On the Growth of the CREC+Our Favorite Family Series

The future of the CREC will not be secured by rapid expansion, but by deepening fidelity.

The CREC continues to grow dramatically as we approach our 2026 Council. As an example, in the last two weeks I have received calls from six different countries and eight different counties in the United States inquiring about church planting. Our growth has astounded many, and with some of the high-profile figures associated with us, there has been an even greater measure of attention. For all of this, I give thanks to God, who builds His Church and gathers His people from every corner.

But we are also at a stage where we are culturally, theologically, and liturgically self-aware. We are no longer in our infancy. The Lord has been kind to us. We have grown to produce godly and faithful pastors, and now our children and our children’s children are coming of age within our churches, offering remarkable gifts within their own spheres of influence. This is not accidental. It is the fruit of a shared life, a common confession, and a deliberate commitment to worship and practice.

And as you grow as an institution, it becomes imperative to establish and maintain boundaries. Growth without clarity is not maturity. It is significant that our culture is preserved, and that our theological and liturgical distinctives are not only articulated, but guarded and strengthened, even more so at the presbytery level. In other words, we can now afford to be careful. We can afford to be selective, not out of pride, but out of stewardship.