I served World Renew in various capacities from agronomsit in Bangladesh to Executive Director-US. Currently I am providing consultation to the CRCNA, helping implement the decision of Synod 2015 that strengthened the role of deacons in the CRC and also has them now seated at Classes and Synod. I am also involved in the work of racial reconciliation at Madison Square Church in Grand Rapids. My passion is to see the church carry out more effectively Christ's call to be agents of transformation in a hurting world.
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This paper, that comes in pdf form, was referenced in the 2013 Diakonia Remixed Report that led to the seating of deacons at all the CRCNA assemblies in 2015.
This article articulates the leadership calling of Deacons at all levels of church governance and ministry. It relies heavily on the 2015 Diakonia Remixed report.
The voice of the Deacon is needed at Classis and at Synod. Diaconal Ministries Canada gives us seven reasons why this is true.
This video resource is a great tool for Deacons and Community Engagement Teams as they educate their church membership on how to be meaningfully involved in community.
Whether you are a deacon looking for ways to connect with community or a team commissioned to do the same, these resources will help you through the planning and programming.
Deacons often are looking for ways to organize the functions of their mandate. This post looks at how to organize the functions and provides helpful links to additional resources.
Is your church struggling through the orientation for new deacons, or wondering how to sustain good leadership practices? This short article is full of links and ideas to help your church do this well.
This reflection is taken from the 2015 CRCNA Synod Taskforce report called Diakonia Remixed. It is inspirational and deserves to be highlighted again!
Author and theologian Chris Wright's short but powerful booklet lays out God's mission for the Church. It is an excellent devotional for Deacons as they put a biblical framework around their calling.
Here are five principles adapted from The Lupton Center (Toxic Charity author) that can guide your church's engagement with its context.
It may be helpful to clarify the purpose of the Benevolence Fund. Some churches restrict benevolence monies for membership only and then contract with a community organization for emergency needs...
There are other churches that are dealing with similar issues. I spoke at a meeting of Classis Pacific Northwest https://www.crcna.org/churches/classis/classis-pacific-northwest , and there were...
What a great reflection. In an era where we are encouraging continuity in office (i.e. recurring terms) it is important to build in sabbath and sabbatical options.
Thanks Erin.
Danielle,
Thanks for this. I just updated the note so that it gives better information about the Canadian context. The notification to churches is only done in the US for the reason you...