Paul VanderKlay
For me the CRC has always been a place of diversity. I grew up in an urban church plant while attending Eastern Christian in New Jersey. I got my BA in History at Calvin College and an M.Div from Calvin Seminary. After Calvin I worked with Christian Reformed World Missions in the Dominican Republic.
After the DR I took a call to the Living Stones CRC in Sacramento CA and have been busy with my buddy Kevin Adams and others helping to plant churches, do a Leadership Development Network and wreak as much havoc as I can in Classis Central CA. I've was a member of the Board of Home Missions for almost ten years.
Posted in: Classis: The Right Tool for Three Important Needs
Thanks John. Those are helpful comments.
In my own classis territorially we have the Bay Area: SF, San Jose, Oakland, etc., Sacramento area, Fresno are, Stockton, Modesto, Bakersfield and others. Having multiple cities within a classis can also be a benefit because we can compare notes and try different models.
Part of the challenge we face is finding the right size. GR has how many classes? The impact of the CRC on GR is unique. Part of what I plan to get into is also intra-classical work. Have the GR classes ever thought about creating a thing for dialogue about the shape of missional impact over the city? I don't know but I think it would be cool.
We have the Holy Spirit and no end to ministry opportunities. Unfortunately what we also have is fear and complacency. pvk
Posted in: Classis: The Right Tool for Three Important Needs
Thanks Al, this is real encouragement to me.
I've agreed to babysit this corner of the network for a few months but I've not wondering how important this investment of time would be. Your comment gives me the sense that we might be able to do some meaningful work here.
There is a broad sense that we've lost our way in terms of leadership. Part of that is always with us by virtue of our brokenness and the fallen state of our context, but part of it I think is genuine as we saw in the recent resignations and conflicts. I thought it was healthy to have Synod recognize that our culture of leadership isn't what it should be. Confession is often a good place to begin.
I believe that through the cultural shifts on many levels we have lost the ability to articulate the practical value of the gospel. A lot of the missiological work over the last 30 years has been an attempt to re-engage, whether that be through the seeker movement, the emergent movement, liberation theology, charismatic movement, some conservative movements to try to recapture past successes and clarities, etc. This impacts all three levels of the church but the level MOST impacted I think is the classical level. The local level has the motivation of broad-life-spectrum face to face relationships, the bi-national/synodical level has the attraction of power, size, attention, importance, etc. The classical level is again, in the middle.
I'm also convinced that our individual motivations, whatever they may be, must also be met by face to face, life to life relationships with others, including church leaders in order to knit together healthy, productive, generous community where difficult and legitimate differences can be processed and productive next steps can be embraced even by differings sides of debate. Again, classis can do this and help us learn to do it at the local level and at the bi-national level.
Keep chiming in. I have a real sense that we can do some good work with this new tool we've been given. pvk
Posted in: Virginia State Legislator Says that Disabled Children are Punishment from God
You could title this "What would Karma Do". Thanks for bringing this to our attention
Posted in: Nice Sentiment, but Not Quite True
I very much agree that we indeed learn racism and that it is lamentably often intentionally taught and modeled. It is important to address it at that level.
My main pushback on the quote is that it isn't merely taught. I believe it is developmentally ingrained in us even before birth by the mere fact of human formation. In other words via our confessions we are sinful from birth. Even in utero we are a petri dish for sin. It is also as many note spiritually created by the demonic. If this is the case then education, or activism, or anti-racism programs themselves will never be sufficient to banish it from each of our hearts. We are natural born racists. This points to a deeper redemption necessary for the anticipated purity of our communal presence before the throne.
Posted in: Nice Sentiment, but Not Quite True
I will say more. I am planning a video on this. I think it's important. In the mean time Pastor T I think sheds light on what I want to say in this important conversation with Coates. https://youtu.be/Gton4je7T_Y
Posted in: Peer Group Spurs Classis Renewal
In California we've had LEAD teams which are essentially peer learning groups of sorts. Some have done well, some have fallen away. On the whole, however, it's a very positive thing.
I too think the key is actually meeting together regularly and deciding to work with one another. In Sacramento we had a group that predated the LEAD teams that we call "the cluster" and we've used it as an incubator for church planting and a whole variety of other things. You have to believe that together is better than alone and then work on it by making the getting together and staying in touch a priority.
pvk
Posted in: Does Your Classis Collaborate or Compete?
Thanks for the encouragement. I consider myself enormously fortunate and blessed by the ministry partners both in my cluster and in my classis. I know in many ways what I enjoy is uncommon and that is unfortunate.
Having this kind of network also makes it hard to leave and easy to stay, which builds identity, history, community and capacity. Strength leads to strength. I know there are other places where this is happening. I hope it increases. pvk
Posted in: Leading in Learning
I fear that the development of Biblically competent church members is another casualty of consumeristic culture. We tend to make such a priority of attracting and retaining attention in our core programming in the church that this aspect of basic discipleship suffers. After a year of attending the adult education offering and/or the public worship service will the needle be moved on the "bible knowledge" gauge? I think about this often.
Thanks for your excellent work on the Network. pvk