A New Future for Northwestern Classes

October 10, 2019, marked the end of an era for churches in the northwestern United States, and it signaled something new for Classis Pacific Northwest and the new Classis North Cascades.

North Cascades is the newest classis of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Birthed from the large Classis Pacific Northwest, it will officially begin as a new entity on Jan. 1, 2020. Looking ahead to that important date, the congregations of Classis Pacific Northwest gathered Oct. 10 for one last classis meeting together.

“Our final meeting included a time of communion, celebrating the essential unity that we have not only in Christ but also in a shared mission to reach the Pacific northwest for Christ,” said Rob Jansons, stated clerk for Classis Pacific Northwest. “It was a positive meeting, with kind words and blessings, and with a sense that it is time to move into new chapters of ministry. It is my hope that by creating these two smaller classes, we will be able to better support the ministry of local churches and the regions to which we are called.”

“What impressed me most was the spirit of collaboration that existed, even in terms of division of assets, finalized at the Pacific Northwest classis meeting,” added Lou Korf, who served as the synodically appointed neutral moderator for the task force that helped in facilitating the details of forming the new classis.

“Included in that collaborative spirit were decisions by both classes to continue to support Northwest Hispanic Ministries,” Korf explained, noting one of the many ways the two classes will continue to collaborate in the future. “This speaks of the cooperation that reflects not only the present but also the future relationship of both classes.”

The creation of Classis North Cascades has been the result of a long process of discernment and decision making. Back in Mar. 2019, Classis Pacific Northwest voted to ask Synod 2019 for approval to divide their classis in two. They felt that their classis had grown too big to run efficiently and to develop an ongoing sense of collegiality and support.

“Classis Pacific Northwest had become too large to function well,” said Jansons. “[For me] as stated clerk, it was difficult to keep up with all of the churches, ministries, and pastors in our classis. I am looking forward to having a smaller, more intimate group to work with in the future.”

Synod 2019 approved the request and appointed Korf and others to the task of negotiating the transition details. After the final meeting of Classis Pacific Northwest on Oct. 10, representatives from Classis North Cascades met Oct. 11 to talk through some of the remaining details before their Jan. 1 start.

Their classis will be made up of eight large congregations and two church plants in Lynden and Bellingham, Wash.

“A lot of our discussion centered on making it the main ministry of classis to empower local churches,” said Steve Van Noort, appointed as stated clerk for the new Classis North Cascades. “We looked back at older commentaries on the Church Order such as [the one] by Idzerd van Dellen. We learned that in years past classis functioned as more of a governing body without trying to do ministries that local churches should be doing. We hope to capture something of what we believe the purpose of a classis to be: a governing body to foster accountability and preserve the freedom of the local churches.”

Classis Pacific Northwest is also excited about the future. This classis now consists of approximately 35 mostly smaller congregations and ministries in Washington and Alaska, with a significant cluster in the Seattle area.

“One of the exciting things for our classis is that we are looking at this as a new chapter, and we are planning a two-day visioning meeting in March to ask ourselves, to pray about, and to discuss what kind of a classis we want to be moving forward,” said Jansons. “With the exit of Classis North Cascades congregations, Classis Pacific Northwest has become more urban-centered. What will that mean for our combined ministries in the future?”

As the future unfolds for both of these classes, their leaders are confident that God will use them for his glory.