Ministry Report to Classes and CouncilsSafe Church MinistryThe Safe Church Ministry announces the fourth edition of Preventing Child Abuse—a book that helps churches reduce the risk of abuse in its facilities and programs. This book is periodically revised because circumstances change, and we continue to learn from each other what works and what does not seem to work as more churches write and implement a child safety policy. The book is one way we assemble our best practices and publish them for all to benefit. An example of changing circumstances is the growing concern parents have about children bullying other children. Bullying is not child abuse, but bullying and child abuse share some similar dynamics. A person who bullies a peer could continue that pattern of intimidation in a dating relationship, a marriage, or a parenting relationship where the behavior could manifest as domestic violence or child abuse. Ms. Jessie Schut presents a thoughtful article on responding to bullying in Preventing Child Abuse. The Safe Church Ministry will help churches reduce the risk of child abuse, but partnership does not stop there. The resources of the Safe Church Ministry and the Classical Safe Church Teams can help churches teach and model healthy relationships to children and adults as well as respond effectively when unhealthy behavior occurs. Chaplaincy MinistriesThe members of congregations in the Christian Reformed Church are concerned about finding and supporting outreach to others with the Good News in Jesus Christ, but there are places where the church cannot go or has minimal opportunities to minister. The military battle field is the most visible example, but hospital and prison visits are other difficult venues for church involvement. The Office of Chaplaincy Ministries provides the opportunity to send the Good News to such places. Where pastors and elders are limited in ministry to the person they come to visit, a staff chaplain has access to entire structures—staff, administration, un-churched patients—and can address the ethics of care in the institution. Also, since the organization that hires the chaplain pays his/her salary and benefits (the estimated total cost for this ministry is $7.5 million), congregations are free from heavy financial involvement and can support this ministry with prayer and praise. The Office of Chaplaincy Ministries also assures the entire denomination that the calling and sending of chaplains is done according to our ecclesiastical rules and regulations by managing endorsement procedures, ensuring proper education, providing tuition assistance, and researching and sharing opportunities for chaplaincy ministry in the U.S. and Canada. Ministers, congregations, and classes need to follow the procedures established in Church Order Article 12 b, c; Supplement 12 c; Article 23; and Supplement 23 c. Contact the new Interim Director of Chaplaincy Ministries, Rev Mark Stephenson, at mstephenson@crcna.org with inquiries. Disability ConcernsSince its beginning in 1982, the Office of Disability Concerns has fostered healthier congregations through the inclusion of God’s people who live with disabilities. We provide resources to congregations in a variety of ways. A sampling follows:
As congregations embrace the value of inclusion of people with disabilities, their influence and outreach grows in their communities. Regional Advocate Curt Gesch writes, “When I am speaking with people who are not Christian people, their ears always perk up when I mention I work with disabilities issues in my church. Being a disability advocate affords me opportunities to witness to the inclusiveness of God's kingdom to those around me.” Dynamic Youth MinistriesThanks to generous individuals, organizations, and churches, Youth Unlimited (YU) is able to continue offering support to the youth ministry efforts of the local church. YU supports hundreds of churches through shortterm mission opportunities (SERVE and ENCOUNTER) and large youth events (Convention and Where U At? Urban Youth Conference). The Compass 21 workshops and training offer evaluation tools that help churches set intentional goals to revitalize their youth ministry. The eQuip monthly newsletter offers support, encouragement, and ideas to help youth groups of every size. YU also offers event discounts, a bi-monthly e-newsletter, a “pastor’s tool kit”, and a website for everything to do with youth ministry and more. GEMS Girls’ Clubs support 561 CRC churches and 260 non-CRC churches with a dynamic, relationship-based program designed to equip and inspire women to mentor girls in their walk with Jesus Christ. All materials and curriculum needed to operate a successful and relevant club program are developed by GEMS for churches. Churches can depend upon multiple, outstanding opportunities to be available each year for women to be equipped, trained, and inspired in their area of personal ministry as mentors or counselors to girls. Also, multiple helpful resources are available to churches to help parents in their all-important role as the primary faith nurturers of their children. At a recent conference for Reformed and Presbyterian church educators, a number of registrants visited the Calvinist Cadet Corps exhibit for one specific reason—a workshop was held where the