Thank you for sharing this, Ron! I really appreciate your distinction between approaching differing opinions as dilemmas that draw us closer together and offenses that pull us apart. We all have different ideas and perspectives that reflect our diverse experiences in our world, and it's so important for all of us to have the humility to let ourselves learn and change positively from disagreement, instead of letting difference of opinion entrench us in our past ways of being and relating to others.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Susan! It's helpful to have a look into how the decisions about candidacy are made at Synod, as well as to see how commissioned pastors, Ministers of the Word, and candidates are supported.
Thank you for sharing this, Ryan! I think it's so important to help young people and older people understand the narratives we get from the world around us, and know that the narrative that we get from the gospel is something wholly different.
You're correct that this is the UNHCR definition of the internationally recognized legal status of refugee. However, the UNHCR also recognized that refugee status can change. One can be a refugee for a certain period of time, during which it's not safe to return to one's country of origin. Circumstances can then change which may allow for someone to be able to safely return to their homeland. And more broadly, international law actually recognized 3 categories of people that we would in our common language call refugees: Displaced persons (either nationally or internationally), refugees, and asylum seekers. A really good summary of these different legal categories is available from the UNESCO website here.
I'd also like to suggest that the legal concept "refugee" isn't clearly translatable between the later 20th/21st century and the Roman Empire. There was no way for people to apply for and be granted asylum to permanently resettle to different countries. In fact, these legal categories didn't even exist for my own family when they immigrated from Poland in the early 20th century. Today, it would be much more challenging for them to have come to the US because there are so many more barriers to being officially granted refugee status, being granted asylum in the US, and eventually becoming a full participatory member of US society (they didn't have to take language exams, for example).
Most importantly, when I talk about the concept of a refugee, I'm not aiming for a legal definition. I'd take a look at the Merriam-Webster dictionary, for example, which defines a refugee as "a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution," or simply as "someone who flees." I think we can both agree that Jesus' childhood experience fit into this definition, and that we can find the life of Jesus reflected in the millions of people in our own nations and around the world who have experienced traumatic displacement.
The CRCNA also takes a broad view of refugees. You can take a look at the CRCNA position statements and synodical mandates concerning immigrants and refugees, as well as explore all of the resources available from Thrive.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I hear that you’re approaching this from a particular theological, political, and historical perspective, and I appreciate your clarity on how you understand these issues.
If you would like to learn more about the CRCNA's official statements on immigrants and refugees, I encourage you to read the position statement, which was written and adopted by Synod. In addition, you may find Thrive's resources on refugees and immigration helpful. These resources were developed to fulfill the mandate of Synod, which you can explore in History section of the position statement, as well as in the the Agenda and Acts of Synod resources referenced on the position statement page.
I think this is a really good point! Particularly in terms of the transparency. AI does have a lot of value to help us do ministry better; in my experience, it can help us manage everything from summarizing different perspectives, helping speed up an internet search, troubleshoot a technical issue, or support in writing the code needed for next Sunday's powerpoint or sound system. It has huge potential is helping us translate our material into other languages (imperfect, yes, but still enormously helpful). But it's so important to say when we use it, and give it proper credit.
Generative AI is a huge and complex topic, and I look forward to seeing how we learn and adapt to using it over the next few years.
We received this response from the CRC Pension fund:
The Ministers' Pension Plan provides that a participant vests in their retirement benefits after completing two years of service. Once a participant is vested, they cannot lose their benefit. If a CRCNA minister leaves the denomination and gives up their ordination, regardless of the circumstances surrounding this event, they cannot lose their vested benefit.
Hopefully this helps clarify any confusion! Specific questions can be answered by emailing: [email protected]
Bev, thank you so much for sharing your story! Sometimes it's so hard to understand how to live, and especially how to live in the light of Christ when life throws so much tragedy our way, but learning how to find the less brainy and more heart-felt and heart-ful ways to live can be such a foundational aspect of learning and growing alongside God.
Thanks for sharing this resouce! It's great to see all the wonderful ways that CRC ministries are positively impacting people throughout North America and around the world.
Posted in: New Faces in Chaplaincy: July 2025
Thank you for sharing! And welcome, Kevin and Jeremiah!
Posted in: The Problem with Problems
Thank you for sharing this, Ron! I really appreciate your distinction between approaching differing opinions as dilemmas that draw us closer together and offenses that pull us apart. We all have different ideas and perspectives that reflect our diverse experiences in our world, and it's so important for all of us to have the humility to let ourselves learn and change positively from disagreement, instead of letting difference of opinion entrench us in our past ways of being and relating to others.
