Foundation to Future at The Canadian National Gathering

Every season of the church invites gratitude and courage. Gratitude for the ways God has been faithful in the past, and courage to step forward into what is still unfolding. The theme of the 2026 Canadian National Gathering, Foundation to Future, holds these two together. It recognizes how the story of the Christian Reformed Church in Canada is not something to move past, but something to build on.

The Canadian National Gathering will take place May 28-31, 2026, at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ont. Held every three years, the Gathering brings together Christian Reformed churches from Canada to discern and explore what God’s call is for the CRC as a community of churches.

The CRC in Canada has been shaped by generations of faithfulness. We’ve seen it in small immigrant congregations finding their footing, established churches serving their neighbourhoods, and in new church plants and growing cultural diversity. Throughout the church’s story is resilience, trust, and obedience. These form the foundation that continues to shape identity and theology today. Looking back on our past helps us intentionally identify who we are and what has sustained us. It also reminds us that the church has always been adapting, listening, and responding to God’s leading in changing contexts.

The theme of the Canadian National Gathering, Foundation to Future, invites churches to name what is strong, faithful, and life-giving in their shared story, and then to ask how those same qualities can guide us moving forward.

This time together will create space to hold both memory and hope. It invites participants to reflect on the deepest convictions of the Reformed tradition and to consider how they continue to speak with clarity and relevance today.

Scripture, theology, community, and discipleship remain central to who we are, shaping how churches respond to new questions, challenges, and opportunities. As contexts change, these foundations provide steady grounding, helping the church listen for God’s leading with faithfulness and imagination.

The theme Foundation to Future is a reminder that the future of the church in Canada is not something any congregation or classis carries alone. It is a shared calling that requires listening, collaboration, and trust. The Canadian National Gathering creates space for that shared discernment, encouraging participants to learn from one another and to notice where God is already at work. While participants will engage in specific areas of focus through streams, the heart of the time together is a collective posture of attentiveness to God’s leading.

Foundation to Future honours the past without being trapped by it, and it looks ahead without losing its grounding. It invites hope that is rooted, and vision that is shaped by wisdom. It reminds the church that faithfulness is not static, but lived out anew in every generation.

The Canadian National Gathering is a limited attendance event with ten participants from each classis. But we are hoping the impact of the Gathering will be felt across the whole country. As the Canadian National Gathering approaches, take time to reflect and consider your own stories. What year was your church founded? What hopes shaped its beginning? In what ways do you still see those hopes alive today, and where have they changed or grown?

From foundation to future, the story continues, and all are invited to take part in shaping what comes next. If you know someone who really has a heart for the church in Canada and would be interested in participating, you can make a nomination. Learn more about the Canadian National Gathering at crcna.org/Canada