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64-543: At the Christian Reformed Synod of 1928, a committee was appointed to investigate the possibilities for radio missions. The committee presented a report for Synod of 1930 detailing plans for broadcasting sermons, but because of financial difficulties created by the stock market crash of 1929 the plan was shelved. In 1938, Synod received a request from Classis Pella (a regional assembly in Iowa) to develop

128-415: A children's radio program called Kids Corner . Primary Focus ran for 6 years, and was nominated for two local Chicago Emmy Awards. In 2005, Back to God ended Primary Focus as part of its move toward a more Internet-based ministry. In 2005 Bremer resigned as Director of Ministries after admitting to behaving with poor judgement in a conflict of interest situation, and Rev. Robert Heerspink replaced him as

192-608: A church that became First CRC, Grand Rapids, Michigan. On April 8, churches in Graafschap and Polkton also left the Classis of Holland. Two ministers, Koene van den Bosch and Hendrik Klijn, joined the separatists, although Klijn returned to the Reformed Church six months later. The new denomination that formed from this secession was led by elders and ministers from the churches in the northern Netherlands, especially from

256-581: A congregation's deacons , elders , and ministerial staff), the classis (regional assembly, of which there are 48: 37 in the United States and 12 in Canada, with one straddling the international border), and the synod (bi-national assembly.) The church's Synod meets annually in June, with 192 delegates: a minister, an elder and a deacon from each classis, plus one other officebearer. Central offices of

320-560: A denominational broadcast modeled after The Lutheran Hour . Synod then appointed the first permanent Radio Committee. On Sunday, December 17, 1939, the first broadcast was aired over WJJD , a 20,000-watt station in Chicago . Calvin College Professor Henry Schultze served as the first speaker. During the first three seasons, the program was not produced during the summer; beginning in the 1943-44 season,

384-552: A local congregation, not the regional classis or presbytery. Another key difference is that church polity in the CRC does not have confessional status and, therefore, the Church Order does not have the same authority as the creeds. The Church Order is subordinate to the creeds and confessions, which are subordinate to Scripture. The Christian Reformed Church has three levels of assembly: the church council (local assembly, composed of

448-520: A loss of 78,164 members (or 26% of its membership) in the last 25 years. The Christian Reformed Church is not a worldwide organization but has similar, independent church bodies in other lands. Specialized English Specialized English is a controlled version of the English language used for radio broadcasting , easier for non-native speakers of English. It is derived from Voice of America (VoA) Special English . Specialized English

512-474: A number of social issues. Summaries of those positions and references to full reports with exact statements can be found at crcna.org. The CRC is opposed to abortion except in cases when the "life of the mother is genuinely threatened" by her pregnancy. The church "affirms the unique value of all human life" from the "moment of conception". Believers are called upon to show "compassion" to those experiencing unwanted pregnancies, even while they speak out against

576-727: A significant number of these have ended up in the PCA, OPC, or URC. In 2008, the OCRC dissolved and member churches joined the URC. The CRC was a charter member of the Reformed Ecumenical Council , which organized at Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1946. The CRC joined the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in 2002 after many years of hesitation due to what was seen as the more liberal membership and agenda of that body. In 2010,

640-585: A stronger governmental and private sector response to care for God's creation – including climate change, refugee protection and resettlement, and standing in solidarity with those who are persecuted for their faith. The CRC has mission efforts and ministries in Nigeria , South America, Southeast Asia, and the Navajo reservation . Among the most prominent reservation churches are the Zuni and Rehoboth missions. Rehoboth

704-808: Is a Protestant Calvinist Christian denomination in the United States and Canada . Having roots in the Dutch Reformed Church of the Netherlands , the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Dutch immigrants in 1857 and is theologically Calvinist . The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) split from the Reformed Church in America (then known as the Dutch Reformed Church ) in an 1857 secession. This

