As a Reformed Church, we emphasize the fact that Jesus Christ is the King of the Church. We believe that he has entrusted the leadership of local congregations to Ministers of the Word, Elders and Deacons.
The task of the Ministers, also called Pastors, is to preach the Word of God and to administer the sacraments. Beside these functions in the public worship service, the minister also teaches the youth in the doctrines of the church and he will visit the members of the congregation as needed to encourage, comfort and direct them. As a Minister is called to devote his whole life to this task, churches provide the ministers with an appropriate wage.
The task of the Elders is to see to it that the members remain faithful in their doctrine and lifestyle, calling all straying sheep to repentance. Beside regular contact in the course of life, elders will conduct an annual visitation to each family to gage their spiritual wellbeing, giving direction where there is unfaithfulness and encouragement where they find sorrows and burdens.
The task of the Deacons is to see that the poor and afflicted are helped and comforted according to their needs. To this end, they collect funds from the congregation and will visit families. Their task is often described as the ministry of mercy.
Each congregation is autonomous and chooses its own leaders. At the same time, the congregations have voluntarily formed a bond with like minded churches for mutual supervision and support, thus forming a federation of churches. Churches regulate their affairs individually and communally by following a mutually agreed upon Church Order, which is available via the Links section at www.canrc.org.