Posted in: Why Aren't We Using Article 7?
Thank you for sharing this with us, Susan! It's helpful to have a look into how the decisions about candidacy are made at Synod, as well as to see how commissioned pastors, Ministers of the Word, and candidates are supported.
Posted in: The Good News of Mr. Beast
Thank you for sharing this, Ryan! I think it's so important to help young people and older people understand the narratives we get from the world around us, and know that the narrative that we get from the gospel is something wholly different.
Posted in: We All Carry the Story of Displacement, Part II
Brian,
You're correct that this is the UNHCR definition of the internationally recognized legal status of refugee. However, the UNHCR also recognized that refugee status can change. One can be a refugee for a certain period of time, during which it's not safe to return to one's country of origin. Circumstances can then change which may allow for someone to be able to safely return to their homeland. And more broadly, international law actually recognized 3 categories of people that we would in our common language call refugees: Displaced persons (either nationally or internationally), refugees, and asylum seekers. A really good summary of these different legal categories is available from the UNESCO website here.
I'd also like to suggest that the legal concept "refugee" isn't clearly translatable between the later 20th/21st century and the Roman Empire. There was no way for people to apply for and be granted asylum to permanently resettle to different countries. In fact, these legal categories didn't even exist for my own family when they immigrated from Poland in the early 20th century. Today, it would be much more challenging for them to have come to the US because there are so many more barriers to being officially granted refugee status, being granted asylum in the US, and eventually becoming a full participatory member of US society (they didn't have to take language exams, for example).
Most importantly, when I talk about the concept of a refugee, I'm not aiming for a legal definition. I'd take a look at the Merriam-Webster dictionary, for example, which defines a refugee as "a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution," or simply as "someone who flees." I think we can both agree that Jesus' childhood experience fit into this definition, and that we can find the life of Jesus reflected in the millions of people in our own nations and around the world who have experienced traumatic displacement.
The CRCNA also takes a broad view of refugees. You can take a look at the CRCNA position statements and synodical mandates concerning immigrants and refugees, as well as explore all of the resources available from Thrive.
Posted in: We All Carry the Story of Displacement, Part II
Brian,
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I hear that you’re approaching this from a particular theological, political, and historical perspective, and I appreciate your clarity on how you understand these issues.
If you would like to learn more about the CRCNA's official statements on immigrants and refugees, I encourage you to read the position statement, which was written and adopted by Synod. In addition, you may find Thrive's resources on refugees and immigration helpful. These resources were developed to fulfill the mandate of Synod, which you can explore in History section of the position statement, as well as in the the Agenda and Acts of Synod resources referenced on the position statement page.
Posted in: How Can You Encourage Your Church Members To Serve?
Eric, thank you for these great suggestions!
Posted in: How Should CRCNA Members Use AI in Ministry Settings?
I think this is a really good point! Particularly in terms of the transparency. AI does have a lot of value to help us do ministry better; in my experience, it can help us manage everything from summarizing different perspectives, helping speed up an internet search, troubleshoot a technical issue, or support in writing the code needed for next Sunday's powerpoint or sound system. It has huge potential is helping us translate our material into other languages (imperfect, yes, but still enormously helpful). But it's so important to say when we use it, and give it proper credit.
Generative AI is a huge and complex topic, and I look forward to seeing how we learn and adapt to using it over the next few years.
Posted in: Church Order and Ministers Leaving the CRC
We received this response from the CRC Pension fund:
The Ministers' Pension Plan provides that a participant vests in their retirement benefits after completing two years of service. Once a participant is vested, they cannot lose their benefit. If a CRCNA minister leaves the denomination and gives up their ordination, regardless of the circumstances surrounding this event, they cannot lose their vested benefit.
Hopefully this helps clarify any confusion! Specific questions can be answered by emailing: [email protected]
Posted in: Are We Out of Our Minds?
Bev, thank you so much for sharing your story! Sometimes it's so hard to understand how to live, and especially how to live in the light of Christ when life throws so much tragedy our way, but learning how to find the less brainy and more heart-felt and heart-ful ways to live can be such a foundational aspect of learning and growing alongside God.
Posted in: Deacon's Story Decks
Thanks for sharing this resouce! It's great to see all the wonderful ways that CRC ministries are positively impacting people throughout North America and around the world.
Posted in: Church on a Weekday: Real Ministry Through Everyday Community Needs
These are such great ideas -- thank you so much for sharing!