Churches face disciplinary action after synod for violating the CRC’s stance on sexuality

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – On the last day of the Synod, a farewell greeting was given.

Speaking to delegates – a group of mostly pastors, elders and deacons gathered in Calvin Chapel for the annual meeting of the Christian Reformed Church – a tearful member of Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids declared, “It is important to reflect on how we walk.”

“I do not come to you with an ‘us versus them’ attitude,” said Trish Borgdorff, whose church and several others wrote letters of protest to the 2024 Synod opposing the denomination’s stance that same-sex relationships are a sin.

“The church has shaped me and my faith. I am grateful for everything and that makes this process particularly painful,” said Borgdorff. “Today there is sadness, peace and hope.”

On Thursday, the synod decided that churches, officials and members who “protest against the faith community” – particularly in relation to views on sexuality – have undergone the “disciplinary process” set out earlier in the week.

GR churches that oppose the CRC’s stance on sexuality face disciplinary action after the synod

In total, at least 27 churches in the CRC consider themselves protest churches or accept same-sex relationships in other ways, according to messages in the agenda for the 2024 synod and a list from the religious group All One Body.

The newly adopted disciplinary process aims to lead these congregations on a “path of repentance and restoration” and to provide them with the Synod’s instruction to “uphold their covenant commitments to the CRCNA,” according to a majority report adopted by a vote of 150 to 34.

According to the synod, such repentance can be expressed by turning away from public statements on sexuality, refusing to preach against the confessions of the denomination, refraining from ordaining, marrying or baptizing people in same-sex relationships and deciding not to work with organizations whose beliefs contradict the teachings of the Christian Reformed Church.

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“If we want to live together as a family, we have to follow these rules,” said one delegate during Wednesday morning’s debate. “How are we supposed to move forward if we don’t agree?”

With effect from the conclusion of the Synod in 2024, officials of churches who did not comply with the regulations were also “temporarily suspended” and could therefore not participate in the Synod as delegates.

“I don’t want anyone to leave,” another delegate said during the debate. “But just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac as an act of obedience and faith, I see this as an act of obedience and faith.”

In addition, if a church completes the process of “repentance and restoration” or withdrawal within two years, its class must dissolve its council and return the church to “emerging status,” a lower position within the CRC.

“Disappointed, a little discouraged,” said Michael Van Denend, a member of the Neland Avenue CRC. “It’s hard to imagine there’s still a place available for us.”

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Before the synod, the Neland Avenue Church Council wrote a letter to the advisory body (known as Communication 26) urging it to allow its officers to disagree with the denomination’s stance on sexuality and still remain in office: “We have always held in the Christian Reformed Church that unity does not mean uniformity,” Van Denend said.

This week, however, the synod decided that CRC pastors, elders and deacons “may not raise objections to the confessions,” and clarified that personal difficulties with parts of the doctrine – a term known as “gravamen” – are “a temporary means of discipleship to help a minister reaffirm” that the confessions “are fully consistent with the Word of God.”

During the plenary debate, several delegates spoke out against the Advisory Committee’s report, claiming that tightening the Gravamen process would “paralyze” the ability of their current Council to act.

“We have people who have gifts and talents and who are willing to help,” said a delegate from Canada. “If we implement this, they can’t.”

Even if Neland Avenue decided to follow the synod’s set course toward “repentance and restoration,” it would not be able to provide a full council of elders and deacons, according to Van Denend.

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However, the former synod delegate said that nothing would change in the nature of his church, even if the affiliation of certain churches, including his own, remained uncertain.

“We are a church that is joyful, that welcomes everyone and has a lively service,” Van Denend said. “On Sunday morning we will do the same.”

In a statement to FOX 17 on Thursday, Zachary King, general secretary of the CRCNA, said in part: “Over the past few years, the Synod has worked hard to articulate our understanding of what the Bible says about sexuality and how it relates to our confessions as a church.”

“Now that this has been clearly defined, the Synod this year focused on clarifying the approach for congregations and ministers who are struggling with this understanding; with a commitment to assist them in their understanding or to provide them with opportunities to leave the church if their convictions are already established.”

We know that these decisions will be regretted by some of our members, even as they are praised by others. It hurts us because part of our body hurts, and we pray that the clarity that has been created will help us move forward.”

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