If you are a U.S. pastor considering a call to Canada, or a Canadian pastor considering a call to the U.S., the denomination's Human Resources office has information to help you with this transition.
Administration - License to Solemnize Marriages
One of the joys you will have as a pastor is to officiate at wedding ceremonies, and in that capacity you will require a "marriage license" to solemnize marriages. In Ontario, the denominational office assists with this process. In all of the other provinces or territories you should contact the stated clerk of your church's classis.
Relational. Missional. Local. The Bridge App is a multi-functional digital communications tool specifically oriented towards the local church with a missional and relational emphasis. It connects members and the community to their local church.
The Bridge App's features are designed to help you grow closer to God and connect with other followers of Christ, easily and from anywhere.
Calvin University is a post-secondary educational institution and ministry of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) that challenges students to think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly. It was founded in 1876 and named for 16th-century Reformer John Calvin. The historic creeds and confessions of Reformed Christianity guide the college’s understanding of Scripture and inform its mission. The award-winning January series, offered 15 weekdays in January and in 48 remote locations, is one of the leading lecture and cultural arts series in the country.
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship offers practical resources for planning worship as well as a number of events including the annual Calvin Symposium on Worship. Additionally we are able to provide funding through the Vital Worship Grants program, which focuses on projects that connect public worship to intergenerational faith formation and Christian discipleship.
Calvin Theological Seminary prepares leaders to nurture disciples and serve the church while offering various resources to the local pastor. Resources available include preaching, growing your church, pursuing continued learning (via distance education--which means people can live, work, and minister where they are while still receiving a Calvin Seminary education), and mentoring.
Contact Info
(800-388-6034)
We cultivate a high standard of excellence in preaching and serve as a resource by providing mentorship programs, booking discussion groups and conferences, offering preaching scholarships, and offering other preaching resources like lectionary or evaluation tools.
The Candidacy Committee encourages and enables people entering into ordained ministry in the CRC We also assist in and administer the processes for pastoral ordination in the CRCNA, and we offer guidance and resourcing in the uses of the office of commissioned pastor.
The Centre for Public Dialogue is a place of conversation, advocacy, and action on God’s call to justice, peace, and reconciliation. Through dialogue with citizens "in the pew," with marginalized people, with elected leaders, and with partner organizations, we encourage churches and citizens to seek justice and speak hope.
CRC Communications supports the ministries of the Christian Reformed Church by facilitating communication with and among the denominational offices, agencies, congregations, and members, in North America and the world at large. We do this by means of our website (crcna.org) as well as through a variety of e-newsletters, the "Together Doing More" section in The Banner, other publications, and social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Connect with us to subscribe to publications, find out what is happening around the denomination, and get involved with programs and events.
The needs of CRC congregations and the people who serve in them drive the ministry we do together as Thrive. As a denomination, we are committed to meeting the needs of people doing local ministry; listening better and hearing more from our churches; and following the leading of God in the work we do together. As a whole, our work addresses the five ministry areas the CRC has identified as our collective calling: Faith Formation, Servant Leadership, Global Mission, Mercy and Justice, Gospel Proclamation and Worship.
CONNECTIONS PROJECT
The Connections Project is a continuation of a grant-funded project to help CRC congregations explore and connect with services and resources for ministry. Running through June 2024, the project is building on new models for regional resourcing in the CRCNA utilizing networks of regionally focused CRCNA staff and volunteers.
Relying on the Holy Spirit, Diaconal Ministries Canada exists to Inspire, Empower and Equip Deacons, as they animate congregations to join in God’s transforming work in communities across Canada.
Deacons are called to work in the areas of Compassion, Community Ministry, Stewardship, and Justice. In a sense, all engaged and committed members of the church are called to the work of deacons. To carry out our mission, Diaconal Ministries Canada values prayer, celebration, collaboration, servant leadership, gift-based ministry, holistic ministry, and justice.
To carry out our mission, Diaconal Ministries has developed a nationwide network of regional and local Ministry Developers to connect with the team of deacons in your church and provide coaching, resources, etc. Our Diaconal Coaches are experienced in diaconal work and ready to help your deacons understand their role and calling in your church and community. For a full listing of our coaches, visit our website.