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768-740: Is meant to give a hymn-like expression of CRC beliefs within the heritage of the Reformed confessions, especially addressing issues that confront the church today. The Contemporary Testimony was reviewed and updated in 2008. The second Contemporary Testimony held by the CRCNA is the Belhar Confession , a testimony written in Afrikaans in 1982 from Reformed churches in South Africa. The Christian Reformed Church has stated its position on

832-424: Is more international. VoA is a federal US government department so is restricted from making Special English programs for anything other than VoA's own use. Specialized English operates in the civil society sector, and the developers aspire to make programmes for a variety of public service purposes, subject to resources being available. The developers of Specialized felt they should choose a name that acknowledged both

896-539: The Evangelical Presbyterian Church and ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians . The Christian Reformed Church is Calvinist , confessional and evangelical in its theology. It places high value on theological study and the application of theology to current issues, emphasizes the importance of careful Biblical hermeneutics , and has traditionally respected the personal conscience of individual members who feel they are led by

960-653: The Holy Spirit . The Church promotes the belief that Christians do not earn their salvation, but that it is a wholly unmerited gift from God, and that good works are the Christian response to that gift. Reformed theology as practiced in the CRC is founded in Calvinism. A more recent theologian of great influence on this denomination was Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920). Kuyper, who served as the Prime Minister of

1024-811: The Orthodox Protestant Reformed Church , which joined the CRC in 1961. In 1975 the CRC joined the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES) and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in forming the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC). In the last decades of

1088-680: The Three Forms of Unity : the Belgic Confession , the Heidelberg Catechism , and the Canons of Dort . In 1986, the CRC formulated a statement of faith titled "Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony" which addresses issues such as secularism, individualism, and relativism. These issues were seen as "unique challenges of faith presented by the times in which we live". While not having confessional status, it

1152-411: The United States . In 1980, Russian language broadcasts began under the leadership of Mikhail Morgulis . In 1981, WGN America offered a daily morning time slot for Faith 20 . Telephone counseling centers were set up in Chicago , Los Angeles , New York City , and Toronto . In Brazil, Rev. Ferreira created Disquepaz , a short Portuguese language devotional program delivered by telephone. In 1982,

1216-433: The death penalty : "The CRC has declared that modern states are not obligated by Scripture, creed, or principle to institute and practice capital punishment. It does, however, recognize that Scripture acknowledges the right of modern states to institute and practice capital punishment if it is exercised with utmost restraint." The stance of the CRC is that homosexuality is "a condition of disordered sexuality that reflects

1280-525: The "atrocity" of abortion. In 2010, the Synod adopted a recommendation "to instruct the Office of Social Justice and Hunger Action (OSJ) to boldly advocate for the church's position against abortion, and to help equip churches to promote the sanctity of human life" (Acts of Synod 2010, p. 883)." Unlike many other Christian denominations, the CRC does not have an official stance on euthanasia . Their Acts of

1344-418: The 1972 Synod, however, can be interpreted as also a condemnation of euthanasia, since it opposes "the wanton or arbitrary destruction of any human being at any stage of its development from the point of conception to the point of death". (Acts of Synod 1972, p. 64) The CRC already expressed its official opposition to legal euthanasia both in Canada and the United States. The CRC has a moderate stance on

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1408-596: The 20th century, the Synod enacted innovations that were rejected by some of its more conservative members and one-time sister denominations. Out of concern about the state of affairs in the CRC, a group of ministers formed the Mid-America Reformed Seminary in 1981, and around the same time a federation of churches known as the Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches (OCRC), comprising some former CRC congregations,

1472-833: The Back to God Hour was syndicated on HCJB , a short-wave broadcasting station in Ecuador, its first continuous international broadcast. In 1958, 13 episodes of the Back to God Hour were filmed for television. In 1958, the Back to God Hour began broadcasting in the Middle East , with Rev. Bassam Madany as Arabic minister. The Back to God Hour expanded in 1959 to Australia and New Zealand . In 1961, Rev. Juan Boonstra began translating programming into Spanish, and in 1965 he moved to Chicago to record programs for Latin American audiences as

