BOT Names Two Young Adult Members

The CRC’s Board of Trustees recently appointed Ashley Bootsma and Youri Lee to serve two-year terms as nonvoting, young-adult members of the BOT, making them the first young adults to serve in this capacity.

Following guidelines it adopted earlier this year, the BOT named one new member from Canada, and the other from the United States.

“This is incredible and yet it’s also terrifying to think I was chosen from among so many young people in the denomination to do this,” says Bootsma, a member of Trinity CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario, where she serves as clerk of council. She is pursuing a degree in theology from Redeemer University College.

Lee, a member of Faith CRC in Sioux Center, Iowa and a second-year M.Div. student at Calvin Theological Seminary, says she is also pleased to be chosen to serve as a young adult representative to the BOT.

“I'm excited to be able to learn more about Christian Reformed Church through this position ... and also to be able to speak about what is on the mind of the young people,” she says.

Bootsma and Lee served as young adult representatives this summer to Synod 2015, which they say gave them the chance to to connect with delegates and church officials and to experience how the Christian Reformed Church is governed.

“I enjoyed being able to see what goes on behind the scenes and get a big picture of the church,” says Bootsma, who was assigned to the advisory committee that reviewed The Banner matters and other reports.

“I had an incredible time in the advisory committee. I appreciated how I was encouraged to say what I thought.”

Lee, who served on the committee working with the members of the Education and Candidacy Advisory Committee, says she also gained important insights at synod which help prepare her to play a role on the BOT.

“Since the BOT deals with the ministries of the whole church, denominational agencies, and education institutions, I think it's meaningful to include the voice of young adults who are also members of this whole body,” she said.

Following the example set by synod which had established the young adult representative position, the BOT earlier this year adopted guidelines for appointment and participation of young adult representatives to the BOT.

In a report the BOT made to Synod 2015, it said: “Engaging this generation in deliberations brings their important perspectives to the table. In addition, these young adults are the future leadership of the Christian Reformed Church—their voices are important for the decisions regarding strategic priorities for the denomination.”

Bootsma says she hopes to represent a number of millennials who do not want to leave the church but instead want to learn from the current leadership so that young adults can hold fast to their roots while being part of a new generation.

“Many young people want to know what we believe and why,” she says. “They want to talk about theology and dive deep into it.”

She says she appreciates the Reformed tradition in which she grew up and is convinced it has a great deal to offer young adults.

“There are still things we struggle with, but we have strong traditions and we know what we stand for,” she says. “It is the solid stance that stands out.”