NewGround (formerly Operation Manna) is all about connecting the gifts of churches and deacon leaders to the ministry opportunities in their cities and local neighbourhoods. Through our Community Opportunity Scan, churches can listen, discern, and begin to make a difference in their community. NewGround not only provides seed money to help churches start or grow a meaningful and sustainable community ministry, but also hands-on coaching and other learning and networking opportunities. NewGround also includes a Youth Justice Initiative to inspire the next generation to love and serve their community, and Deacon Scholarships, to invest in deacons as leaders in God’s Church.
God is at always at work. Churches are called to follow God into their communities to share Christ’s transformational love with each and every person.
"Everybody belongs. Everybody serves." Thrive's work in disability concerns helps churches intentionally seek to end the isolation and disconnectedness of persons with disabilities and their families, to nurture the spiritual lives of people with disabilities so that they become professing and active members of their churches, and to encourage the gifts of people with disabilities so that they can serve God fully in their churches.
Thrive's work in diversity was established to affirm and support congregations of the CRC as they work toward becoming more inclusive environments, welcoming the calling and use of gifts in people of various ethnicities.
Many opportunities for healthy ministry are possible through partnership with other churches. From justice initiatives, neighborhood engagement, and even worship resources, there is a lot to be gleaned by partnering with other family members of God's kingdom. Additionally, the impact you can have in your neighborhood or within the country also multiplies when we join together. Let us help you in making those local connections. The CRCNA wants to support the ecumenical ministry of your congregation by offering small grants to be used for events, gatherings, community services and worship opportunities that bring together churches from a variety of backgrounds.
The Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee (EIRC) is appointed by synod to engage and participate in the life of the global church, particularly interacting with churches and ecumenical organizations that share the heritage of the Reformed understanding of the Christian faith.
Educational Care is a learning program that encourages and assists educators and schools with limited resources by giving them an opportunity to develop skills and strategies of education that honor God, His creation, and the children in their classrooms.
Faith Alive Christian Resources provides high-quality, theologically Reformed resources. Sunday school curriculum, materials for youth, Bibles and Bible studies, hymnals and worship resources, leadership materials, and devotional resources, as well as various materials from CRC agencies, are available to individuals and the local church.
The Digital Library gives free, online access for CRC churches and members to hundreds of Faith Alive Christian Resources titles.
Spanish resources are available from Libros Desafio, the Spanish-literature imprint of the Christian Reformed Church.
Thirve's work in faith formation supports CRC congregations as you carry out your callings in faith formation and discipleship. We recognize that each congregation has a unique identity, history, context, and calling. When you contact us, our team listens, asks questions, and suggests ideas and resources to strengthen your ministries. Coaching conversations with our regional catalyzers might range from a quick fifteen-minute phone call to a long-term congregational re-visioning journey. If you face a faith formation question or challenge, let's talk!
Faith Formation oversees a network of Canadian Youth Ministry Champions, one for every CRC classis in Canada. Each champion works to empower and encourage those working on the front lines of congregational youth ministry across Canada. Champions listen, pray, connect, and serve as a voice on behalf of youth leaders at classis. Our desire is to strengthen youth ministry in the CRC through networking, sharing resources, and consulting. To see who your congregation's champion is, visit crcna.org/faithformation or contact us.
Faith Formation has begun building a network of U.S. Youth Ministry Champions. As the network is developed, this directory will be updated. If you would like to learn more about this network building process, contact us.
Friendship Ministries' mission is to share God's love with people who have intellectual disabilities and to enable them to become an active part of God's family. Friendship Ministries offers support and resources to local churches and Friendship Club leadership, including curriculum ideas and an orientation manual for Friendship mentors.
The Finance Services team provides finance and administrative support to the ministries of the CRC and also serves as an administrative resource for Ministry Shares, gifts, and offerings. We also provide a number of value-added services to CRC congregations, including banking, group insurance, pension, preauthorized remittance (EFT donations), and property and liability insurance.
The CRC Heritage Fund (formerly the CRC Foundation) works on behalf of the CRC to fund ministry priorities and keep the church focused on its mission today, for generations to come.
Global Coffee Break helps churches invite neighbors to discover God’s story together. Global Coffee Break has been developing leaders for over 40 years using a series of Bible studies called Discover Your Bible. Discover Your Bible studies give people the tools to read, understand, and dig into what the Bible says and means. Whether you're familiar with the Bible or have never picked one up before, Discover Your Bible is easy to understand while fostering learning and deep discovery about the Bible and ourselves.
