Abide Project

The Christian Reformed Church has received some coverage from The Gospel Coalition

The Curious Case of the Christian Reformed Church The CRC traveled far down the road toward theological liberalism—and then hit the brakes. Here's how a denomination found its way back to orthodoxy.

Rev. John Klompien of Calvary CRC in Orange City Iowa gives the first plenary address to attendees of the 2024 Abide Project convention from Titus 1:1-4.

Titus 1:1-4 | Rev. John Klompien For the Sake of the Faith Abide Project Convention 2024

Calvin Theological Seminary's Dr. Weima joined us last week at the For the Sake of the Faith Convention in Iowa!
His talk with Q&A is now available on the website, YouTube, and podcast.

The Sanctity of S*x. Living a Holy Life in a S*x, Saturated Society | Dr. Weima For the Sake of the Faith | Abide Project Convention 2024

That's a wrap! The 2024 For the Sake of the Faith Abide Project Convention is complete. Tyler and Cedric are here again to summarize the day and report on what happened. Soon the panels and plenary sessions will be released.

For the Sake of the Faith | Abide Project 2024 Convention Update 2 That's a wrap!

Revs Cedric and Tyler are back in front of the camera reporting from the 2024 Abide Project Convention.
In this video they provide a summary of the day's events at Day 1 of the For the Sake of the Faith Convention.

For the Sake of the Faith | Abide Project 2024 Convention Update 1 Revs Cedric and Tyler are back in front of the camera reporting from the 2024 Abide Project Convention.

The For the Faith Convention is underway! May God be glorified throughout and the fellowship be rich!

Still time to register and attend the For the Sake of the Faith Convention in Iowa! It all starts tomorrow!

2024 Abide Project Convention Sioux Center, Iowa | July 30-31, 2024

"By birthright CRC, I refer to those who define their “Christian Reformed-ness” by their generational heritage, attendance in SWIM, AOYC, Calvin University, Redeemer, etc. You might have made or likely have heard these claims, and can be lengthy. In a positive sense, these are amazing testimonies of the legacy of a denomination. I typically enjoy hearing them and rejoice in how God has worked through generations and institutions to minister to His people. However, our membership in the CRC (and the Kingdom of God) is not a birthright. Just because your grandparents planted a church and you graduated from Calvin University does not automatically make you Christian Reformed."

A Birthright Church or a Confessional Church? Written by Curtis Meliefste

Next week the Abide Project Convention begins at First CRC in Sioux Center, IA. While many have signed up and booked their travel to be there, we know that others may not be able to. For that reason we organized an free evening event with Calvin Theological Seminary's Dr. Jeffrey Weima: The Sanctity of S*x. Living a Holy Life in a S*x, Saturated Society.

Join us for an evening of worship, teaching, Q&A, and fellowship at First CRC on July 30th at 7pm.

The Sanctity of S*x. Living a Holy Life in a S*x, Saturated Society with Dr. Jeffrey Weima The 2024 Abide Project Convention will be held July 30th-31st at First CRC, Sioux Center, Iowa. The theme this year is drawn from Titus, “contend for the faith!” Join us for two days of teaching from God’s Word, fellowship and discussion. The cost is $100 for both days, which includes admissio...

The For The Faith convention schedule has been published on the website (link below). If you haven't signed up yet, have a look at the speakers and topics and consider joining us for 2 days of worship and fellowship as we seek to serve God through the work of the CRCNA.

2024 Abide Project Convention Sioux Center, Iowa | July 30-31, 2024

"I have been preaching, writing, and praying for the outcome of this year’s Synod to look exactly like it did. My prayers have been answered to the ‘t.’ Yet, I am unhappy.

I have heard some, even from the Synod floor, mention that this outcome has forced their hand to write letters of resignation from the CRC. Many have interpreted the events of Synod as God’s call not to change their hearts, but to change their church."

Don't Leave Us! Written by Rob Golding

Even if you can't stay for the entire convention, we encourage you to attend the FREE public session on July 30 at 7pm at First CRC in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Dr. Weima of Calvin Seminary will be giving a talk on “The Sanctity of S*x. Living a Holy Life in a S*x, Saturated Society (1 Thess. 4:1-8)”.

Synod 2024 - What Happened?

Synod 2024 was a clash of two competing visions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. One sees the CRC defined by its heritage and history. The other sees the CRC defined by its beliefs from Scripture as described in the creeds and confessions.

Synod 2024 – What Happened? Written by Aaron Vriesman

Hurry! The early bird registration has been extended until tomorrow (Friday, July 11th). Regular registration prices are $150! Register now to save.

If you cannot make it out for the entire weekend, be sure to attend our public evening lecture with Calvin Theological Seminary's Dr. Jeffrey Weima, The Sanctity of S*x.

2024 Abide Project Convention Sioux Center, Iowa | July 30-31, 2024

Free public lecture with Dr. Weima at Dordt University!

