Power and privilege training at Synod

The grumbling among political conservatives inside the church is a misplaced reaction to the rise of woke, DEI, etc. in political contexts outside the church.

One of the first things Synod did in 2022, 2023, and again this year is power and privilege training.

This sometimes generates some eye-rolls and grumbling, both on the floor of Synod and online:

The reason Synod does this training is because Synod itself mandates it, but the institutional roots are much, much deeper.

The Committee on Ordination of Pastors from Multiracial Groups

In 1984, Classis Northern Illinois sent an overture that asked Synod to:

“appoint a committee mandated to produce appropriate recommendations for Church Order changes in the procedure for the preparation, examination, and ordination of pastors of the multiracial groups which are in the CRC, or are seeking affiliation with it.” (Acts of Synod 1984, 425)

In response, Synod did as the overture asked. It appointed a committee—the Committee on Ordination of Pastors from Multiracial Groups—whose mandate was virtually copied-and-pasted from the overture:

“...To identify issues, including Church Order ramifications, and formulate appropriate recommendations to establish procedures and requirements for the preparation, examination, and ordination of pastors of the multiracial groups which are in the CRC, or are seeking affiliation with it.” (Acts of Synod 1984, pp. 598-99).

The Multiethnic Conference

The following year this committee, the Committee on Ordination of Pastors from Multiracial Groups, presented its report, which included a recommendation that Synod 1985 approve a twice-yearly multiethnic conference. Synod adopted this.

Then, given the workload and organizational challenges of a twice-yearly conference, Synod 1986 changed the conference to an every-other-year event. Here is what Synod 1986 approved:

“…Synod endorse the development of a biennial (every other year) orientation conference/ethnic planning workshop for the various ethnic minority groups in the CRC beginning in 1987 to be held in Grand Rapids simultaneously with the first week of synod.”

Two years later, in 1988, the Multiethnic conference met for the first time. It was organized by the Synodical Committee on Race Relations (SCORR), the predecessor of the Office of Race Relations, which has merged into Thrive. The conference began meeting every other year in conjunction with Synod.

God’s Diverse and Unified Family

Synod 1992 received a request from the Multiethnic Conference to form a committee to study what a multiethnic church should and could look like. Here is the text of what Synod adopted:

“That Synod 1992 appoint a study committee to engage in a comprehensive review and articulation of the biblical and theological principles regarding the development of a racially and ethnically diverse family of God. The study is to include, but not be limited to, the following: 

a. The biblical basis for the development and use of multiethnic leadership.
b. An assessment of the present criteria for leadership in the life of the CRCNA.
c. Biblical guidelines for church-planting principles to be used in the development of a racially and ethnically diverse family of God. 

Grounds: 

a. The CRC does not have at the present time a clear biblical and theological basis for its multicultural vision.
b. The CRC's past and present responses to multiculturalism have been based on sociological factors more than on a well-developed biblical articulation.
c. Racism negates the redemptive intent of the cross, and the presently growing racial tension must be addressed through Jesus Christ and his Word.
d. The Multiethnic Conference requests this action. It is moved that synod refer this request to the Synodical Interim Committee for implementation.”

Four years later, Synod 1996 approved the report of the Committee to Articulate Biblical and Theological Principles for the Development of a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Family of God, which became what is now known as “God’s Diverse and Unified Family.” 

This report was distributed to Synodical delegates every year (and might still be, though I’m not sure).

Synod 2019 approves Power and Privilege Training for Synodical delegates

In 2019, the Synodical Review Task Force made a number of recommendations to Synod, including a recommendation that all delegates undergo power and privilege training.

Here is the text of the recommendation:

That synod incorporate biblically and theologically grounded training and orientation for delegates to better understand the power with which they are privileged, especially with regard to gender, ethnicity, position, and age…

Grounds:
1) Understanding power dynamics as articulated in God’s Diverse and Unified Family is important in order for synod to function in healthy ways and accomplish its tasks well.
2) Ethnic, gender, and age-related minorities will be more affirmed and encouraged in their participation at synod.

In the discussion which followed, there were only five speakers, though only three questions for the reporter:

1. A delegate asked: “Is this a need? Have people expressed like they feel there’s a power imbalance that has not allowed them to speak on the floor of synod?” The reporter answered that the recommendation was based on the answers given in surveys by delegates to Synod.