The CRCNA’s Indigenous Ministry in Canada supports healing, reconciliation, and restored relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
CIMC has the specific role of educating, mobilizing, and resourcing CRC members and congregations to live in reconciled relationships as covenant (treaty) people before our Creator, with much of the focus on reconciling the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Please contact us for ways to engage your church.
The Justice and Reconciliation Mobilizer provides resources and ways to engage congregations on reconciliation, and collaborates closely with other ministries such as Urban Indigenous Ministry Centres, the Centre for Public Dialogue, Race Relations, and the Office of Social Justice on areas of common justice concerns.
The CRCNA has Urban Indigenous Ministries in Edmonton, Regina, and Winnipeg, that seek to respond to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of Indigenous peoples in those communities.
The Loan Fund offers loans to Christian Reformed churches in the United States for the acquisition or construction of church facilities, parsonages, and land. Loans are also made for improvements and repairs to church property. These loans are usually made with rates and fees that are generally more favorable than those offered by traditional lenders such as banks and credit unions.
The Network is a website where you can find a variety of tools, ideas to use in your congregation, questions and answers, and a place to connect with other church leaders from across North America. Resources include blogs, discussion topics, ministry Q&As, webinar recordings, and more, covering almost every area of church ministry.
Thrive serves pastors, churches, and classes as these groups seek to promote healthy relationships, encourage one another in ministry, and discern next steps in seasons of growth, transition, or challenge. Thrive's available resources include continuing education and peer learning group grants for pastors; a mentoring program for pastors in first five years of ministry; Specialized Transitional Ministers; consultation for churches, pastors and/or councils; Healthy Church Survey; pastors’ wives’ conferences; seminars on congregational health; Pastor Search (for churches looking for a pastor); vocational ministry assessments for pastors and leadership development.
Thrive's work in race relations strives to resource Christian Reformed members and congregations as they dismantle the causes and effects of racism within the body of believers and throughout the world. We offer tools that can equip churches to be more culturally aware and effective in reaching the ethnically diverse communities in which you serve.
Raise Up Global Ministries is the coming together of three like-minded programs, all dedicated to developing Christian leadership around the world to spread the gospel through biblically-based leadership training programs and supporting curriculum. Together we are able to expand our capabilities and reach and create a solid, consistent, connected global foundation of trained leaders.
ReFrame Ministries (formerly Back to God Ministries International) is the media ministry of the Christian Reformed Church. Our mission is to proclaim the gospel, grow disciples, and strengthen the church. Together with local churches, we minister in 10 major world languages, using every kind of media, to share the story of Jesus.
ReFrame includes six English programs including print, websites, social media sites, and on-air programming that your church can use with people of all ages. Widgets are available to enhance your church’s website. Programs include Church Juice, Family Fire, Groundwork, Kids Corner, Think Christian, and Today.
Daily devotions available in print, by email, via mobile app or web; an audio version is also available.
Resonate Global Mission, a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church, is bringing the gospel to people, neighborhoods, communities, churches, and the world. We want to see Christians everywhere participating in God’s mission and faithfully proclaiming and living out the good news of Jesus. Through planting churches, sending missionaries, and engaging students through campus ministry and international schools, we embolden churches in their work of fulfilling the Great Commission to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.
In partnership with over 1000 Christian Reformed congregations in Canada and the US, we equip missional leaders, guide new church development, and partner with churches and ministries worldwide. Our name, Resonate, means striking a chord or causing an expanding, amplifying sound. A sound that resonates is deep, clear, builds over time, and goes out in every direction. The world is at our doorstep. Let’s resonate mission in our neighborhood and around the world.
Christian Reformed campus ministries are active and growing on more than 35 campuses across Canada and the US. Embracing students, faculty, and staff in intentional community, they engage their campuses, bringing the Gospel in word and deed. Our campus ministries are places of faith formation, worship and gospel proclamation, servant leadership, global mission, and mercy and justice. Campus chaplains are available to speak at local churches on a variety of topics.
