After Sexual Repression, Two Dozen CRC Churches Head for Exits

(RNS) — At least two dozen Christian Reformed Church of North America churches are in the process of cutting ties with the denomination over its increasingly rigid stance on sexuality.

Four churches in Michigan have already sent resolutions to leave to a regional geographic body called Classis Grand Rapids East, stating they intend to leave. Leaders of five additional churches in Michigan, also in the regional body, said they are preparing their letters, which should be received by the next Classis business meeting.

Outside of Michigan, 15 more churches are also planning to leave the denomination. There are about 1,000 churches in the U.S. and Canada.

This exodus is part of a broader process of sorting out Christian congregations across Protestant denominations over the past 30 years, with more and more churches opening their doors to full LGBTQ membership.

In June, at its 2024 church-wide meeting, known as a synod, the Christian Reformed Church instructed LGBTQ-affirming congregations to repent, retract any divergent statements and adhere to the denomination’s mandated beliefs on sexuality. Church leaders who have spoken or advocated for LGBTQ affirmation, including pastors, elders and deacons, have been placed on limited suspension.

The crisis dates back to 2022, when the denomination adopted a report on human sexuality that recommended codifying its opposition to LGBTQ sex by elevating it to a creed or statement of faith. At a synod later that year, delegates voted to do just that.

Pro-LGBT demonstrators outside the annual synod of the Christian Reformed Church at Calvinist University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 14, 2023. (Photo by Grace Buller)

After waiting to see if the 2023 synod would be able to include churches with different views, Sherman Street Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids led the way. In its resolution, it wrote, “Our policy of full inclusion is set in stone, as is our determination to provide space for diversity of views and to accept the tensions that come with it.”

The church has already been reallocating its financial giving, or “ministry shares,” away from faith-based entities as a first step, said the Rev. Jen Holmes Curran, co-pastor. Instead, it has given to nonprofits that work with LGBTQ people experiencing religiously related trauma.

RELATED: Christian Reformed Church Synod Calls on LGBTQ-Affirming Churches to Repent or Disassociate

The denomination’s Church Order, a document that provides guidance and rules for CRC churches, outlines the process for churches that want to secede. First, the church councils must agree to secede; then they must send a letter to the class, which in turn must try to dissuade the congregation. If that attempt fails, the church must hold two community-wide votes before it can formally secede.

Among the churches that have prepared a resolution to leave the communion is Neland Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, which the denomination has tried for years to punish for ordaining deacons in same-sex marriages.

People attend a community service at Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 7, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Otto Selles of Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church)

“It’s very sad because we are 99 percent doctrinal in agreement (with the denomination),” said Pastor Joel DeMoor, co-pastor of Neland Avenue. “The questions raised in concern for the marginalized in this way have led to this impasse. Whatever happens, I have no doubt that we will stick to our mission: to extend a deep welcome to all.”

The four churches whose resolutions to secede from the Church have already been adopted by the Classes are: the Calvinist Church, the Grace Church, the Servant Church, and Sherman Street.

These Grand Rapids congregations have strong ties to Calvin University, and their membership includes many influential faculty members, vice presidents, and former presidents of the Christian Reformed Church’s flagship school. They include historians Joel Carpenter, George Marsden, and Kristin Kobes du Mez, and theologians Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff.

Calvinist lecturers may attend non-Christian Reformed churches, but must still conform to the confession of the Christian Reformed Church or file a declaration of denominational difficulty, known as a gravamen.

A spokesman for the denomination admitted that “some denominations are currently in the process of seceding or are considering taking such a step,” and added that the denomination will not know exactly how many people will secede from the community for several months.

Some churches that are withdrawing are considering joining other denominations. The Reformed Church in America is an obvious alternative, because it shares theological and historical roots with the Christian Reformed Church. Two years ago, 43 theologically conservative congregations in the Reformed Church in America split from the denomination. But others include the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA) — denominations that allow LGBTQ ordination and marriage.

In the U.S., the United Methodist Church is one of the most divided Protestant denominations. In the denomination, 25% of its churches have broken away over concerns that the United Methodist Church intends to lift bans on LGBTQ+ ordination and marriage, which it did earlier this year.

Some Christian Reformed Churches looking to break away have already formed a new network to guide them. A group called Better Together provides resources and counseling to these churches.

RELATED: Calvin University’s board has been charged with investigating faculty opposition