The Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Christian Reformed Church in North America announced today that it has appointed Rev. Joel Boot to be the denomination’s interim executive director. The appointment is effective immediately for a term of two years. The board will ask Synod 2011 to ratify the appointment when it meets, starting later this week.

Boot, the pastor of Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church in Jenison, Mich., informed his congregation on Sunday morning that he is accepting the nomination to be the CRC’s interim leader.

“I assure you that this was not an easy decision, for I love (Ridgewood CRC) and it is where I want to be,” he told the congregation. “But I believe God has other plans.” He told church members that he was “greatly assisted by your grace” throughout the process.

“I ask you to pray for me as I assume this position,” he said, adding that he plans to begin work on Tuesday in preparation for the CRC’s annual synod, which is scheduled to begin on Friday on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The appointment marks the next stage in the process of selecting a leader to replace Rev. Jerry Dykstra, who resigned on April 5 after nearly five years as executive director.

Rev. Boot had been the pastor at Ridgewood since 1992. Prior to that, he pastored congregations in Grand Rapids and Dearborn, Mich., and Le Mars, Iowa. He has been a delegate to synod nine times, including three times as its president and once as vice president.

He served two terms on the board of Calvin Theological Seminary, part of that time as board president, as well as on the board of what is now Faith Alive Christian Resources.