Roeda, Roger Nelson, Daniel Hutt, and William Koopmans (effective June 2025).

Commissioned Pastors

Approved as commissioned pastors called to specific roles within their classes (Art. 23): Gabriel Amador (Rocky Mountain); Nora Pinero (Rocky Mountain); Doug Felts (Rocky Mountain); Christopher Roberts (Hudson); Richard Garcia (Southeast U.S.); Ryan Pelton (Greater Los Angeles); Mclowlly Soré (Wisconsin); Matt Tuininga (Chicago South); Sylvie Charliekaram (Toronto); Nassar Zand (Toronto); Lauren Tanis (Central California); Dave Gritters (Central Plains); and Justin Makowski (Lake Erie).

Ending service as commissioned pastors (Art. 24-d): Jon Pollnow (Ontario Southwest), Ron Baker (Ontario Southwest), Rodney Betten (Grandville), Toyosi Awesu (Huron), Kenneth Dryfout (Toronto), and Brent Janke (Wisconsin) were honorably released. Kevin Van Wyhe (Grandville) was dismissed.

Granted commissioned pastor emeritus status (Art. 24-e): Pablo Gaggero (Rocky Mountain) and Gerry Muller (Columbia).

New Ministries and Ministry Changes

An emerging (unorganized) church does not have its own council and is under the care of the council of a neighboring CRC. An organized church has its own council (Art. 38).

Status changed from organized to emerging: River Rock Church in Folsom, Calif., and Radical Grace Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Disbanding or closed: Conrad (Mont.) CRC; Imagine CRC (emerging) in Belgrade, Mont.; ​​Hillside CRC in Abbotsford, BC.; The Well in Kelowna, B.C.; Church of One Heart CRC Northridge, Calif.; City Life Church in Sacramento, Calif.; and Love Song Community Outreach of Fresno (effective Dec. 31, 2025).

Disaffiliated: Suburban Life Community CRC in La Grange Park, Ill., and Vitalpoint Church, a multisite congregation in Ilderton, Exeter, and Clinton, Ont.

Name changes: The L.A. Global Mission Church is renamed Jesus First Reformed Church.

Synod

Classes may direct requests or communications to synod, according to the Rules for Synodical Procedure.

Classis Zeeland is asking Synod 2025 to highlight the Nicene Creed on the occasion of its 1,700th year. Zeeland also wants future prospective denominational board nominees to be interviewed by a synodical advisory committee, which would make recommendations, before the positions are voted on by synodical delegates.

Classis Grand Rapids East is sending a communication to Synod 2025 outlining how the non-disaffiliating congregations of that classis may reorganize, with a proposed “Grand Rapids City Classis” that could include adding congregations from adjacent classes.

Classis Red Mesa is sending a communication to Synod 2025 indicating that Classis Red Mesa is in protest “due to the changes made to the process of gravamen which make it hard for Classis to live in unity with the denomination.” Their communication states: “We do not protest anything in the creeds and confessions, rather we protest the changes to the gravamen process ratified by Synod 2024, as communicated in Article 5 of the church order.”

Classis B.C. Northwest is sending a communication to Synod 2025 noting the “far-reaching consequences—namely the erosion of trust for individual officebearers and BCNW congregations” of Synod 2024’s “pursuit of setting clear guidelines related to confessional adherence.”

Classis Ontario Southwest is requesting Synod 2025 “reverse the decision made by Synod 2024 requiring that classes require all officebearers to re-sign the Covenant of Officebearers once a year.” The classis says re-signing is not “a re-affirmation of our ongoing commitment to the Creeds and Confessions” but a request of officebearers “to re-make the covenant,” which it says indicates the first covenant was invalid, something synod can't rightly determine for “each and every officebearer in the denomination.”

Classis Toronto proposes a category of “Formal Act of Confessional Submission” as an addition to the Church Order’s instructions on agreement with the Covenant for Officebearers (supplement to Article 5-a). It requests Synod 2025 create a study committee to consider the suggestion, saying it could be an alternative to resigning from office if an officebearer cannot resolve their intellectual difficulties with an aspect of the church’s confessions but is otherwise suited to serve.

Classis Central Plains asks Synod 2025 to encourage churches to support the spiritual health of pastoral spouses in their church. They acknowledge the unique role that pastoral spouses have and want to encourage churches to provide funding for resources for soul care for pastoral spouses.

Classis Illiana wants synod to examine the CRC’s membership in the World Communion of Reformed Churches, receiving a report by Synod 2027 at the latest.

Editor's Note: When published this report mistakenly recorded two honorably released commissioned pastors under the wrong designation. Each of the commissioned pastors listed were honorably released. The error was corrected March 17, 2025.