More than 30 Reformed pastors switch denominations over teachings on sexuality

A group of 33 pastors underwent a joint ordination on Tuesday outside Grand Rapids, Mich., officially leaving the Christian Reformed Church in North America, or CRC, for the Reformed Church in America, or RCA. The ceremony signaled a growing rift within the denomination which lost over two dozen churches in less than a year, according to a report by Religion News Service. The North Grand Rapids Classis, a regional group of congregations of the Reformed Church in America, plans to host another group ordination of reformed ministers in May, the report added.

The Institute for Christian Studies, a graduate school in Toronto, published an open letter on Tuesday announcing that the school would disaffiliate from the Christian Reformed Church. Additionally, one of the Christian Reformed Church’s founding congregations recently left the denomination. The First Christian Reformed Church is one of the four congregations that originally established the Christian Reformed Church in 1857, but recently returned a 143-16 vote to disaffiliate, according to a report by Faith on View.

Why are these congregations separating from the Christian Reformed Church? Disagreement over the issue of LGBT membership and ordination sparked much of the separation from the church. The CRC denomination formally codified its support of Biblical sexuality in 2022. Last year churches were instructed to formally affirm this doctrine or separate. 

The Institute for Christian Studies cited the LGBT issue when explaining why it severed ties with the CRC. School leaders are greatly concerned about the well-being of LGBT people in the church and can’t support a denomination that won’t take on difficult conversations, according to the letter.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report for more details on the intra-denominational disagreements.