instructor explained the great value of using Cadet and GEMS ministries to bring community people into the church. We were glad the word was getting out because we intentionally provide support and resources for congregations in two areas—evangelism and education. We have been doing that well for Christian Reformed congregations since 1952. Faith Alive Christian ResourcesWith a mix of resources, from preschool through adult, Faith Alive consistently delivers solidly reformed, relevant materials to transform lives and communities worldwide. For children and youth, we offer three distinct Sunday school curricula, as well as a variety of lively doctrinal and ethical study materials. For adults, we offer resources from booklets that give practical information for church volunteers (our recently revised SYBAT series), to accessible studies of science and faith in books like Origins: Creation, Design, & Evolution and Bioethics: Life and Death Choices. With these, as well as a wide array of Bible study and discipleship materials, Faith Alive seeks to deepen and broaden the faith of believers and bring a relevant gospel to the lost. Our commitment goes beyond products, however, extending to training, education, and communication. We believe the best customer service happens when we have an ongoing, two-way relationship with leaders and ministries on the frontlines of life transformation. Our customer service reps do more than take orders. They listen, coach, and help match local ministry needs to resources. Our fulltime educators are professionally trained, understand teaching methodology, and stay abreast of educational trends. Our impact is broad. Our resources reach beyond Reformed North American congregations to new churches as far away as Russia, Mexico, and Argentina. In this way, the publishing ministry of the CRC reaches far beyond its denomination to influence and transform the lives of all kinds of Christians across North America and around the world. Loan FundThe Christian Reformed Church Loan Fund recently celebrated twenty-five years of serving Christian Reformed Churches and looks forward to serving congregations in the future. We continue to encourage congregational leaders and members from many areas of ministry to go to the denomination first when seeking assistance with their financing needs. Mortgage loans are available for the purchase, construction, or renovation of church buildings and parsonages as well as for the purchase of land for use by a church. The Loan Fund specializes in loans to churches and understands church financing. The Loan Fund also provides meaningful investment opportunities with excellent yields. The ministry of the Loan Fund thrives and grows due to thousands of CRC investors who earn a good rate of interest and use some of their investments to support the growth of the kingdom. If you, your church, or classis has money to invest, consider the Christian Reformed Church Loan Fund. Your investment will make loans available to other churches. For more information, go online at www.crcna.org/loanfund or contact us at 616-224-0829, 800-332-0012, or crlf@crcna.org. This information does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase. Offers will be made only by the offering circular in those jurisdictions where it is lawful to make such an offer or solicitation of an offer. Investments in the Loan Fund involve risks more fully disclosed in the offering circular. Office of Social Justice and Hunger ActionBecause social justice encompasses such a wide ranging set of issues, the Office of Social Justice provides a variety of resources for each congregation or individual looking for assistance. Many of our resources are available online. Our website, www.crcjustice.org, has downloadable PowerPoint presentations on several social justice issues, as well as fact sheets, small group activities, and other recommended reading. Our e-newsletter goes out twice a month with the latest news, events, and opportunities that the Office of Social Justice has to offer. Email mkraley@crcna.org to subscribe today. Sometimes the most helpful resource is connecting with others who share the same struggles. Our online social network at http://justiceseekers.ning.com is for members of the CRC who want to further their knowledge and experience of social justice. Members of Justice Seekers can post their own multimedia resources as well as provide and respond to the personal testimonies of others. Kate Kooyman, a joint employee of the OSJ and CRWRC, is available to help congregations become more involved in social justice. Kate, a recent seminary graduate, is often asked to speak on justice issues such as fair trade or immigration. She can also assist in getting a social justice group up and running and has a wide network of resources to draw from. In addition, OSJ partners with many other faithbased advocacy organizations such as Bread for the World, the Micah Challenge, and Alternatives for Simple Living. Visit our website to learn more about the resources our partners have to offer. