Synod Expresses Desire for Reformed Curricula

Synod 2016 instructed the denominational staff of the Christian Reformed Church to look into the feasibility of developing new Reformed curricula for churches to use. Budget constraints and the closing of Faith Alive Christian Resources ended the development of new curricula in 2013.

Synod noted that Synod 2013 was assured that the core functions of Faith Alive would continue, “yet synod gave no clear guidance concerning the future of developing and supporting Christian Reformed Church curricula.”

Delegates noted that there is an ongoing need for curricula that is distinctively Reformed, though developing new curricula may be costly.

Women’s adviser Elaine VanLaare said that, as a children’s worship director, she has noticed that churches in her area are not using curricula from the denomination.

“The way [our denomination’s curricula] is presented is not current enough,” she said. “We need a new way forward in figuring out how to support families in the spiritual development of their children.”

“It’s exciting to see the desire for more materials,” said Steven Timmermans, executive director of the CRC.

“What we also understand is that we have to balance all these wants with the dollars we have. I trust that we as staff will take it very seriously and see what we can do to make it all work.”

For continuous coverage of Synod 2016 including the live webcast, news, video recordings, photos, liveblog, social media links, and more visit www.crcna.org/synod.