Churches in Protest - A Communication to Synod 2024

Over the last couple of months the Steering Team and Advisory Council for Better Together has spent time in prayer over the rising divisiveness found in our denomination. This has been a difficult season of lament.

Since our inception, Better Together has echoed a call for unity in the church across disagreement. We’ve called the denomination, its classes, and its churches to pursue a way forward in which we are united by our commonalities rather than divided by our differences. We’ve looked to Jesus’ great prayer (John 17), his greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40), and his great commission (Matthew 28:18-20), because, again and again, Jesus calls us to be a church united on mission together.

Unfortunately, the actions of Synod 2023 continue to lead us down a path toward greater division not less. As we look forward to Synod 2024 we fear that this division will be cemented by restricting and functionally eliminating the ability of church leaders to hold biblically informed conscientious objections to specific confessions expressed by the denomination (this ability is allowed for by way of a tool called a gravamen). This attempt extends beyond the confessional conversation regarding same-sex sexual activity as it would forcibly exclude church leaders who struggle to uphold any and all theological positions found in the confessions. Anyone who does not unreservedly agree with all confessional teachings would no longer be eligible to serve as a leader in your local church.

As a movement that promotes unity in the church while allowing for disagreement, we find we must speak against further division. Today we are releasing a template and a tool that can better enable churches to speak into this threat of dividing congregations, classes, and the denomination itself.

We invite you to consider making use of this template. It is available to both congregations and individual members or groups of members in the CRC. This is a communication of protest that can be sent on to Synod 2024 by way of the proper channels. It’s a means by which every church and member within the denomination may add their voice and call for unity across disagreement for the sake of mission.

If you or your church has felt silenced in this process, or if you recognize the harm that could be done to your congregation with the restriction of gravamina, we hope you’ll join us in submitting a communication to Synod 2024. The template we’ve prepared can aid you in doing just that. It highlights the actions of Synods 2022 and 2023, and communicates a concern regarding the potential divisive acts of Synod 2024. It is a template, so feel free to edit it as you see fit. To access it simply click the button below.

Together we have the opportunity to speak against further division and to speak up for the unity for which Jesus so passionately prayed. This call for unity is at the core of our vision as Better Together and we hope you will join us in this effort.

For the Unity of the Christ’s Church,

The Better Together Steering Team and Advisory Council