Legal Answers To Questions About CRCNA Steps To Comply With Canadian Charitable Law

Dear Canadian Christian Reformed Church Members,

I am writing to you on behalf of the directors of the CRCNA Canada Corporation, We are the board on the Canadian side of the Christian Reformed Church. The directors are comprised of one member elected from every classis plus three at-large directors.

It has come to our attention over the past several months that there is ongoing confusion within Canadian churches around the decisions made by the directors as we take steps towards becoming fully compliant with all legal and income tax requirements. 

To help address the confusion and answer any lingering questions you may have, we have asked Carters Professional Corporation (one of Canada’s leading charitable law experts with whom we have been working) to answer the questions we have been receiving. Following is the “Legal Question & Answer” they have prepared. We hope it will clarify things for you.

Also find included affirmations from Mr. David van der Woerd (the denomination’s Canadian lawyer) as well as the Canadian Council of Christian Charities (an oversight body serving Christian charities).

We trust that the following information will help you better understand the necessity of the directors’ actions and can help demonstrate that we have been acting in the best interests of the church we all love.

As always, if you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Roorda ([email protected]), myself, or your Classical CRCNA Canada Corporation director.  We are eager to address any misunderstandings that may exist and then work together to pursue Christ’s mission for the Christian Reformed Church in North America (Matthew 28: 18-20), known as The Great Commission.

For His sake and glory,

Andy DeRuyter, Chair, CRCNA Canada Corporation

Christian Reformed Church in North America - Canada Corporation

(CRCNA Canada)