Synod 2026 Concludes
This year nearly 200 delegates, denominational staff, and guests gathered at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich., for Synod 2026. Meeting from June 12-18, attendees came together to pray and discuss current matters facing the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA).
During Synod 2026, many vital discussions took place. Key highlights included plans for church planting and renewal, the ratification of appointments for two new ministry directors and the editor of The Banner, and the celebration of 36 new candidates for the ministry of the Word.
Delegates also addressed whether synod will continue to meet annually, examined the confessional alignment of Calvin University faculty, and discussed current partnerships with other denominations.
The prominent themes of church planting and renewal echoed throughout the week. As first reported in The Banner, general secretary Zachary King stated that the CRC is going through multiple pivot points.
“God is pivoting CRC congregations to embrace intergenerational discipleship to grow leaders. It happened in Antioch, and it is happening today in our churches. That vision includes younger disciples connecting to older, but it also includes newer believers being discipled by mature disciples.”
The proceedings also featured presentations from the U.S. and Canadian directors of World Renew, alongside reports from the Korean Ministry Association, Consejo Latino, SEAPI, and Black and Reformed.
“God is pivoting the CRC to embrace a biblical vision of diversity to shape our identity,” King said. “By God’s grace, we are becoming a community of churches that is a tapestry of all tribes and nations as in John’s vision in Revelation 7.”
The event drew significant engagement, with 27,956 total views on the synod webcasts over the course of the week.
To conclude the week of proceedings, synod president Chad Steenwyk reflected on Psalm 89 and God’s faithfulness in the Thursday morning session. He left delegates with a question to ponder as they returned to their local ministries: “How do we take this spark, and how do we pass this back to our congregations and brothers and sisters back home?”
Comprehensive coverage of the decisions made at Synod 2026 are available via The Banner. Browse the full collection of stories here.
