More about the Christian Reformed Church

What is this church you call Christian Reformed?

The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a group of nearly a thousand Christian churches in the United States and Canada. Members of our churches confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

We are a small denomination when compared with giants such as the Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Church, and the Presbyterian Church, but our congregations can be found in cities and towns from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, from California to New Jersey. We often call ourselves the "CRC" for short.

You may have noticed our denominational emblem - a cross in a triangle - on church signs or in church bulletins. The triangle represents the Trinity, our belief in the one God we know as three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The cross symbolizes our belief in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross for our salvation.

We of the CRC have our family roots in the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Along with the other Protestant churches who emerged out of that Reformation, we believe that we cannot earn our salvation through good works. We also believe - along with one of the leaders of the Reformation, John Calvin - that the Scriptures are the guide by which we evaluate our practices as Christians. So we call ourselves not only "Protestant" and "Reformed" but also "Calvinist."

Nearly two hundred years ago, Dutch Calvinists left the Netherlands and came to the United States and Canada. Some came to escape persecution, others in the hope of finding a better life. The CRC was born from these believers.

The Dutch immigrants have a different story from some of you. Perhaps your ancestors were already here when the first white people came. Or maybe your ancestors were brought over from Africa as slaves. But some of you can probably identify quite closely with these frightened, confused immigrants who had high hopes for a new and better life on this continent. Unfamiliar with the English language and uncomfortable with American and Canadian manners and customs, these immigrants at first clung together, more Dutch than American or Canadian. Eventually, however, while holding on to many of their ethnic traditions and customs, these immigrants became Americans and Canadians, and the CRC became a North American Church.

As years went by, people of other ethnic groups became members of the CRC. because of this, we are becoming an inclusive church - a church that joyfully embraces people of different races, nationalities, and cultures. We have become a church where people of Asian, Hispanic, African, European, and North American descent together worship the one true God. Regardless of our racial or ethnic backgrounds, we're enriched by the presence of so much diversity in the CRC.

What makes the CRC different from other churches?

We are genuinely trying to be an inclusive church. By this we mean that we appreciate and embrace people of different gifts, races, tongues, and traditions as members of our congregations. We want to reflect the church of Revelation 7:9-10, a church in which "there were so many people that no one could count them. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth. They were all standing before the throne and before the Lamb .... They were shouting in a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb'" (EB).
We are a family - centered church. We believe in the importance of the family unit. We encourage worship as families. And we believe that the church is the family of God, a spiritual family.

We are a family made up of many different people. Some are old, some are young, some are single, some are married, some are men, and some are women. We come together as natural families and as singles to form this spiritual family of God. We are family because God has called us to be family. We believe God has established a covenant with us, promising to be our God and to love us as a family.

The church shows its oneness in the serving of the Lord's Supper. This sacrament is our communion with Christ and with each other. We come to the table of the Lord as a family of believers who join together to celebrate Christ's immeasurable love, revealed in his sacrifice for our sins.

The Word of God is central to our worship services. For this reason the focal point in our churches is the open Bible on the pulpit, and the focal point in our worship together is the sermon. We gather together on the Lord's day, Sunday, to hear God's word preached. The Sermon is an exposition, or careful explanation, of God's Word. Because we think it is important to hear God's Word preached faithfully and in all of its fullness, the CRC carefully educates and screens the ministers that we call to our pulpits.
The songs and hymns we sing in our churches are based on the Scriptures. The Word is so important to us that even the texts of the hymns we sing must be in agreement with Scripture.

For a long time our ancestors only sang psalms in worship. Even today, many of the songs in our song-book, the Psalter Hymnal, are psalms, but we also enjoy a rich heritage of hymns and Bible songs.

We believe that all of life is governed by our faith. Not only on Sunday but also every day of the week our faith helps us make the important decisions of life. Things like whom we marry, for whom we vote, how we do our work, how we study this world in our schools - all of these things should be influenced by are faith and understanding of God's Word. The apostle Paul says it beautifully: "Continue to think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honourable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. And do what you learned and received from me. Do what I told you and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you"
(Phil. 4:8-9 EB).

We also have creeds and confessions that help us understand and verbalize our faith. These creeds unite us with other denominations who hold similar interpretations of the Bible.

We believe that the local church has original authority. The pastor and elders together form what is called the consistory, which oversees the doctrine and life of members of a congregation.

Sometimes the elders meet with the deacons in what we call the council. The deacons administer the local church's ministry of mercy, caring for the physical and material needs of people.

Each council sends delegates to a larger governing body called classis. This is a group of representatives from about twenty churches in a geographic area who meet two or three times a year to discuss matters of common interest and to rule on problems that have arisen in individual congregations.

Each classis, in turn, selects four delegates - two elders and two pastors - to send to the denomination's major representative assembly, call synod. Synod meets once a year to decide matters that affect all of the denomination. The regulations that govern the worship and activities of our denomination are printed in a book called the church order. Synod is the body that has the authority to make changes in these rules as well as to make decisions about such matters as which creeds to adopt, which candidates should be approved to serve as ministers within the denomination, which programs and agencies the church should support, and other areas that affect our life together as the CRC.

The decisions of classis and synod are binding on the local church - not because they are seen as divine revelation, but because they are decisions we have reached together through prayer and careful study of God's Word.

