CRCNA – Canada Approves Transitional Executive Director Position

The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA)’s Canadian board, which met in special session on Nov. 15, 2021, approved a Transitional Executive Director position for a two-year term.  The Council of Delegates (COD) Executive Committee supported that plan at their meeting on December 8, 2021.

The decision came in response to a succession planning workshop on Oct. 30, 2021 attended by several CRCNA Canada  (board) directors and senior CRCNA staff in Canada. The facilitated discussion revealed that misunderstanding exists across the Canadian congregations and members over last summer’s decision to release Rev. Dr. Darren Roorda from his position as Canadian Ministries Director/Interim Executive Director, as well as confusion about ongoing structural changes related to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) compliance and implementation of the recently COD-approved Structure and Leadership Taskforce (SALT) report.

Given these current realities, the directors determined that it would be unwise to appoint a permanent Executive Director for Canada position at this time.

Instead, they envision a Transitional Executive Director who will ensure the provision of encouragement, support and leadership to the staff and to the broader church across Canada, while also focusing on the required changes.  Among that person’s skill set, therefore, the Transitional Executive Director should be pastoral, a skilled diplomat, a godly person, have board governance experience, and be familiar with CRA charity regulations, while also being a firm and confident leader.

This transitional position was approved for an initial two-year term, with a possible extension into a third year if necessary.

CRCNA Canada chair, Andy De Ruyter, said that having a defined term should have considerable appeal to potential candidates. He also stipulated that the Transitional Executive Director would not be considered for the permanent Executive Director position. Instead, he or she would be selected to lead at this time for the current set of circumstances that the church is facing.

“We are looking for someone with a specific skill set,” he said.

The board has engaged the services of Nelson/Kraft and Associates, an executive search firm that works with Christian non-profits across Canada and is familiar with the CRCNA.

A search committee will be gathered together as soon as possible. The search process will begin immediately. Nelson/Kraft and Associates will be interviewing potential candidates and provide a short list of candidates to the search committee by mid-February. The goal is to appoint the Transitional Executive Director by mid-March, 2022.