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Give us a call (616-241-1691 x236) or email us (osjha@crcna.org)! The Office of Social Justice can tailor-make something for your small group or conference. Pastor-Church RelationsPastor-Church Relations was originally mandated to provide programs of healing and prevention for ministers, staff, consistories, and congregations. However, in the past seven years, additional services have been added that promote the denomination-wide goal of “creating and sustaining healthy congregations.” The staff of the Office of Pastor-Church Relations is frequently invited to help congregations in the areas of intervention, consultation, education, leadership development, and staff support. More frequently, counsel is being requested early in congregational discussions of education, consultation, or intervention. Joining the staff of Pastor-Church Relations is Rev. Cecil Van Niejenhuis, of Edmonton, AB, who will be providing many direct consultation and education services to pastors and congregations. Specific ministries offered are the Ministerial Information Service (updating and sharing profiles of congregations and pastors), the Staff Ministry Committee (which focuses on non-ordained church staff), Specialized Transition Ministers (who pastor churches in transition), regional pastors (60 pastors who provide support to other pastors in their geographic area), and continuing educations grants (for paid church staff). The Office of Pastor-Church Relations is committed to assisting pastors, staff and congregations of the CRCNA in expressing and modeling the good news of God’s kingdom that transforms lives and communities. Service LinkA somewhat edited version of a recent conversation with a potential volunteer from outside our denomination reads, “We want to serve somewhere overseas but want to make sure we can do that with the Christian Reformed Church. We feel volunteer opportunities with your ministries allow us to serve in the best way possible— through the building of relationships and an opportunity to walk alongside people and to work in partnership with them. The missional vision of the CRC is also something that we really appreciate and so would love an opportunity to contribute to some aspect of their ministry. It doesn’t matter where. Furthermore, we understand the importance of being well prepared for what volunteers will encounter on the field and so appreciate the training and resources provided prior to a person’s departure.” This person had done some research with other organizations and was offered an opportunity to serve with one of them, but had turned it down because it didn’t fit into the concept of sustainable development and didn’t provide the necessary resources to prepare for an overseas experience. This potential volunteer knew how best to serve our brothers and sisters around the world and that the CRC would provide resources and training in order to do that and to do it well. Therefore, his ministry of choice was to serve with the Christian Reformed Church, who, through the Service Link program, provides a broad range of resources to congregations and individuals in preparation to serve with our varied ministries. Sustaining Congregational ExcellenceCoaching is a new program that has just been added to the resources that Sustaining Congregational Excellence (SCE) offers smaller congregations (150 or less adult professing members). Churches can apply for an SCE coach to walk alongside them as they explore either leadership or process issues. Leadership coaching gives assistance to ministry leaders as they guide the congregation in areas such as staff and leadership development, leadership team enhancement, or conflict resolution. Process coaching gives assistance as the church sorts out its current reality of ministry. The coach helps to identify one or two priority areas of focus such as vision for the church, new outreach ideas, budget planning or challenges, or a discernment process that asks “Who are we?” The coaching relationship generally lasts for one year and involves the pastor, one ministry leader, and the SCE coach. Grants are available to assist congregations with the cost although churches are required to contribute 25% of the total expense. Proposal deadlines are September 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010. For more details go to http://www.crcna.org/pages/sce.cfm SCE learning events are held across Canada and the U.S. for pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses. These events gather people from twelve smaller congregations for a time of encouragement, refreshment, and mutual learning. Recently, events have been held in Michigan, Ontario, Florida, Connecticut, Alberta, and Minnesota. A Florida attendee made the following comment about the event, “Awesome! Serious conversation; lots of fun; brought clarity and evaluation to our current organization”. Additional events are planned for Fall 2009. Sustaining Pastoral ExcellenceWith greater frequency, the office of Sustaining Pastoral Excellence (SPE) receives inquiries regarding sabbaticals for pastors. This is very encouraging as it indicates that councils and congregations are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits of and the need for pastors to experience sabbatical. Sabbaticals not only refresh the pastor’s soul, heart, and mind but ultimately impact congregational health. Healthy pastors and flourishing congregations—we need both. SPE has created a webpage http://www.crcna.org/pages/spe_sabbaticals.cfm with sabbatical resources. There you will find:
To date, SPE has published four training tools that focus on ministry. They are:
Electronic copies of these resources may be downloaded at http://www.crcna.org/pages/spe_training.cfm or free hard copies may be ordered from Faith Alive Christian Resources at 1-800-333-8300. SPE has granted permission to Wesley Theological Seminary (United Methodist) and the Nebraska Pastoral Excellence Program (Disciples of Christ) to adapt two of the above publications for use in their denomination. CRWRCThe Christian Reformed World relief Committee (CRWRC) is your agency for responding to disaster, hunger, poverty, and injustice around the world. To help CRC churches and their members respond to these needs, CRWRC provides numerous opportunities to give, pray, volunteer, and act throughout each calendar year. For example, Free A Family®, a cost-effective alternative to child sponsorship, provides North Americans with an opportunity to support entire families living in poverty. Families learn how to read and write, start a business, send their children to school, and care for their health. Meanwhile, North American donors learn about a representative family as they follow the family’s progress throughout the year. While providing you with great ways to respond to needs in North America and around the world, CRWRC has also established a good reputation among partner and non-CRC organizations. Governments, municipalities, and Christian organizations depend on CRWRC to provide leadership, training, resources, and staff to assess and respond when needs for relief and development arise. Also, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, and United Way heartily welcome the involvement of CRWRC Disaster Response Services (DRS). DRS partners with these organizations to provide emergency response staff, needs assessment teams, and construction volunteers. Communities across North America look to DRS to establish local, long-term recovery organizations that oversee the community’s disaster recovery and reconstruction operations. Other agencies who count on CRWRC initiatives include the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Foods Resources Bank, Canadian International Development Agency, and United States Agency for International Development. Calvin CollegeCalvin faculty, staff, and retired faculty are available to lead church adult education and retreats, and to speak at conferences or Days of Encouragement. Go to www.calvin.edu/admin/community/guide for a list of speakers and their contact information, topics, and topic descriptions. To help plan a worship service, teach a church class, lead a small group Bible study, develop an outreach program, or talk with a professional in church ministry to learn how to make the most effective use of the newest and finest leadership resources for your area of service, contact Calvin’s Ministry Resource Center (MRC) (http://library.calvin.edu/collections/mrc/ or 616- 526-8731), located in the Hekman Library. The center is designed to provide the best available resources. It has an outstanding collection of practical resources in print, digital, and audio-visual formats for all aspects of college, seminary, and congregational ministry. The collection benefits students and professors, pastors, worship planners and leaders, church school teachers, small group Bible study leaders, and youth ministers. The MRC’s entire database is online so that church leaders can log on and quickly find materials in every area of ministry (e.g., adult education, family devotions, disability ministries, parenting, small group ministries, and worship leadership). While most are in English, there are several in other languages as well. The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship also offers a multitude of church resources on their comprehensive website at www.calvin.edu/worship. Here you will find publications, music, worship planning tools, a schedule of conferences on and off campus, information on the annual Symposium on Worship, grant information to assist your church in a worship project, and a resource index. Their “Worship Sourcebook,” complete with a CD for easy use in church bulletins and liturgies, has been used widely across North America. The site also offers web links to speakers, interviews, and worship services. Calvin Theological SeminaryMany churches are adding ministry staff—worship leaders, youth pastors, administrators, pastoral caregivers, and other specialized staff—and are looking to train those leaders. Beginning in Fall 2009, Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) will offer learning opportunities for church staff and volunteers through new specializations in its Master of Arts degree program and new Certificate Programs. CTS’s M.A. degree program will have two new specializations in Youth & Family Ministries and Pastoral Care in addition to current specializations in Worship, Educational Ministries, and Evangelism and Missions. This degree combines CTS’s rich study in Bible and theology with specialized courses in particular ministry areas. CTS has also added a unique Master of Arts in Bible and Theology degree for those who are not preparing for a particular ministry role. These students can learn