This last week Charlie and I flew to Chicago to meet some of the pastors and elders who are part of City Classis. “Classis” is a Latin term meaning “a fleet of ships” and in Platt Park Church’s denomination (the RCA or Reformed Church in America), churches are divided into classis groups. These classes (plural of classis) are typically a regional group of church congregations (a fleet of ships) who meet twice a year to support and learn from each other.
Platt Park had been a part of the regional Rocky Mountain classis since joining the RCA in 2020 but didn’t have a lot of personal relationships within the group. This winter we began the process of transferring to City Classis within the RCA. City Classis is a “missional classis” and is made up of churches within the RCA who are involved in mission and ministry in city environments throughout the country. The City Classis allows churches with similar ministry contexts to be in a collaborative community where pastors can share resources, strategies, and support specific to cities. This model recognizes that urban ministry often requires distinctive approaches to community engagement, population density (and parking challenges!), and addressing poverty—challenges that most churches in the traditional geographically-based classes might not be encountering in the same way.
Meeting other pastors in City Classis has felt like “coming home.” In addition to the people we already knew within City Classis, I’ve met pastors and elders from Philadelphia, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and the greater Chicago area. They are wonderful and I wish you all could meet them too! I am so looking forward to learning from them and being in community with this group of churches. Last night I had a conversation with a pastor with similar building challenges (pastoring in a 120-year-old church in Detroit) and was able to compare roof-repair and tuck-pointing strategies. ☺️
The RCA has a statement that “…together represents the fullness of Christ’s ministry.” I am so grateful for the diversity of options and fullness of ministry within the RCA, and I am so grateful that God has led us to City Classis. If you want to hear more or have any questions, I would love to share! Find me on Sunday or send me an email!
With love and gratitude from Chicago,
Holly