The Christian Reformed Church in North America on Wednesday approved a measure to have all future hires for top level positions to conform to the 25% diversity goal, based on a report approved by the Board of Trustees.

In 2009 Synod instructed the CRC Executive Director to convene an ethnically inclusive group to develop a statement… for increasing multiethnic representation.”

The CRC Board of Trustees had approved the report from Diversity in Leadership Planning Group (DLPG) in February 2011, which included a number of recommendations. One called for 25 percent multiethnic leadership in its senior level positions.

Another called for the director of the Race Relations office, also a member of the DLPG, to be a permanent member on the Ministries Leadership Team.

The report brought controversy within the denomination. Back to God Ministries International, a worldwide media ministry agency of the CRC, made a formal request to synod, asking that the report not be adopted but sent back to the congregations for discussion.

Controversy even extended among ethnic minorities. Classis Pacific Hamni, consisting entirely of 47 Korean-speaking congregations, sent an overture asking that synod reject the report. In addition Classis Greater Los Angeles, while claiming to be the denomination’s most ethnically diverse classis, also overtured synod to not endorse the report. Both overtures commended the goal of increased diversity, but mentioned an imbalanced composition of the DLPG and the need for diversity initiatives at the grassroots or congregational level, not just the top level.

Pacific Hamni elder delegate explained from the floor about the “Neglect of Korean American voices in DLPG,” said Jonathan Kim. “Two members of original committee did not sign document, one was Korean American.”

The advisory committee, without a minority report, chose to recommend some of the proposals and leave the others to an expanded DLPG for further development. When the recommendation of 25 percent multiethnic leadership in senior level positions came to the floor a lengthy discussion ensued.

“I don’t want to be in a position because I’m a minority,” said Katie Roelofs, an Asian American elder delegate from Washington DC.

Others thought the recommendation would be a step in the right direction. “We can’t win a marathon by walking,” said Fronse Pellebon Smith, an African American elder delegate from Holland, MI, speaking in favor of the recommendation. “We have to run the marathon to win, and the church has started the marathon late.”

The day before, Synod 2011 ratified the appointment of Moses Chung, an Asian American to be the director of Christian Reformed Home Missions, in a memorable ceremony where all delegates surrounded Chung and his family, laying hands on him and giving commissioning prayers.

The Synod advisory committee which reviewed the material and brought the recommendations to the floor encouraged delegates to vote in favor of the 25 percent hiring goal, saying that the denomination was just four hires away from attaining the goal.

When the question was called and the votes counted, Synod decided to adopt the recommendation by a mere 11 votes (97 to 86), requiring all future hires conform to 25 percent diversity in leadership.

The last issue of the day was discussion on a new Covenant for Officebearers

Historically, the CRC required all deacons, elders and ministers to sign the Form of Subscription, a statement that declares that the Three Forms of Unity (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Canons of Dort) “fully agree with the Word of God.”

An issue began in 2003, when a congregation in British Columbia asked Synod 2004 to study the Form because some had difficulty signing it and it was falling into disuse. This sparked a process leading to the formation of a committee mandated to draft a new Form. Synod 2008 sent back the proposed Covenant because it lacked clarity and called for a new version to be proposed in 2011.

This year’s proposal of the Covenant is a communal rather than an individualistic document. Instead of a form of subscription that speaks only of the three forms of unity (the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dordt), the Covenant speaks of Scripture, the ecumenical creeds and the three forms of unity. It also addresses Our World Belongs to God, the contemporary testimony of the CRC, but refers to it in different language than the three forms of unity because it does not have confessional status.

The motion to adopt the Covenant resulted in longer lines at the microphones than any other motion thus far in Synod 2011. Discussion began around 7:30 in the evening and continued for nearly two hours.

The President of Calvin College, Gaylen Byker, stepped forward and made a thoughtful statement about how the current Form has served the college well many times for holding professors accountable in their teaching. It would be “a major mistake to adopt the covenant in its current form,” Byker said. “The accountability provision would be lost.”

After President Byker, John Cooper, professor at Calvin Seminary, spoke against the proposed Covenant. “It will be hard for anybody to say anything and be in violation of the covenant,” Cooper said. After calling attention to potential loopholes, Cooper concluded. “It would be a violation of my signing the old one if I were to sign this one.”

These two speakers from the denomination’s college and seminary clearly turned the direction of the discussion.

“I was initially in favor of adopting the Covenant but now I’m against it,” said Greg Janke, minister delegate from Classis Chicago South. “We can do better than this.”

Other comments took a different tone. “There is a lot of fear in this room,” said Corey Van Heusen, youth representative. “Fear is not the basis for making judgments. Step forward and trust in God in his Word.”

Instead of adopting the proposed Covenant, a motion was made and passed to recommit the Covenant to the synod advisory committee to come up with a new recommendation for the following morning session on how to enhance the proposed Covenant.

Rev. Aaron Vriesman is the Pastor of the North Blendon Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan and is reporting on the CRC Synod for The Aquila Report