2. Another delegate asked what the training might look like. The reporter indicated that it would be based on “God’s Diverse and Unified Family.”

3. Finally, a third delegate, Brian Cornelius from Classis Minnkota, asked: “If there was a feeling that it was difficult to speak or participate I would lament that and wouldn’t want to speak, and the dynamics described are things we ought to talk about and be aware of and consider more deeply and do this well. My only concern is that we all might be aware, if we pay attention, that there are versions of doing what’s proposed that are ideologically concerning to me, and there are versions of what’s proposed that would be more biblically faithful, and I would just need to see what kind of curriculum was going to be taught and form what perspective before I could vote.”

The reporter answered this third question this way:

“The undergirding of this is as it’s articulated in ‘God’s Diverse and Unified Family.’ We have already adopted that as a denomination. That’s the biblical positions and ideas as articulated there.”

The voice vote to adopt this recommendation was virtually unanimous.

What this history means: 3 things

1. The stated desire of the CRC since 1984 (and earlier) is to become multiethnic, multiracial, and diverse. Though the denomination has failed more often than it has succeeded, was an ideal we worked to achieve, at least at an institutional level, if not always in practice. What I am not suggesting is that there’s a straight line from the 1984 overture to power and privilege training in its current form. What I am suggesting is a string of overtures, committees, reports, and other institutional actions reflected a four-decades long institutional impulse.

2. Delegates to Synod undergo this training because Synod itself has mandated it. There’s no external party forcing delegates to do this. They do this because they unanimously chose to do this five years ago.

3. The subtle change in response to this training from unanimous approval in 2019 to quiet grumbling in 2024 reflect a shift in culture outside the church. The grumbling among political conservatives inside the church is a misplaced reaction to the rise of woke, DEI, etc. in political contexts outside the church.

What made Power and Privilege training at Synod 2024 different

As part of Synod 2024’s Power and Privilege training, Sean Baker said the following.

“I’ve noticed in the last few years that some people who once felt like outsiders, who felt like their denomination overlooked them, suddenly find themselves with more power in this space. 

“Meanwhile, some of you who previously felt like the denomination was yours—that this was your place and these were your people—you are experiencing what it’s like to be on the outside of power. And big reversals like that, whether real or perceived, mess with us. This is a tectonic shift… it’s easy for things to break, and for people to get hurt. Which means we have a unique challenge at Synod 2024. There are some who once felt like insiders who now fear they are on the outside. And there are those who once felt like outsiders who now find themselves on the inside. And there are those who once felt like outsiders and who still feel like outsiders.

“Whether you feel like you are losing power or gaining it, whether you feel like you’ve never had much power and probably never will, how will you use whatever agency you do have this week, whatever voice you have, to build up this body? To value the voices of those who maybe are not sure they belong here…

“At the end of Synod, people will talk about two things. They will talk about the outcomes, which are important. And they will talk about the process. And maybe you say, ‘Sean, people always complain about the process if they don’t get their way!’ Fair enough. Will we give them lots to complain about, or little? Will we go the extra mile, will we act above reproach to demonstrate the truth of Paul’s words that none of us can say to another, ‘I don’t need you.’ Dear friends, how we make a decision can be just as important as what we decide. So this week, as the pressure builds… will we seize every advantage for our side? Will we weary in doing good? Or will we trust God enough to believe that we don’t need to sacrifice grace to get to true outcomes? And when we get to the end of our time on Thursday, may we say that the Spirit led our discernment.” That we took no shortcuts. That we made no power plays. That no one was left behind. That we listened to God’s voice. And that God’s will was done.”

This framing reveals how much the denomination has changed since 1984 when Chicago South’s overture started the conversion, or even since 1996, when Synod approved the report of the Committee to Articulate Biblical and Theological Principles for the Development of a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Family of God. 

It would have been impossible to predict in 1984 or 1996 or maybe even 2019 that those who felt on the inside—with the power—would be relegated to minority positions in the denomination before being forced out in 2024.

The thing about power dynamics is that power is dynamic. Those who had it lost it. And those who have it now could lose it just as quickly.

Thanks for reading.

Kent