1536-531: The CRC. During the 20th century a number of congregations from the disbanding German Reformed Churches also joined the CRC. By 1920, the denomination had grown to 350 congregations. At that time an estimated 350,000 Dutch immigrants had come to the United States, some of whom were in the Dutch Reformed tradition that since the 1880s was influenced by Abraham Kuyper , a Dutch Neo-Calvinist theologian, journalist, and statesman (he served as Prime Minister of

1600-589: The CRCNA congregations are located in the US, while the remaining 25% are in Canada. The church has grown more ethnically diverse with some congregations predominantly Native American , Korean , Chinese , Vietnamese , African-American and Hispanic . All together, Christian Reformed Churches speak around 20 languages and over 170 congregations speak a language other than English or Dutch. Many churches, particularly in more urban areas, are becoming much more integrated. Emerging from its role as primarily an immigrant church,

1664-464: The Centre for Public Dialogue (CPD) in Canada. Major issues on which the CRC has clear, biblically rooted positions and an active advocacy effort include: Reducing or ending abortion, comprehensive reform of the U.S. immigration system, ending global poverty and hunger, fighting systemic racism in both Canada and the U.S., achieving more justice for aboriginal groups in the U.S. and Canada, organizing for

1728-570: The Christian Reformed Church Synod announced plans to combine the governing boards of Back to God Ministries International with two other missionary organizations within the church, Christian Reformed World Missions and Christian Reformed Home Missions. In December 2017, the property at 6555 West College Drive in Palos Heights, Illinois , where Back to God Ministries International was based for more than 40 years,

1792-571: The French language ministry was moved from Paris to Chicago. By 1990, Dr. Nederhood's duties as Director had expanded, and a separate minister, Rev. David Feddes, took over as host of the English language version of The Back to God Hour . Rev. Feddes left Back to God Ministries in 2008 and became the provost of Christian Leaders Institute . In January 1996, Nederhood retired and Dr. Calvin Bremer

1856-682: The Netherlands from 1901 to 1905, promoted a belief in social responsibility and called on Christians to engage actively in improving all aspects of life and society. Kuyper is regarded as a founding father of Christian Democracy political ideology. Current scholars with wider reputations, such as philosophers Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff , as well as Lewis B. Smedes , have associations with this denomination and with Calvin University . Philip Yancey has stated, "I also admire

1920-651: The Netherlands, 1901-1905). He founded the Gereformeerde Kerken , a newspaper, the Free University of Amsterdam , and the Anti-Revolutionary Political Party. During the early 1920s, the CRC adopted three doctrinal points regarding common grace. Three ministers, Herman Hoeksema , George Ophoff, and Henry Danhof were deposed for rejecting three points as being contrary to the Reformed confessions. The dispute led to

1984-1007: The Reformed Ecumenical Council and World Alliance of Reformed Churches merged to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches at a joint meeting hosted by the CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The CRC also belongs to the Canadian Council of Churches , the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada , the World Reformed Fellowship , and the National Association of Evangelicals . The CRC participates in Christian Churches Together in

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2048-461: The Spanish language minister, After Eldersveld's death in 1965, Dr. Joel Nederhood was appointed as his replacement. Over the next few years, the organization expanded its broadcasts into more languages, including Indonesian , French , and Portuguese. Many of the broadcasts were sent out through Trans World Radio (TWR), a Christian radio broadcasting organization with transmitting stations around

2112-499: The United States and in the Global Christian Forum. As of 2016 the CRC has bilateral relationships with 39 denominations around the globe: 24 are in "ecclesiastical fellowship;" 10 are "in dialogue;" and five are in "corresponding fellowship." In North America, the CRC is denominational partners with the more mainline Reformed Church in America (from which it had split in 1857) and in ecclesiastical fellowship with