We believe in the priesthood of all believers. By that we mean that all Christians are God's servants, wherever God has placed them. Whether we work in the classroom, the factory, the farm, or the church, whether we attend school or stay at home, we use the gifts of ministry that God has given us for the good of the church. "But you are a chosen people. You are the King's priests. You are a holy nation. You are a nation that belongs to God alone. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Pet. 2:9 EB).
We have a strong commitment to Christian education. Because of our concern for family and our belief that our faith is important in all areas of our lives, we offer many programs to help our families grow spiritually. We want all members to be informed Christians, Christians who can read the Bible intelligently and act on the Bible's teachings.

We do this though the local church in our church school classes and youth groups. We promote Christian schools and colleges so that we as parents may have the opportunity of providing our children and young people with a Christian education. And we support a seminary for the training of our ministers.

Why should I become a member of the church?

God wants you, and all Christians, to become part of a local church - whether in the Christian Reformed denomination or another. We in the CRC believe that it is difficult to live as a Christian outside of a local body of believers. Apart from the church we can be easily turned aside by false teachers or discouraged when things go wrong. In a local church, we have brothers and sisters who care about us. They become our spiritual family to comfort us, to laugh with us, to worship and to pray with us.

The apostle Paul wrote to an early church about how important it is to be part of a local congregation. He emphasized the importance of growing up into Christ, of maturing in our faith: "Then we will no longer be babies. We will not be tossed about like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from men who are trying to fool us. Those men make plans and try any kind of trick to fool people into following the wrong path. No! We will speak the truth with love. We will grow up in every way to be like Christ, who is the head. The whole body depends on Christ. And all the parts of the body are joined and held together. Each part of the body does its own work. And this makes the whole body grow and be strong with love" (Eph. 4:14-16 EB).

God also wants you to serve the church with the gifts you have been given. The Bible tells us "Christ gave ... gifts to prepare God's holy people for the work of serving. He gave those gifts to make the body of Christ stronger" (Eph. 4:12 EB). You may be called to be elder or a deacon or a church school teacher or to serve in the church's evangelism program. God may even be calling you to volunteer for short-term work on a mission field or to become a trained minister. Whatever you do, God has a place for you in the church. The important thing is to pray that God will show you what to do - and then to willingly respond to God's call.

What can the CRC do to help me be all God wants me to be?

First, the church offers a place where you, together with other Christians, can worship God. We are assemblies of believers - each with its own style of worship. We come together to worship and offer praise. Together we seek God's guidance, love, and wisdom.
Second, the church is a community where you can experience fellowship with other believers. In the worship services, in Bible classes, in get-togethers with other believers, we learn about what we call the communion of the saints (the Christian fellowship of believers) and about God's guidance, love, and wisdom.
Third, the church is a community where you will learn to pray. Without prayer, we can accomplish nothing. With prayer, we grow spiritually, and the church grows spiritually too. It is through this community of prayer that Christians learn to care for one another.
Fourth, the church is a community in which the ministers, elders, and deacons will provide you with spiritual and physical care. As a member of the CRC, you will be visited by elders or the pastor and sometimes by deacons. They will counsel you, share God's Word with you, and pray with you in your home.

We are committed to helping one another to grow in Christ. As the apostle Paul tells us, "We must become like a mature person - we must grow until we become like Christ and have all his perfection" (Eph 4:13 EB).

How can the CRC help me nurture my Children in the Faith?

Since we are a family, children are important to us. In the sacrament of baptism, we as Christian parents present our children to God. We recognize that our children are a part of God's covenant family.

When we promise at our children's baptisms to raise them in the faith, we are not alone. The other members of our church family also take a vow, promising to help instruct our children in the Christian faith and to encourage their development as believers.

The church offers many opportunities for our children to grow in the faith: doctrinal instruction and Bible teaching in church school classes; youth activities such as Cadets, Calvinettes, and young people's groups; and other programs that are unique to individual congregations.

We already mentioned the added opportunities for learning provided by Christian schools, colleges, and our seminary. The educational program of the CRC makes us a strong church with a biblical foundation on which to grow.

Is there a place for me in the CRC?

Yes, if what we have said about this church attracts you:

If belonging to a family is important to you ...

If you believe God's Word is the important guide for our lives ...

If you believe that the Reformed doctrines are a true interpretation of Scripture ...

If you are committed to growing in your faith in Christ ...

If you desire to serve God ...

then we will enrich each other.

We are reaching out to God's people around the world, working for reconciliation of all races through Christ's love. We are a family that wants to reflect God's diverse creation with persons of every nation, tribe, people, and language. We want to become like the many flowers of a garden, giving colour and fragrance to the church and giving glory to our maker. The apostle Paul puts it this way: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume. Our offering to God is this: We are the sweet smell of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost"
(2 Cor. 2:14-15 EB).

If you would like to talk with the pastor or other representative of the Lafayette Christtan Reformed Church about salvation, church activities, or membership contact Pastor Pruim by:
email email: x@gte.net [replace x with laf.crc]
Phone: 765-742-4292
Mail at:

Lafayette CRC
1200 Tippecanoe
Lafayette, IN 47904

This material on this page was taken from 'The CRC and You' by CRC Publications. It is available in five languages (English, Khmer, Korean, Laotion, Spanish). For ordering information call 1-800-333-8300.

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