Skip to main content

Reformed Collaborative Receives Fourth DeVos Grant

July 14, 2014
Reformed Collaborative

Reformed Collaborative

The Reformed Collaborative, through which the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America are working together in many ways, has received another grant from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation.

This is the fourth grant given to help the denominations in joint efforts, especially in planting new churches through the Church Multiplication Initiative.

The majority of the grant is to support the Church Multiplication Initiative in helping provide funding for a three-year expansion of Kingdom Enterprise Zones (KEZs) — regional groups that work together to plant churches — and  the RCA/CRC church multiplication system.

Currently, there are 11 KEZs that have planted 30 new churches, involving 31 classes. CRC Home Missions has played a role in planting churches as part of this project.

In addition, there is funding for continued communication and grant administration.

Included in this current grant as well is funding to build on work from a previous grant to help bring together classes for joint meetings to discuss how the classes can work in collaboration.

Hopes are to use some of the funds to expand into two more KEZ’s and, at the same time, to hire an organizational consultant to provide evaluation and a future look at how the denominations can deepen their collaborative relationship as they move forward.

“We are grateful to the  DeVos Foundation for this grant and for all of the support the foundational has given for these initiatives,” said Audrey VanEssendelft Kinder, administrative coordinator for RCA/CRHM Church Multiplication.