Postma Post: Live from Synod

Hi from Synod 2025! Since synod is happening this week, I thought it might be interesting for me to share  some of my own personal (and incomplete!) reflections on my synod experiences without commenting directly on any specific items on the current agenda. I’ve been to many synods over the years, both a delegate and as staff and a few things stand out:

1. “Synod doesn’t cost me anything, but I pay for it all year” 

This is the joke I like to tell, but it’s not really a joke. A lot happens at synod, but just as important is what happens in between. In my role, what I find myself “paying for” is not so much the decisions of any given synod, but for the interpretations of those decisions and how they are communicated. My basic assumption at this point is that most people don’t actually know what was decided at synod, but they have strong opinions (shaped by others) on what they think was decided and what decisions mean.

Additionally, inevitably, at least one person ends up saying something less than gracious at the mic. Sometimes the comment is ruled out of order. It doesn’t matter. When people tell me what “synod said” it usually ends up being connected to comments like these rather than the actual decisions. So I spend a lot of time trying to add accuracy to what decisions happened before people conclude whether or not they agree with or appreciate those decisions.

2. When things don’t go my way

If it were practical to add something to synod orientation, I would consider a 1:1 session with a therapist, pastor, or wise friend. The question I would encourage them to wonder about is this: tell me about a time when something didn’t go your way, how you dealt with it, and how you can see yourself dealing with it at synod? 
The reality is that large group discernment and deliberations mean that there needs to be some faithful compromise. We see things from one another’s point of view, or understand more how even good decisions can go bad in a local community. This means being open to decisions that aren’t exactly what you thought they should be because, even if not exactly what you would decide, the decisions are good and healthy.

3. Synod is like a church’s council meeting

It is important to remember that synod is to the denomination what a council meeting is to a congregation. It is a governance meeting. It doesn’t do ministry itself, but explores the frameworks in which our shared ministry happens. Synod gives some of the contours of what it means to be a community of churches, but is not the community itself. 

This is particularly true when a council is addressing some challenging issues. Perhaps there are factions in the church, or the pastor has not been acting appropriately, or there is an abuse allegation. Or perhaps there are discussions about expectations around how we approach sexuality. All of these are important and necessary for a governance body to address and they do impact how ministry does and can happen, but never confuse them for the full life of the church.

4. Disagreement can be healthy

I served on council as both a pastor and an elder. I have seen how alluring a unanimous decision can be. Sometimes this is good, as it can show that substantial conversation has helped to land on the same page.

But I’ve seen some very healthy councils not have unanimous votes on contentious topics. In these cases, I would even call it a sign of health because it shows that people are willing to state their well-differentiated perspective and even cast their vote accordingly.

The health measure in both isn’t whether or not the vote was unanimous, but if the council was able to be unified at the end of it all. Ideally everyone understands what we came together to decide, and could get behind it whether it went their way or not. Like stated above, this requires being able to engage in faithful compromise.

5. Most of what people wish synod would look like actually happens in committee

For those who have not been to synod, the only part you see is the open plenary. The advisory committees (that meet Friday & Saturday) are closed spaces. I’ve been in several of these, including highly charged ones. This is where significant wrestling happens. This is where delegates ask one another: how do our proposed recommendations need to adjust so you feel confident in them? This is where there is give and take, where there are tears and deep prayers. At times, this is where relationships are stretched, torn, and mended. This is where questions are asked persistently until answered.

I do wonder sometimes if the larger plenary sessions could reflect these advisory committee sessions more. Perhaps there is a way to do so. But for now, just know that, if you’re watching the livestream, you’re only watching the final stage of some significant deliberation. 

6. I have a love/hate relationship with the livestream

I sometimes wish that synod was not live-streamed. Maybe you’ve picked that up in some of the previous comments. It is valuable for transparency, but it is also a very incomplete picture and allows for a disembodied perspective. 

What I always try to do, whether livestream or in person, is to start with a generous viewing and assume positive intent. It is way too easy to listen in order to be offended, and you don’t get the chance to follow up with someone’s comment over a meal or during a break to find out what they really meant (and yes, sometimes they do mean exactly what you thought they meant).

7. Assume a love for the church

No matter what people propose, send overtures about, or delegates decide at synod: all of them love the Christian Reformed Church and want to see it flourish. We may have different ideas of what flourishing looks like, but flourishing is clearly a shared value.

So, especially if you find yourself disagreeing strongly with recommendations or decisions, consider asking yourself questions like these: why does someone else think that this decision is the most faithful path forward? What is lost for them if this is not the direction we go? What God-given experiences do they bring into the deliberations that have them consider this being best? And what can we learn from one another?

That's it from me for now. Please pray that synod goes well and supports the flourishing of our shared denomination.