Schoon Departs as Thrive Codirector
After 21 years of service with the Christian Reformed Church in North America, including five years supporting CRC congregations as a staff member of a CRCNA agency, Chris Schoon has made the difficult decision to step away from his role as codirector of Thrive. His last day will be September 20.
“I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to serve within the CRCNA ministries over the past five years,” said Schoon in his resignation letter. “Through my time here, I have been able to experience and witness more of God’s goodness and faithfulness through so many people and circumstances that I otherwise would not have encountered – and that has been a gift I will bring with me into the next season of life and ministry.”
Schoon said that he first felt a call to ministry while he was on a mission trip to do street evangelism in Budapest, Hungary, during his senior year of high school. He attended Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary and said that he remains grateful for the mentoring he received from pastors Dave Beelen and Dante Venegas (Madison Square CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich) before seminary and throughout his seminary internship.
Before joining the staff of CRCNA agencies, Schoon served as a minister of outreach at Plymouth Heights CRC in Grand Rapids and as the lead pastor at First CRC in Hamilton, Ont. In both of these communities his passions, skills, and interests led him to extend ministry beyond the walls of the local church.
“At Plymouth Heights I launched a Kids’ Hope USA mentoring program at Mulick Park elementary school, and at First CRC I was involved in the TrueCity movement,” he explained. Living out his faith and helping others understand how faith formation and missional outreach go hand-in-hand were central tenets to his work in ministry, he said.
Schoon completed a doctor of theology degree through Wycliffe College in Toronto, Ont., that focused on the intersection of worship, discipleship, and outreach in the missional church movement. He also occasionally taught courses at Redeemer University, Calvin Theological Seminary, and Kuyper College related to ministry, discipleship, and leadership.
With this academic and real-world background in pastoral leadership, missional outreach, and discipleship, Schoon became an ideal candidate to serve as director of the CRCNA’s Faith Formation Ministries when that position became available in 2019.
“I loved directing the Faith Practices Project and working with staff on how to encourage churches to engage in spiritual disciplines,” he said about his time in that role.
Faith Formation Ministries was one of nine CRCNA congregational ministries that amalgamated into Thrive in 2023. During that transition, Schoon was appointed to serve as codirector of Thrive alongside Lesli van Milligen.
As part of his work with Thrive, Schoon helped to start Generation Spark, an intergenerational mentoring program carried out in partnership with the Reformed Church in America. He also led Thrive’s grant-supported initiatives related to Christian parenting and caregiving and Thriving Together in ministry.
“I have a deep and profound gratitude for what has been a rich and beautiful season of ministry,” said Schoon. “While I remain committed to the Reformed faith and the theology that has shaped and molded me over my life, I also feel that it is time for me to take a step back and figure out what God is calling me to next. I don’t know what that will be but am trusting that God will open the door in his timing.”
Schoon’s last day will be September 20. After his departure, Thrive will move forward with a single directorship rather than a codirectorship model. Van Milligen has been asked to step into the director role.
“Lesli is an amazing leader, and it’s been a true gift to partner with her as a codirector in developing and leading Thrive,” said Schoon about this decision. “I look forward to hearing how the Spirit works through Lesli and the rest of Thrive to support churches throughout the CRC.”
This feeling of respect for their partnership is mutual. “I am so grateful for Chris and to have had the opportunity to lead alongside him for these past years,” said van Milligen. “He is a gracious, collaborative leader who draws the best out of individuals and the team as a whole, which has helped make this transition into a new agency go as smoothly as it has. It will be one part of a rich legacy of leadership in the CRC.”
Dan DeKam, director of U.S. ministry operations, and Al Postma, executive director-Canada, agreed. In a joint email to Thrive staff, they said, “Chris has been a gifted and passionate colleague. Particularly in this past season, as Thrive was established as a new entity, his leadership alongside Lesli was indispensable as we all navigated these new realities together.”
They added, “We are grateful for Chris and wish him God’s blessings in his next chapter. We have no doubt that God will continue to use him and his skills for ministry. We are also grateful for Lesli and have confidence that she will be able to continue in this new way to shepherd Thrive as it supports and equips CRC congregations into the future.”