2176-512: The brokenness of our sinful world". Christian homosexuals should not pursue "homosexualism", defined as "explicit homosexual practice", which is "incompatible with obedience to the will of God as revealed in Scripture". Christian homosexuals should be given "loving support" within the church community, compassion, and support "towards healing and wholeness". Christian homosexuals, like all Christians, are called to discipleship, holy obedience, and

2240-850: The church are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan , and Burlington, Ontario . The CRC in North America has sent missionaries to many countries around the world where Christian Reformed churches have been established, but these have organized on their own and are independent from the North American denomination. Reformed teaching puts an emphasis on education. As such, many CRC members support Christian day schools as well as post-secondary education. The denomination owns and supports Calvin University as well as Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan , where

2304-503: The church has become more outward focused in recent years. After a time of steady growth during the period of 1963–1992, membership totals have declined, even though the number of churches has grown. In 1992, at the height of its membership, the Christian Reformed Churches had 316,415 members in 981 churches in the United States and Canada. In 2019 membership had dropped to 222,156 members in 1072 churches, marking

2368-1197: The co-directorship of Robin Basselin and Justin Sterenberg after Rev. Steven Koster stepped down in July 2019. Some of its current projects are: Some of its former projects include Led by Rev. Paul Mpindi from 1999-2014. Its projects include: Rev. Huascar de la Cruz has been the director of the Spanish language Ministry since 2019. His group provides free technical training for radio station personnel in Latin America in exchange for airtime. Back to God's Spanish projects include: ReFrame Ministries has supported broadcasts in Chinese since 1990, Russian since 1996, Japanese since 1998, Portuguese since 2006, Hindi since 2014, and Arabic and Indonesia both since 2019. Christian Reformed Church in North America The Christian Reformed Church in North America ( CRCNA or CRC )

2432-401: The congregation moved to a new building in 2005. Church polity refers to the form of governance and organization of a church. The CRC follows a Presbyterian form of church polity organized under governance by elders, as compared to Episcopal polities organized under governance by bishops (Roman Catholic, United Methodist, and Episcopal denominations) and Congregational polities organized under

2496-449: The core list. (e.g. wonderful not needed in the list because it can be built from wonder+ful ) As well as the 1500 word core vocabulary , both Special and Specialized English also generally allow: inflections of the core words, numbers up to a million, pronouns, proper nouns, and any words whose meaning can be communicated in real time (in a radio broadcast) using the core vocabulary. The following table lists some differences between

2560-734: The denomination opened a theological school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Preparatory Department of the school became Calvin College , while the Theological Department became Calvin Theological Seminary . By 1880 the denomination had grown to 42 congregations. Ten years later the number had grown to 100 located in 11 states. During the 1890s congregations from the True Protestant Dutch Reformed Church (located in New York and New Jersey) joined

2624-781: The denomination's U.S. offices are located. Historically most ministers ordained in the CRC were trained at Calvin Seminary . Other colleges associated with the denomination are Kuyper College (also located in Grand Rapids), Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois; Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa; Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario; The King's University in Edmonton, Alberta, and

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2688-434: The governance of the local congregation (Congregational, Baptist, Disciples of Christ). Governance by elders is assumed throughout the Christian Reformed Church Order, but CRC polity is not exactly like that of Presbyterian denominations. Two particular differences include the fact that the CRC has limited tenure for officebearers (so elders and deacons serve terms , not forever ), and ministers are ordained and credentialed by

2752-415: The intended purpose. For example, Special English uses words a US government news broadcaster might need, such as Congress, federal, administration, capitalism and recession. Specialized replaces some of these words with words used for religious subjects, such as blessing, prayer, miracle, and faith. Further revisions of the Specialized English list were made in 2000 and 2007, in the light of experience. Still,

2816-402: The long-running Back to God Hour celebrated its 75th anniversary and was replaced by a new program called Groundwork , which was produced in partnership with Words of Hope. 2010 also saw the launch of Family Fire a family encouragement ministry. After Heerspink's death in 2011, Rev. Kurt Selles, formerly a missionary in China and Taiwan, became the organization's Director in 2012. In 2015,

