BOT Nominates Shiao Chong as Banner Editor

The Board of Trustees of the Christian Reformed Church has recommended that Shiao Chong be the new editor of the CRC’s denominational magazine, The Banner.

The next step in the process is for Synod 2016 to interview the nominee when it meets in June and, if satisfied, to make the appointment.

Chong is a commissioned pastor in the CRC and a regular contributor to The Banner who currently serves as the campus minister at York University in Toronto, Ontario.

He has served the denomination in a number of roles over the years, including as a member of the CRC’s identity task force and of the Strategic Planning and Adaptive Change Team (SPACT), which helped to lay a foundation for the CRC’s new ministry plan.

In recommending Chong to the Board, members of the Banner editor search team said he “exhibits a strong, vibrant, personal Christian faith that exemplifies spiritual humility and integrity, and shows a deep love for the Christian Reformed Church and a passion for its spiritual health, witness, and fruitfulness.”

They also listed his qualifications for the position, noting that:

“As a convert to the Reformed faith, he demonstrates a thorough grasp of the Bible and of Reformed theology as affirmed and lived in the CRC, and shows understanding of and commitment to the doctrinal positions of the CRC.

“As a commissioned pastor with fifteen years of ministry experience as CRC campus pastor at Toronto’s York University, he is able to articulate the contemporary issues that are of particular relevance to the CRC, the church at large, and the world in which we are called to live our faith. Working in the widely diverse context of a large secular university, he also demonstrates the ability to engage young adults with creativity, sensitivity, and theological integrity.

“With eighteen years of published writing for The Banner and other Christian publications, Mr. Chong has proven ability to write with clarity and liveliness. He is able to write with sensitivity and grace for a diverse readership and constructively deal with and respond to a variety of opinions and criticism. In addition, he shows clear understanding of the potential of the Banner’s online presence and of what it will take to guide The Banner in realizing that potential.

“He possesses a proven record as a facilitator/leader working primarily with volunteer student leadership teams on campus. He demonstrates the competencies and understanding of team dynamics that will enable him to manage a staff that works with synergy, accountability, and dedication in setting and meeting objectives. He is able to work effectively and respectfully with a senior management team, a board, and committees.

“He demonstrates a strong desire and impressive ability to seek, discern, communicate, and implement God’s vision for the future of The Banner.”

During his interview by the Board, Chong described being born and raised in Malaysia and coming to faith in Christ as a teenager through the ministry of a Plymouth Brethren church – one of just two Christian churches in his home town – and ending up in Canada as an international student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

He also described going through depression and a crisis of faith as a university student, and the role that Rev. Tom Oosterhuis, the now-retired CRC campus chaplain at the University of Alberta, played in helping him through that difficult time.

“God used the CRC and campus ministry in particular to save my faith,” he said. “In many ways, I owe my faith to the CRC.”

He also met his wife, Martha, through campus ministry, he said. They have three daughters.

Asked about his hopes and plans for The Banner, Chong said his long-term goal is that The Banner would be known as “a voice of wisdom and shalom,” and become the magazine of choice for CRC members. Short-term goals are “to get more voices to the table,” he said, especially those of younger people.

Chong holds an Honours BA and MA in English literature from the University of Alberta.

The Banner - Banner Editor Nominee Seeks to Be a Shalom-Maker