Syd Hielema an 'Elder Statesman' in Faith Formation

A year ago, Syd Hielema attended a presentation by a young woman describing the place of young adults in the life of the church.

At the end of her talk, says Hielema, she touched on her hopes for the church itself. Given his interest in creating genuine communities of faith in the church, he listened intently.

“She concluded with this cry of the heart: ‘We long to be part of communities that smell like Jesus; that are, as Paul writes, the aroma of Christ.’” (II Cor. 2: 15).

“As she said it, I realized that her longing is the longing of all  ages within the church and the longing of the world as it looks to the church.”

Hielema, a professor of youth ministries and a chaplain at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, is leaving the college to take on on the task of helping the Christian Reformed Church to develop its discipleship and faith formation ministries.

Dr. Steven Timmermans, executive director of the CRC, announced the appointment recently.

Those who know him say Hielema’s experience and passion make him an ideal person for the role.

“As someone who has worked alongside congregations and church leaders for 35 years, he has earned a reputation of trustworthiness that is key at a time when the local church may feel that the denomination doesn't understand the ministry context in which it is living,” said Karen DeBoer, who is part of the CRC’s Discipleship and Faith Formation Ministries team.

“Syd's posture of listening, learning, and walking alongside, and his desire for congregations to feel that the denomination ‘has their back’ and exists to support them in ministry is a key leadership posture at an important time in our history.”  

Over the past several years, Hielema has been involved in many discipleship and faith formation efforts for the CRC, notably as a member of a Faith Formation Committee that worked on the issue of children at the Lord’s table.

The group crisscrossed the denomination over a period of six years, stopping at many churches to gather information. As a committee, they kept in mind they were dealing with a topic about which many people had deep feelings, says Hielema.

Hielema says that involving people in intimate discussions about faith and discipleship, the Faith Formation Committee has come to be seen as a role model for how this type of work can be done. It did not take the normal approach to studying the issue — and he found this to be refreshing.

“I found two dimensions of this committee work particularly striking,” he says.

“One, we were not called a ‘study’ committee but a ‘shepherding’ committee. We were mandated to listen to the denomination, and engage in on-going dialogue … This impressed upon me that denominational leadership is not about ‘studying and dictating conclusions,’ but rather recognizing that the Lord's ministry takes place especially in the local church and denominational leadership is called to honor that and encourage/shepherd this respectfully and humbly.”

The second dimension that struck him, he said, has to do with the name. “Why were we not called the ‘Children at the table committee’?  Because at heart we were not dealing with a limited issue. 

So, they remained the Faith Formation Committee.

“The name recognized that this one particular issue was simply a window into a larger whole: cradle to the grave discipleship and faith formation, and the role of children at the table inside this larger picture. At different times different issues need to be examined, but the fundamental calling underlines them all:  to be discipled into communities of grace following our Savior.” 

Before coming to Redeemer University College, Hielema worked at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. He earned his PhD in systematic theology, served as a youth minister and is a commissioned pastor in the CRC. He is married and has three children..

“Syd brings a wealth of experience in many areas of faith formation including youth ministry, ministry with young adults, and worship. Head, heart, and hands... he's dedicated his life to helping people grow in their faith and become lifelong disciples of Christ,” said Derek Atkins, who works in discipleship and faith formation for the CRC.

“Syd is sort of the ‘elder statesman’ of faith formation in the CRC. Our views and practices in the area of faith formation have really been shaped by his work on the Faith Formation Committee.”

Rev. Mark Hilbelink, pastor of Sunrise CRC in Austin, Texas and a member of the executive team of the CRC’s Young Adult Taskforce, says Hielema has also played an important role in shaping the faith of many students at Dordt and Redeemer.

“If you're a student of Syd's, you can almost always find another loyal student of Syd's in the room at CRC gatherings - the entirety of youth ministry in the CRC owes a huge debt of gratitude to his leadership,” says Hilbelink.

“I think Syd's lasting impact on the CRC will be prioritizing the next generation, being willing to learn from a whole breadth of Christian thinkers and a willingness to engage our imaginations as a key organ in worship.”

Gary Mulder, former director of Faith Alive Christian Resources who worked with Hielema on youth ministry projects, said Hielema brings many gifts to the new position.

Besides having a deep intellect and a thorough understanding of the issues regarding youth ministry, he has an “excellent awareness of ecclesiology, especially within the CRC, an obvious appreciation of other points of view, and a willingness to propose bold solutions to issues,” says Mulder.

He has other qualities, too.

"Syd's commitment to growing Christ's church, and the care and courage that he takes in challenging ineffective paradigms, are an inspiration." says Shannon Jammal Hollemans, project manager for the faith formation initiative out of the Office of Social Justice.

"Rabbis refer to the Scriptures as a precious jewel with many sides, to be handled and examined with great care. Syd handles the church with that kind of care. His experience with the many dimensions of church life is evident. He doesn't offer prescriptive advice, but listens. He not only listens to those he is working with, he is also listening to the Spirit for guidance."

Hielema is author of the article Wide and Long and High and Deep: Biblical Foundations of Faith Formation that appears in the book Shaped by God.

The article provides an overview of faith formation, sketching its significance to people in the church and providing additional insights into his thinking.

“When we peel back the layers of faith formation one by one, at the central core we find this profound mystery: Christ comes to dwell in our hearts through faith,” he writes.

Faith formation, he says in the article, is an ongoing process, leading everyone in the church, young and old alike, on a journey out of blindness to maturation.

“We walk in God’s presence every moment of our lives God,” he writes. “Although God is always at work forming us, we are often blind to his formative presence.”

Hielema says that his new position will enable him to join in efforts that help churches form the faith of their members — a broad, collective effort that he sees as filling a hunger and a need.

“I see a growing desire to become vibrant communities of grace, and a growing recognition that we need each others' wisdom and encouragement in order to do so,” says Hielema. “My prayer is that I can find a niche from where to serve such longings.”