2880-508: The organization's leader. In 2006, Back to God reorganized the English language ministry, bringing the Today devotional, Back to God Hour , and Kids Corner under the leadership of Rev. Steven Koster. Back to God also entered a partnership with Words of Hope and FEBA to produce a Specialized English broadcast called Spotlight . In 2008, the organization changed its name from "The Back to God Hour" to "Back to God Ministries International " because its activities had extended beyond overseeing

2944-433: The overlap of the two vocabularies is 91.3%. The Specialized English word list allows greater breadth of meaning in some of the words used in both lists. For example, the word joint : joint - ad. shared by two or more joint - ad. shared by two or more; n. the place where two parts or things are :fixed together. Specialized also allows more prefixes and suffixes, which has allowed some words to be removed from

3008-611: The post-graduate Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, Ontario. Elim Christian Services in Palos Heights, Illinois , offers a school devoted to the education of those with special needs. CRC churches are predominantly located in areas of Dutch immigrant settlement in North America , including Brookfield, Wisconsin , Western Michigan , Chicago , the city of Lynden in Washington State , British Columbia , Ontario , Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island , New Brunswick , Alberta , Iowa , suburban southern California , Ripon, California , and northern New Jersey . About 75% of

3072-418: The program was aired every Sunday, year-round. At this time Dr. Peter Eldersveld joined the organization, first as an introductory announcer and later as a regular host. In 1946 the Church appointed him as a full-time radio minister. In 1950 he launched The Family Altar (later renamed the Today daily devotional), a booklet with daily devotional messages which was promoted through the radio program. In 1956

3136-472: The province of Groningen , that had organized after the 1834 secession in the Netherlands, although members of the new denomination came from all parts of the Netherlands. The reasons given for leaving the Reformed Church were the use of hymns (versus Exclusive psalmody ) during worship, allowing free access to communion, lax interpretation of grace , permitting membership in Freemasonry , and failure to provide catechetical instruction to young people. For

3200-426: The radio program of the same name. Also in 2008, A new daily radio program called Walk the Way , with an associated videoblog , began to air, a new radio program called Under the Radar was launched, and the blog Think Christian was acquired from Gospel Communications International . In 2009, the English ministry was reorganized as ReFrame Media, unifying all domestic programming into a single ministry. In 2010,

3264-411: The same as Special English, and it almost is the same. Both use a 1500 word core vocabulary, short sentences, and slow delivery (about 90 wpm). Special English was developed from about 1959 by Voice of America. Specialized was developed from Special in the late 1990s, independently of Voice of America. The methodological ethos is identical, but there is a slight difference in the vocabulary, and Specialized

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3328-517: The similarity and the difference. The reason that Specialized was developed from Special English has to do with their respective intended usage. They are not primarily teaching tools (even though they are popular with listeners as an aid to learning) but communication tools. The choice of words in the 1500 word list depends to a degree on what is to be communicated. Most of the words are the most frequently learned, most commonly used English words. Both tools use these words. But many words are chosen for

3392-464: The three ministers and their followers leaving the CRC and forming what is now the Protestant Reformed Churches in America . After the Second World War, a new wave of Dutch Calvinist immigration occurred to Canada, most of which were Kuyperian. By 1960, half of the denomination's new congregations (138 of 288) were in Canada. In the early 1950s, a division within the Protestant Reformed Churches in America led to about three fifths of its members forming

3456-420: The tradition of the Christian Reformed Church, which advocates 'bringing every thought captive' under the mind of Christ; that tiny 'transforming' denomination has had an enormous influence on science, philosophy, and the arts." The CRC officially subscribes to the Ecumenical Creeds —the Apostles' Creed , the Nicene Creed , and the Athanasian Creed —as well as three Reformed Confessions, commonly referred as

