A brief report on the first day of the General Synod in Hoogeveen, 29 September 2026.
Rev. J. W. Moolhuizen, minister of the calling congregation, opens the meeting. He reads Zechariah 7:1–10 and prays for God’s guidance during the deliberations and decision-making.
In 1977, Hoogeveen was also the host church for the General Synod. At the opening, Rev. Hilbers also reflected on Zechariah 7. In his opening address, Rev. Moolhuizen linked the reading from Zechariah to the tension within which the synod was convening: the desire to hold on to what is known and familiar, whilst also coming to terms with a new reality.
Following the opening, a moment of remembrance is held for the ministers and deputies who have passed away since the previous synod. Whilst the delegates stand, their names are read out, after which the assembly observes a few moments’ silence.
The legality of the meeting is established on the basis of the letters of authorisation from the four private synods. The moderamen is elected in a series of voting rounds. Rev. J. Nutma is elected as presiding officer, and the ministers D.J.T. Hoogenboom, N.C. Smits and J. Oosterbroek as members of the moderamen.
Rev. Nutma takes over the chair of the meeting and reads Ephesians 3:14–20. This passage centres on unity with Christ and love, mutual connection and dependence on God’s guidance. All will be well if Christ is in our hearts and He is at the heart of our discussions. Rev. Nutma thanks the calling congregation for their preparatory work and Rev. Moolhuizen for leading the first part of the meeting.
The plenary assembly then, in accordance with Article 50 of the Church Order, expresses its assent to the confessional writings of the Christian Reformed Churches. The meeting is then adjourned to allow the Moderamen to deliberate.
Following the adjournment, Brothers J. Lokhorst (primus) and A. Dijkhuizen (secundus) were first appointed as quaestors of the General Synod. The moderamen has divided the roles amongst themselves: Rev. Oosterbroek is assessor, Rev. Hoogenboom is first scribe and Rev. Smits is second scribe. The minutes of the previous synod were approved and signed.
The remainder of the agenda is set aside for the discussion of the report by the Deputies for Representation. For this purpose, Rev. J.G. Schenau and Brother A.S. Bil take their seats at the moderators’ table. However, before the discussion begins, the ministers Kok, Mulder, Weststrate and Van de Velde are given the opportunity, upon request, to make a statement of their views. A common theme in their statements is the unease surrounding the convening of this synod, given the manner in which the previous synod was concluded, and their concern regarding the practice of congregations that do not adhere to synodical decisions, as this undermines the credibility of this synod.
During the discussion of the report by the Deputies for Representation, delegates raised questions in particular regarding the proposals for the agenda of the first week of the synod, the role of the Deputies for Church Order and Canon Law in assessing the requests for review concerning the adjournment of the previous synod, and the decision not yet to appoint the professors as preliminary advisers to the synod.
The assembly shares the view that a fundamental discussion about what it means to be a church is needed. However, there are also calls not to wait too long before entering into discussions with representatives of Rijnsburg. The deputies indicated that the importance of the input from professors is not in question, but that they did not see scope for a permanent role as a preliminary adviser, as the professorship is no longer an office. Questions relating to the report by the Deputies for Church Order and Canon Law will be taken forward to the discussion of the revision requests, which will be considered on Friday.
At the end of the discussion, the proposals put forward by the deputies of the Representation were put to the vote. The meeting agrees to the proposal not to appoint a fifth member of the Moderamen at this stage, along with the proposals to continue using the first week of the meeting for reflection and to explore the way forward for the discussion on the situation within the church, and for delegates to adopt a cautious approach towards the press and social media. The meetings on Wednesday and Thursday will be held in committee.
