Synod 2024 – What Happened?

Written by Aaron Vriesman

Synod 2024 was a clash of two competing visions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. One sees the CRC defined by its heritage and history. The other sees the CRC defined by its beliefs from Scripture as described in the creeds and confessions. This is the current tension in the CRC. Synod 2024 said the CRC is defined by its confessions. Adherence to the CRC’s statements of faith is what unites a people together as the CRC. Whoever you are, from wherever you come, if you believe what we believe from Scripture, you have a place in the CRC. 

Gravamen

Synod 2024 closed the gravamen loophole for CRC officebearers to sign the Covenant with exceptions. By a vote of 137 to 47 (74.5%), synod said, “confessional-difficulty gravamina are not meant, nor should be used as an exception to the confessions,” because “Holding a settled conviction contrary to the confessions in perpetuity would contradict the Covenant for Officebearers.” (9A - Gravamen)

Church Order supplements were changed to say a confessional-difficulty gravamen is a “temporary” gravamen “subsequent to their ordination” when an officebearer has a difficulty with a doctrine but does not “have a settled conviction contrary to” the confessions. Signing the Covenant for Officebearers “'Without reservation’ means that an officebearer does not have a difficulty or hold a settled conviction contrary to any of the doctrines contained in the creeds and confessions. This includes what synod has declared to have confessional status.” The council upon receiving a gravamen “shall … Set a reasonable timeline for the resolution of the confessional-difficulty. The total timeline shall not exceed 3 years from the time the difficulty is received by a council.” Those with a gravamen filed “shall … Refrain from teaching contrary to or disparaging the church’s confessions or what synod has declared to have confessional status…” and “Recuse themselves from being delegated to broader assemblies”. Also added: “A confessional-difficulty gravamen is not a settled conviction contrary to the confessions themselves or anything that holds confessional status. Therefore, an assembly may not merely acknowledge an officebearer’s reservation regarding a confession—it must work toward resolving it” (9A - Gravamen).

In other words, a gravamen gives space to struggle. It is not a loophole to disagree. The Covenant for Officebearers says of the Reformed confessions, “We heartily believe and will promote and defend their doctrines faithfully, conforming our preaching, teaching, writing, serving, and living to them.” The duplicity of signing this covenant and simultaneously filing a gravamen is not allowed.  

Discipline of Churches in Public Defiance of Synod

Synod 2022 clarified that “unchastity” in the Heidelberg Catechism “encompasses adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography and homosexual sex,” all of which are violations of the Seventh Commandment. 

After Synod 2022, at least 18 churches made public statements contrary to Scripture and synod and published on the All One Body website. Contrary to Scripture and synod, Jubilee Fellowship in St. Catharines, Ontario said on their website’s “Inclusion” page, “We honour committed monogamous marriage between all persons.” The homepage of Hessel Park CRC of Classis Chicago South included, “The full inclusion of LGBTQ members includes marriage, baptism, communion, and leading as pastors, deacons, and elders. Same-sex weddings may be held in the church building, and the pastor may officiate LGBTQ weddings.”

In response to these public statements, Synod 2024 voted 134 to 50 (73%) to adopt the following recommendation (from Advisory Committee 8D - Discipline Matters - Majority Report): 

That Synod instructs churches who have made public statements, by their actions or in any form of media, which directly contradict synod’s decision on unchastity to repent and to honor their covenant commitments to the CRCNA. 

Actions demonstrating this repentance would include: 

• A statement to classis indicating repentance. 

• A removal of any public statements, opposed to the teaching of the CRCNA regarding chastity, including materials designed to teach against or otherwise contradict the denomination’s position. 

• A commitment to not ordain as officebearers individuals who are in a same-sex marriage, in a same-sex relationship not in keeping with a holy Christian sexual life. 

• A commitment to not publicly instruct against the denomination’s position in our “preaching, teaching, writing, serving, and living,” as we promise in the Covenant for Officebearers.

• A commitment not to recognize same-sex marriage as ecclesiastically valid, either in officiation or any manner of blessing a wedding rite or a baptismal rite (cf. CO Art. 56, 69-c, Supplement, 69-c; HC Q&A 82, 85). 

• A commitment that officebearers not serve in any organization designed to specifically advocate against the teachings and confessions of the CRCNA.

The same vote also included consequences for breaking covenant:

That after the conclusion of Synod 2024, all office-bearers from churches in non-compliance, by actions or in any form of media, be placed on a limited suspension. That suspension would include a loss of ability to send delegates to classis, synod, the COD or other CRCNA agencies. Officebearers under limited suspension may attend classis with the privilege of the floor but not as a seated delegate.

Additionally, synod instructed the General Secretary to “prioritize the development of resources to help classes and churches navigate the process towards repentance and restoration or towards disaffiliation.” For churches that refuse, the consequences include discipline: “If neither restoration nor disaffiliation are completed after the defined limited suspension, classis is to remove the council, revert the church to an emerging status, placing the church under the authority of a neighboring council.” 

Relationship with the Reformed Church in America

Because the Reformed Church in America (RCA) has not held ministers and churches to its stances on marriage and sexuality, approximately one half of the RCA members have now departed. The RCA of today is not the same RCA of years past. 

As a result, Synod 2024 tasked the CRC’s Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee (EIRC) with communicating and asking questions of the RCA. Is there “A desire for shared commitment to our confessional Reformed heritage, doctrine, and practice”? Also, there is “A concern regarding the nature of churches that have disaffiliated with the RCA as being in alignment with CRCNA positions.” EIRC will request “clarification on the RCA’s ongoing commitment in faith and practice to Heidelberg Catechism Q&A’s 108 and 109, specifically as it relates to the forbidding of unchastity, which encompasses homosexual sex,” and also request “clarification on whether RCA clergy have been, or are being, permitted to solemnize same-sex marriages, or to themselves remain in same-sex marriages or romantic partnerships, while remaining ministers in good standing.” (Advisory Committee 6B - Global Mission & Ecumenical Matters)

The EIRC will have a report for Synod 2025. 

Churches in Protest

The prior October, a group called Better Together: Third Way released a template to protest synod’s confessional status, called, “Churches in Protest – A Communication to Synod 2024.” Nine councils, members from two congregations and one classis (Grand Rapids East) sent communications of protest based on this template. 

In response, synod voted 129 to 54 (70%) to “declare churches, members, and office-bearers that have declared themselves to be in the status of one in protest with ecclesiastical intent have entered into the process of discipline according to the procedures set by Synod 2024 and existing Church Order” (Advisory Committee 2B - Synodical Services II Majority Report) In other words, those declaring themselves to be in protest now fall under the category of “limited suspension” already decided by Synod 2024. 

Conclusion

As a result of Synod 2024, some are lamenting the loss of the CRC heritage. The denomination that they have called home, where they have served, where they were baptized, educated and partook of sacraments for decades is not the CRC they thought it to be. It is most unfortunate that some were allowed to develop the belief that the CRC could be a birthright. Some are listing their baptism, their parents and grandparents, the CRC congregations they served, and Calvin University or Calvin Seminary education. It is indeed a significant loss for some. In the end, churches do not survive by a common heritage. Where we come from is not necessarily the same as where we are going. Churches survive by having shared beliefs and values. Synod 2024 upheld this vision for the CRC. Whether or not you were born and raised CRC, baptized or educated CRC, if you stand where we stand, we are glad to have you! Let’s do ministry together.