3520-682: The two years, the denomination had no corporate name. In 1859, Holland Reformed Church ( Hollandsche Gereformeerde Kerk ) was adopted, which was changed to Free Dutch Reformed Church (no record of a Dutch translation) in 1861. Two years later, True Dutch Reformed Church ( Ware Hollandsche Gereformeerde Kerk ) was approved, which was changed to Holland Christian Reformed Church ( Hollandsche Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk ) in 1880. In 1894 congregations also could use Christian Reformed Church ( Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk ) as well. The full adoption of Christian Reformed Church came in 1904, which became Christian Reformed Church in North America in 1974. In 1875,

3584-491: The use of their gifts in the cause of the kingdom. Opportunities to serve within the offices and the life of the congregation should be afforded to them as to heterosexual Christians. The Christian Reformed Church in North America also opposes Freemasonry . The CRC educates its constituency and mobilizes member advocacy on a wide range of social justice issues in Canada and the United States. It does so primarily through its Office of Social Justice and Hunger Action (OSJ) and

3648-439: The world. In 1974, Chinese and Japanese ministries were set up. In 1976, Back to God built a new International Communications Center in Palos Heights, Illinois, with office space as well as radio and television production facilities. In 1977, Back to God began producing television programs: documentaries, holiday specials, and Faith 20 , a 30-minute video version of The Back to God Hour radio program which aired daily across

3712-408: Was appointed to replace him as Director of Ministries. Over the next few years, Several other ministers retired and were replaced by younger preachers. Back to God also opened new offices in Moscow in 1995 (relocated to St. Petersburg in 2004,) and in Hong Kong in 2005. In 1997, Faith 20 was discontinued. Bremer began a new program, entitled Primary Focus in 1999. In 2000, Back to God debuted

3776-415: Was developed initially by Feba Radio in the UK, but Feba ceased direct involvement in 2009. Specialized English programs are now produced by staff in the US and in the UK. Its main use is in the features service program 'Spotlight', which is produced jointly and widely broadcast on over sixty outlets globally. Scripts and audio are also available freely on the Spotlight website . Specialized English sounds

3840-413: Was formed. The 1995 decision to ordain women led to the formation of the United Reformed Churches in North America (URC), and the severing of fraternal relationships between the CRC and the OPC and PCA in 1997. Because of the decision to ordain women, NAPARC suspended the CRC from membership in 1999 and expelled it in 2001. This gradual shift has spurred some of the more conservative congregations to leave;

3904-415: Was founded in 1903 and has grown significantly into a large church and has an independent school with over 500 students in grades K-12; Zuni has experienced the same in its community. The Rehoboth hospital moved to the neighboring town of Gallup in 1970. Rehoboth built a high-school in 1951, and a new high school, funded by the DeVos family, was built in 2018. The first Rehoboth church was built in 1908, though

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3968-408: Was rooted in part as a result of a theological dispute that originated in the Netherlands in which Hendrik De Cock was deposed for his Calvinist convictions, leading there to the Secession of 1834–35 . For the CRC founders in America, the RCA then appeared to contain problems similar to those that they had seen in the State Church in the old country. Gijsbert Haan (January 3, 1801 – July 27, 1874)

4032-403: Was sold to adjacent Trinity Christian College . The sale marked the relocation of Back to God Ministries International to Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2021, the ministry changed names to ReFrame Ministries, building on the recognition of the English Ministry's name and unifying the branding between the English and non-English programs. The English language ministry of ReFrame Ministries is under

4096-514: Was the leader in the 1857 Secession of Dutch-Americans from the Reformed Church in America and the creator of the Christian Reformed Church in the United States and Canada. In 1857, four churches with about 130 families (about 10 percent of the Dutch immigrant church members in West Michigan at the time) seceded. In March, the Noordeloos church of the Classis of Holland, Michigan , left the Reformed Church in America. On March 19, some members of Second Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan , organized

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