Deacons, Church Order and Community Transformation

In January 2016, the leadership of the CRCNA posted an announcement (Looking at Diaconal Ministry) to all the CRC churches in the US. The announcement drew attention to the changes Synod 2015 made in the Church Order. The changes approved in 2015 revised the very foundation of what it means to be a church body from one of doing things in "good order" to one of "equipping the church". The changes go on to dramatically re-frame the office of deacon, and asks deacons to carry out their justice and mercy role not only in the context of the local church, but also with Classis at a regional level, and with Synod in a national and international context.

Included with this post are translations of the letter in Spanish and Korean. To help facilitate a discussion on what the changes in the Church Order might mean, especially at a Classis level, a PowerPoint is also included. The PowerPoint was put together by Rev. Larry Doornbos, Lead Pastor at Evergreen Ministries in Hudsonville MI, as part of a discussion at Classis Georgetown. He has given permission to use and edit it as desired.

To help facilitate a discussion at a congregational level or at a Classis level please contact Andrew Ryskamp at [email protected]