how Bible study and Reformed theology contribute to their various occupations and life experiences. For instance, K-12 teachers could add a whole new perspective on their subject areas, and business owners could enrich their spiritual lives and personal character as leaders. CTS is also offering new Certificate Programs for those who desire further study but are not planning to get a Masters degree. Certificate programs may be just right for ministry volunteers, Sunday school teachers, worship leaders, and other laypersons who desire more study in basic Reformed thought and a specialized ministry area. Nine choices are available from church planting to worship to youth ministry. For more information on CTS’s M.A. degree and certificate programs, see www.calvinseminary.edu/degrees Back to God Ministries InternationalBack to God Ministries International (BTGMI) is known for world-wide programming in nine languages. BTGMI produces 46 radio programs that air on over 1600 radio stations. Six television programs are broadcast on over 100 stations. Millions of devotional resources are distributed yearly. Twenty-three websites receive millions of visits. But increasingly, the use of media is not only in the hands of experts trained in communication technology. High school students are posting their own videos on YouTube; college students are blogging; and everyone seems to be opening a Facebook account. Congregations also have a wealth of media resources at their disposal to assist in connecting with their communities. But how can all these resources be used effectively? BTGMI wants to become the place where churches go to better understand how they and their members can use media to reach out with the gospel. A new congregational media program is being launched at BTGMI to assist congregations called Church Juice. The goal of the program is to help churches “juice” their media ministries and bring them to the next level of effectiveness. BTGMI is joining with other denominational ministries, including the Sustaining Congregational Excellence program, to assist churches in becoming skilled at claiming the latest media tools to reach their neighbors for Christ. Sound interesting? A website is presently being developed that will share resources. In the meantime, your church can contact the head of this new program, Jerod Clark, at jclark@crcna.org for more information. Home MissionsChristian Reformed Home Missions is working every day to become a ministry of choice for the Christian Reformed Church. We rejoice that God is working through our twelve ministry teams. We see him transforming lives and communities as we provide coaching, training, vision, and prayer support for CRC congregations throughout North America. Home Missions participates in this process in three ways. First, Home Missions offers support, encouragement, and growth opportunities for churches and church leaders through coaching and consultation for vision and mission development, revitalization strategies, leadership development, small group strategies that help grow people in their faith, church planting, and conferences and training events. Second, Home Missions walks alongside local congregations to help them assess their current situations and engage them in processes for renewal through evaluation and process identification. These include church planter assessment, community outreach strategies, grants for church planting, mission-focused churches, educational missions, and leadership development. Third, Home Missions works alongside those beyond the Christian Reformed Church through partnerships and collaboration including global church outreach partnerships, coaching and training, ecumenical partnerships with seven mainline denominational partners, and online assessments for church planters and redevelopers in cooperation with Gallup Inc. World MissionsBoth at home and abroad Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) seeks to be a valued asset to the missions efforts of congregations. In North America, CRWM empowers CRC congregations to pursue their missions passions through Global Outreach (GO) conferences. More than 49 missions enthusiasts from CRC congregations in Abbotsford, British Columbia attended the February 21, 2009, GO conference. The topics ranged from Poverty in the Bible to Short-term missions—Long-term Impact. The Abbotsford conference is just one of those that have been carried out, and CRWM has already scheduled more. Mark Schmidt, Missions and Community Life Pastor at Eastern Hills CRC, who attended the Denver, Colorado, GO conference in November 2008 said, “I had the unique opportunity to meet people from my community who are devoted to missions and outreach and to learn from people who have devoted their lives to furthering the Great Commission.” Around the globe, CRWM works through Transformation Centers. In Nicaragua, the Nehemiah Center is a network of leaders who work to bring about God’s Kingdom in every facet of their country’s life. In Nigeria, the Daniel Center works with pastors and leaders to catch a vision for holistic ministry, including Christian participation in politics. It is the combination of work in North America and abroad that makes CRWM a ministry of choice. |
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