Synod 2017 Approves Bylaw Changes for New Governance
Committee reporter Joel Vander Werken walked delegates through a complex set of revisions to CRC corporate bylaws.
Karen Huttenga
Delegates at Synod 2017 (the general assembly of the CRC) approved all the necessary changes to switch the Christian Reformed Church in North America to a new system of corporate and ecclesiastical governance.
As of June 30, 2017 the former Board of Trustees will be dissolved. In its place will be a new Council of Delegates that encompasses the work not only of the former Board of Trustees but also the governance for Back to God Ministries International, and the former Christian Reformed Home Missions and Christian Reformed World Missions.
During Synod 2017, delegates approved a complex set of revisions to the corporate bylaws underlying the agencies of the CRC to make this transition possible. These involved dissolving the corporate boards for Christian Reformed World Missions and Home Missions, restructuring the Board of Trustees as the new Council of Delegates, and revising the bylaws for Back to God Ministries International to fit into the Council of Delegates (COD) structure.
All of this had to be done twice, using different terminology and legal processes, to reflect the differences between Canadian and U.S. law.
The Council of Delegates will have its first meeting in early October 2017. The interim executive of the Council of Delegates will handle all concerns that come up between July 1 and this first COD meeting.
For continuous coverage of Synod 2017 including the live webcast, news, video recordings, photos, reports, liveblog, social media links, and more visit www.crcna.org/synod.