The Sanctity of S*x. Living a Holy Life in a S*x, Saturated Society with Dr. Jeffrey Weima The 2024 Abide Project Convention will be held July 30th-31st at First CRC, Sioux Center, Iowa. The theme this year is drawn from Titus, “contend for the faith!” Join us for two days of teaching from God’s Word, fellowship and discussion. The cost is $100 for both days, which includes admissio...

Early Bird registration ends soon - prices go up on July 10!

2024 Abide Project Convention Sioux Center, Iowa | July 30-31, 2024

Synod 2024 ended early today. There is plenty to be thankful for and lots to do as we seek to live out the decisions of the church.

CRCNA Synod 2024 Recap | Thursday, June 20 Synod ends early!

Only one more day left of Synod 2024.
Here is today's update:

CRCNA Synod 2024 Update 5 | Wednesday, June 19 Synod deals with some weighty matters

Synod completes its work on Committee 9 (gravamen) - Tyler and Cedric are here to recap the day.

CRCNA Synod 2024 Update 4 | Tuesday, June 18 Synod continues through AC 9

Synod continued today and Tyler and Cedric have helpfully summarized the deliberations and decisions!

CRCNA Synod 2024 Update 3 | Monday, June 17 Synod begins to deal with gravamen

"The report on homosexuality adopted by Synod 1973 understood only the second part to be pastoral advice. The first part of the report was not pastoral advice. The first part included a description of the mandate, some working definitions and a study of what the Bible teaches on the topic."

1973 Was Never Merely Pastoral Advice Written by Aaron Vriesman

Friday, June 14 was the first in-person session for the CRCNA 2024 Synod. Tyler and Cedric attended as observers and are here with an update to report on the deliberations and happenings of the day. This day is a short day if plenary session, with a single session mostly dedicated to housekeeping and getting things started. The delegates will spend the bulk of their time in advisory committees in preparation for next week’s plenary sessions.

CRCNA Synod 2024 Update 2 | Friday, June 14 Reverends Wagenmaker and Parsels are back this year as the official Abide Project Synod Reporters! Friday, June 14 was the first in-person session for the CRCNA 2024 Synod. Tyler and Cedric attended as observers and are here with an update to report on the deliberations and happenings of the day. Th...

Synod starts tomorrow morning!

Is This from the Holy Spirit? by Lora A. Copley

"Holding to our doctrines without reservation and without doubt or difficulty, is simply one of the main qualifications of being an officebearer."

The Real Issue About Gravamen Written by Patrick Anthony

"Although the Gospels never record for us an instance in which Jesus directly addressed the morality of same-sex relationships, they nevertheless provide us with enough information about Jesus’ views on marriage for us to reasonably conclude that he would never have approved of them. To support this claim, scholars often focus on what Jesus says about marriage in Matthew 19:1-12. In this article, however, I want to highlight another gospel passage which doesn’t get as much attention, but which I believe is just as important for reconstructing Jesus’ views on marriage, namely, Luke 20:27-36."

Jesus, Marriage, & The Resurrection Written by Cedric Parsels

"It has been said a number of times recently that same-sex marriage is not a salvation matter. What defines a salvation matter? I have asked a broad range of pastors what that means and have searched the internet, all without coming up with a good definition."

Homosexual Acts Are Not a Salvation Matter? Written by Herb Kraker

Reverends Wagenmaker and Parsels are back this year as the offiicial Abide Project Synod Reporters!

Just the other day, on May 29, Synod 2024 began with a virtual session to elect officers and struggle through technology. They will meet once more via zoom for Advisory Committee introductions before convening IRL at Calvin University in mid-June.

Subscribe to get all the Synod Updates!

CRCNA Synod 2024 Update 1 | May 29 Virtual Session Reverends Wagenmaker and Parsels are back this year as the offiicial Abide Project Synod Reporters! Just the other day, on May 29, Synod 2024 began with a virtual session to elect officers and struggle through technology. They will meet once more via zoom for Advisory Committee introductions before....

https://www.abideproject.org/p/prayer-points-for-synod-2024

General Prayer Items
- For courage, love and Christ-likeness as we seek integrity and alignment
- For biblical fidelity, orthodoxy and discipline for the CRCNA

- For God to be glorified through Synod 2024-

Prayer Points for Synod 2024 General Prayer Items ● For courage, love and Christ-likeness as we seek integrity and alignment ● For biblical fidelity, orthodoxy and discipline for the CRCNA ● For God to be glorified through Synod 2024 Prayers for Delegates - to be…

After last year's Synod, the topic of gravamen, especially confessional-difficulty gravamen (CDG), has been widely discussed in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). As the chair of the committee that examined this issue at Synod 2023, I've been asked to provide clarity on some of the recommendations coming out of our committee.

A central point our committee emphasized was: A confessional-difficulty gravamen is not a settled disagreement or denial of the confessions. Rather, it is an expression of personal difficulty or need for clarification about a specific doctrine, with the intention of resolving that difficulty so that one can continue to wholeheartedly believe, promote, and defend all the doctrines contained in the confessions without reservation.

Gravamen: Resolving Difficulties, Not Denying Confessions Written by Jason Ruis