Regional Mission Leaders (RMLs), along with the Local Mission Leaders (LMLs) on their teams, are the presence of our mission agency in local contexts where they passionately help congregations and leaders develop vision and strategy to join God in his mission in their community. In today’s North American contexts, which are increasingly post-Christian and ethnically diverse, learning to see where God is working in the local community requires learning new postures, new behaviors, and new processes in which RMLs and LMLs can guide congregations and leaders. Regional Mission Teams also help to bridge local contexts with missional work globally, developing partnerships that enhance mission through learning, sharing, and giving.
Salaam 2.0 and Diaspora Ministries is available to your congregation to help you learn more about Islam and to reach out in love to your Muslim neighbors.
Resonate provides opportunities for both teams, individuals, and families to go on short-term mission trips lasting from two weeks to two years. This includes a special program called the Cohort of Missioners, a yearlong experience in which participants are immersed in a new culture (Latin America) by serving with local mission organizations at the grass-roots level.
Thrive equips congregations in abuse awareness, prevention, and response. We offer training and support to volunteer safer church advocates throughout the U.S. and Canada who, in turn, are able to offer resources, learning opportunities, support, and consultation in their own congregations and classes. Our goal is to build communities where the value of each person is honored, where people are free to worship and grow free from abuse, and where the response to abuse is compassion and justice that foster healing.
Social Justice educates CRC members, encourages and supports your engagement in social justice issues (especially in the areas of poverty and hunger), and occasionally is involved in direct advocacy.
The work of Canada's Justice Mobilizer is dedicated to supporting and coaching congregations in Canada as you live into God's call to do justice.
Congregational Justice Mobilizers encourage and support churches in your response to God's call to justice. We help you learn about biblical justice and about specific issues such as global poverty or immigration reform. We suggest readings, lead workshops, serve as guest speakers or preachers, suggest ideas for how to get started, and can help you figure out how to continue along the journey.
The CRC believes that the global church has a crucial and necessary role to play if the world is to begin adequately addressing the threat of climate change. It’s time that the church stands up and is heard, and the CRC has launched an exciting campaign to do that through advocacy and making your church building more eco-friendly. You and your church can become Climate Witness Project participants.
Established in 1865, The Banner is the official publication of the 289,000-member CRCNA. It seeks to inform, educate, challenge, and inspire members and leaders of the denomination. The Banner is sent at no charge to every CRC household. Advertising, such as job postings and church and family announcements, is available for churches and members through display and classified ads.
The Timothy Leadership Training Program is an interactive training for pastors and lay leaders. Our vision is to see healthy churches worldwide flourish and transform their communities under the leadership of those who have been equipped through accessible, high-quality training.
There are some things every ministry leader should know, regardless of role. Thriving Essentials is a new course to get all the ministry leaders in your church aligned on core concepts of mission, discipleship, discernment, and leadership. Four one-hour sessions provide refreshing insights and can serve as a springboard to deeper conversations about ministry in your local context. Thriving Essentials is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations initiative.
crcna.org/Essentials
Enlisting...endorsing...encouraging...enfolding! Thrive is here to help individuals who feel called into chaplaincy to find their way through the training and endorsement process. We also visit colleges and seminaries to talk with students about chaplaincy and provide grants for those involved in chaplaincy training. We then offer support to chaplains (through newsletters, visits, an annual conference, etc.) and encourage them to remain connected to and serve in their local church while encouraging the local church to remain connected to them.
Thrive's work in women’s leadership affirms and supports women in all levels of leadership. We help Christian Reformed churches and ministries create a culture in which, together, men and women thrive in pursuit of God’s mission in the world. Our goal is to invest in the future of women, ordained and non-ordained, to connect and explore new opportunities and resources to grow as leaders.
World Renew is a Christian non-profit organization that embraces a family-centered approach to alleviating poverty, hunger, and injustice in communities worldwide since 1962. Areas of focus include community development, emergency and long-term disaster response, and peace and justice work made possible by partnering with hundreds of thousands of families, churches, and organizations in more than 30 countries around the globe.
The Church with Community program inspires, equips, and empowers deacons and other church leaders as they activate their congregation to join in God’s transforming work in communities across the United States. Through training, coaching, networking, and resources, we hope to increase the capacity of churches to practice a strengths (asset) based approach to mercy and justice within their communities.
The Global Partnership Program facilitates in-depth relationships between churches in North America and churches in developing countries. Your church will participate in a reciprocal relationship that benefits both communities.
