BOT Highlights - May 2017

Grand Rapids, Mich: The Board of Trustees of the Christian Reformed Church in North America met for the last time on May 4-5, 2017. The new Council of Delegates will be implemented on July 1.

During this meeting the Board:

• Received and recommended to Synod 2017 a new name for the mission agency comprised of the former Christian Reformed World Missions and Christian Reformed Home Missions. The proposed name is: Resonate Global Mission. The proposed tagline is:  Engaging People. Embracing Christ. A ministry of the Christian Reformed Church.
• Recommended that Synod 2017 remember, reaffirm and reinvigorate the denomination’s commitment to a comprehensive and integrated response to people who are hungry, poor and rejected in our world.
• Heard an update about Inspire 2017 and were encouraged to promote the event in their home churches and classes. Registration — over 400 from 34 classes — continues, with much hope for significant increases. During the month of May there is a special promotion. Churches that register three people, will receive a fourth registration free.  Visit crcna.org/Inspire2017 for more information.
• Approved the 2017-2018 budget for the CRCNA and its ministries and recommended to Synod 2017 a ministry-share amount of $339.48 per adult member, the same amount as last year.
• Endorsed the 2018 benefit and per-member assessment for the Canadian and U.S. ministers pension plans. The Canadian per member assessment remains at $42.96 and the per-participant assessment remains at $9,840.  The U.S. per-member assessment remains at $37.20 and the per-participant assessment remains at $7,704.
• Updated the approved amount for a Canadian CRCNA building expansion project to $2.5 million due to many unanticipated municipal requirements. An additional $250,000 will be addressed through a combination of fundraising and value engineering.
• Adopted a policy to require church membership and confessional conformity statements as part of job descriptions for new CRCNA hires.
• Adopted a new mission and vision statement for CRC Worship Ministries.
• Appointed Mr. Andy de Ruyter, Rev. Donald G. Draayer, Rev. Paul R. DeVries, and Rev. Emmett A. Harrison to the Interim Council of Delegates Executive Committee. Also appointed to this committee were Mr. Mark Volkers (BTGMI), Rev. Stanley Workman (new mission agency), Mr. Garry Sytsma (BOT) and Ms. Beth Fellinger (new mission agency). Rev. DeVries will function as interim president. During the transition time from July 1, 2017, until the first meeting of the COD, these members will also serve as the interim executive committees for the CRCNA U.S. Corporation and the CRCNA Canada Corporation. 
• Recommended that Synod 2017 appoint the 42 nominees forwarded by classes for the Council of Delegates and the 4 at-large members suggested by the nominating committee. It also recommended that Synod elect members for the COD from six classes that each provided a slate of two nominees. 
• Reviewed and recommended to Synod 2017 bylaws and resolutions to allow for the successful transition to the new Council of Delegates.
• Endorsed the Timothy Leadership Training Institute board’s decision to appoint Dr. Gary Bekker to their half-time position of chief executive officer. The board learned that Dr. Bekker will be assigned additional duties relative to educational efforts in missions as well.
• Received a report on Churches for Middle East Peace and commended efforts to identify and develop interagency strategies for responding.
• Recommended to Synod 2017 the list of agencies evaluated for support by the CRCNA, including the addition of Samaritan’s Purse (Operation Christmas Child) and Dunamis Fellowship Canada.
• Expressed appreciation and gratitude to Rev. Ronald A. Klimp, Ms. Carol Sybenga, and Mr. Peter VanderMuelen who are all retiring this year from director and manager-level roles with the denomination.
• Expressed appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Gary J. Bekker and Dr. Moses Chung who will complete their terms as directors of CRWM and CRHM respectively and will now transition into new roles with the denomination.
• Expressed appreciation to all of the members of the Board of Trustees for their years of service. The board will be dissolved after June 30, 2017. Some members will continue on to roles in the new Council of Delegates. 
• Closed with reading Hebrews 12:2, John 15:11 and Philippians 1:2-6. These verses were also read to open the first meeting of the BOT in September 1993 and now served to end the final meeting. The BOT concluded by singing the doxology together.

Canada Corporation, May 3, 2017 - Those who serve as directors of the corporation in Canada that provides the legal and regulatory foundation to CRCNA ecclesiastical governance also met. They received a report from Darren Roorda, Canadian Ministries Director, that included a draft of a contextualized ministry plan for Canada 2017-2018, reviewed and approved the Canadian portion of the CRCNA budget for 2017-2018 as well as the financial plan for the Burlington office expansion, and addressed necessary bylaw changes that are needed with the start of the Council of delegates. Appreciation was expressed for those concluding their service on this corporate board.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Steven Timmermans, Executive Director
[email protected]