World Renew’s GVP is your one-stop place for getting volunteers connected to international ministry partners. Whether you're interested in a one-week service and learning team, a tour to visit program sites, a six-month placement, or a multiyear internship, World Renew has a place for every volunteer.
Volunteers can be involved with a North American disaster response team for one, two, or (usually) more weeks at a time, to rebuild homes and hope. Many skill levels are always needed.
The International Disaster Response team assigns volunteer relief managers and leverages your gifts with other Christian organizations and government sources, to respond to natural disasters such as floods, droughts, earthquakes, and tropical storms, as well as human-caused wars and conflicts.
If your congregation would like to consider sponsoring a family or individual, please contact World Renew’s refugee office for information and sponsorship resources.
Teach a person to fish and they can eat for a lifetime but if there isn't access to the pond or if the pond is being polluted by neighbors there could still be trouble on the horizon. The Justice Mobilizing program supports people of faith to learn more about injustices that impact communities where World Renew is at work and to take action through civic engagement.
Whether you are a paid staff person or a volunteer in a large, medium, or small congregation, whatever your role in planning worship, we are here to serve you, learn from you, and share best practices from around the denomination. Check out Thrive's website for great resources as well as ways to connect with other worship leaders through a monthly e-newsletter and Facebook page.
OTHER MINISTRIES IN CANADA
This section of the directory includes links to organizations in Canada that can serve your congregation well. They are not Christian Reformed organizations but are entities that have a good history with the CRC and have done good work with many local churches and church leaders.
The annual Ontario convention for 900+ youth and leaders.
Showing God’s love for all creation.
National, non-profit, faith-based family services provider.
Serving individuals with different abilities and their families in B.C. since 1971.
The living word transforming lives.
A non-profit organization assisting needy households with automotive maintenance and repairs through volunteers.
Advancing ministry together.
Working together to embody ecumenical, Christian "unity in diversity."
A Christian response to hunger.
Dedicated to the renewal of North American social architecture.
Providing service in Surrey, Abbotsford, and Smithers, B.C.
An independent youth ministry organization providing resources that enable boys to share Christ's love.
Helping churches walk alongside the poor.
An independent biweekly that seeks to engage creatively in critical Christian journalism.
Transforming urban communities.
Assisting Christians in planning, giving and managing their God-given financial resources.
Serving the poor, saving the lost, through the church, across the nation.
Serving as a shining light for restorative approaches to justice and corrections.
Inspired by faith to act for justice
The umbrella organization for Calvinist Cadet Corps, GEMS Girls' Clubs, and ThereforeGo Ministries.
Serving children in developing countries with quality education rooted in a Biblical worldview.
Uniting Evangelicals to bless Canada in the name of Jesus.
Helping families with alcohol and substance abuse.
Helping churches equip teens with lifelong faith.
The GEMS Girls' Clubs provide resources to bring girls into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.
Sharing God’s Word and communicating the gospel message to people of all ages and walks of life.
Celebrating the gifts and uniqueness of individuals who live with disabilities and supporting them in their walk with God and their faith community.
A tradition of inquiry, a spirit of engagement.
Committed to inspiring youth, students and graduates to follow Jesus.
Canadian churches working together for justice and peace
Reflecting God’s restorative and inclusive love within the criminal justice system and wider society.
A global community of Christians with a passion and commitment for integral mission.
Dedicated to caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of seafarers visiting the Port of Montreal.
Serving the seafarers whose ships dock at Roberts Bank and Vancouver harbour.
Serving with all nations to reach all nations.
Inspiring positive life change.
Combining a global network, a proven model, and a foundation of faith, we're working to end poverty in all parts of the world.
Undergraduate university offering programs in the arts, sciences and education from a Reformed Biblical worldview.
A fellowship of congregations called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
Serving people with disabilities. Helping them flourish.
Healing, restoration, and community for all.
OTHER MINISTRIES - Street Level
Seeking to foster collaboration among people and organizations involved in addressing poverty.
A Christian institution located in Edmonton and serving northern Alberta, western Canada, and beyond.
Encouraging, supporting, equipping and partnering with congregations across North America through mission trips and events for youth.
Biblical study tours that bring the land and lessons of the Bible to life.
Called to communion, committed to justice.
Community transformation through Bible translation, use of translated scriptures, mother-tongue literacy and education.