CRCPedia: Classis Wisconsin

Classis Wisconsin is a group of covenanted congregations of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) consisting of 17 churches across the state of Wisconsin. The classis functions by four committees: the Administrative Team, the Church Planting & Renewal Team, the Leadership Development Team, and the Executive Team. Rev. Jason Ruis serves as Stated Clerk.

History & Growth

On October 16 of 1866, Oostburg Christian Reformed Church became the first CRC congregation in the state of Wisconsin. It would remain the only CRC congregation in Wisconsin until churches were organized in Alto and Sheboygan in the 1880s. Until 1924, these Christian Reformed churches belonged to nearby Classis Illinois. At synod September 17, 1924, Classis Illinois noted that its 30 churches were becoming “very large” and that “of these 30 congregations, 10 are located in the state of Wisconsin.” These original 10 churches were Oostburg (1868), Alto (1881), Baldwin (1888), Sheboygan (1889), Vesper (1900), Racine (1906), Randolph (1908), Kenosha (1911), Waupun (1921) and Birnamwood. Four of these original 10 churches remain in Classis Wisconsin today (Oostburg, Sheboygan, Racine, Waupun).

In the decade spanning 1929-1939, Classis Wisconsin added three churches—Second Randolph (1929), Delavan (1931) and Brookfield (1939). While Classis Wisconsin began with 587 families in 10 churches in 1924, it had nearly doubled to 1,149 families in 13 churches by 1957. Growth would continue to explode between 1957-1961 with the organization of Madison CRC and successful church plants in both Sheboygan (Calvin CRC) and Waupun (Bethel CRC). Today, though the number of active members has decreased from 4,853 in 1957 to 3,687, Classis Wisconsin continues to benefit from its 17 churches and 22 ministers.

Planting & Outreach Efforts

After the successful planting of Calvin CRC and Bethel CRC, planting efforts in Classis Wisconsin slowed dramatically. The classis began a ministry on the campus of University of Wisconsin -Madison in 1969 through the work of Rev. Robert Westenbroek—a campus ministry the classis maintains together to this day. However, church planting efforts were almost non-existent for nearly 30 years. Several major efforts bore fruit between 1987-1993.

Hmong immigrants began settling in Wisconsin after the Vietnam War as early as 1975. 15 years later, Classis Wisconsin had two Hmong congregations—Sheboygan in 1987 and Wisconsin Rapids in 1991. Also in 1991, Geneva Campus Church was organized as the result of the campus ministry at UW-Madison. In 1993, Dave Katsma joined Classis Wisconsin as a Commissioned Pastor and contributed his gifts in outreach and church planting. By 1998, he had established Marshview Ministries as an organized church.

After the successful establishment of Living Hope Community CRC (2004), the classis mourned a series of failed church plants. Brookfield CRC planted Connection Point Church in 2007, but moral failure in the leadership of the church brought it to an unceremonious end by 2012. In 2008, The Garden CRC opened in Fon Du Lac, and struggled to gain momentum before closing its doors in 2013. Also in 2008, churches in Racine and Kenosha supported La Gran Comisión—affectionately called “RacKen”—which served a Spanish speaking population until 2021.

The disappointment following the closure of Connection Point in 2012 did not deter the spirit of Brookfield CRC, whose City Reformed Church plant organized in 2014. They now work with resident church planter McLowlly Soré and his emerging Vivé Church. La Gran Comisión may have officially disbanded in 2021, but Spanish speaking ministry thrives in Classis Wisconsin. Besides Vivé Church, a Spanish speaking service has begun at Living Hope Community Church and ESL classes at Oostburg CRC draw an increasing number of Spanish speaking worshipers there.

Notable People

While the list of ministers and lay people who have contributed to ministry efforts in Classis Wisconsin is long, several deserve attention for their significant and sustained work in the classis. Before the classis officially began, Theodore De Lange served as the initial minister of two separate CRC congregations in Wisconsin. From 1896-1900, he served as the inaugural minister of Sheboygan CRC for his first official call. From there, he made the 150 mile trek southwest to Vesper, WI where he served as their inaugural minister from 1900-1906. De Lange spent the first 10 years of his 29-year career in ordained ministry in the Classis Wisconsin.

As the classis turned its attention to the growing community of Hmong immigrants in the state, it relied heavily on the efforts of Rev. Kou Vang. Rev. Vang, himself a refuge from Laos, had a role in both of the Hmong congregations. He served as a lay pastor at Hmong CRC Wisconsin Rapids from 1994 until it disbanded in 1999. At that point, he became ordained by way of extraordinary gifts and has served as the pastor at Hmong CRC Sheboygan since. For decades, Rev. Vang has taken annual trips to Southeast Asia to lead Timothy Leadership Training—a program developed by the Christian Reformed Church’s mission arm, Resonate Global Missions, training church leaders in over 35 languages. After serving Hmong congregations in Classis Wisconsin for over 30 years, Rev. Vang now plans to move to Laos as a resident missionary. Classis Wisconsin will support him.

Perhaps no other leader has been more influential in cultivating Classis Wisconsin’s missional identity than Pastor Dave Katsma. Pastor Katsma is a Commissioned Pastor who came to the classis in 1993 to serve Faith Community CRC. Because of his gifts and passion for church planting, Pastor Katsma planted Marshview Ministries in 1998. Besides his work at Marshview, Katsma serves as a Local Mission Leader for Resonate Global Mission, and continues to utilize his gifts in church planting by identifying and supporting churches around the classis in church planting efforts. Katsma has also led the Leadership Development Network (LDN) courses—a three-year program for training lay leaders—for more than twenty years. This program has equipped many exhorters who serve in their congregations and fill vacancies classis wide.

As the work of transitional ministers becomes more important around the denomination, churches in Classis Wisconsin have leaned heavily on the pastoral gifts of Rev. Roger Sparks. Churches outside of major CRC networks—like Grand Rapids and Northwest Iowa—often struggle to find available transitional ministers. As a result, Rev. Sparks has served in three consecutive vacancies in Classis Wisconsin. He served Bethel CRC from 2021-2023, Covenant CRC from 2024-2025, and briefly at Living Hope Community CRC in 2025. Rev. Sparks pastoral nurturing has blessed each of the congregations he has served in as transitional minister.

Trials & Tragedies

Tragedy struck the Classis in 2016 when beloved Rev. Ken Prol was killed in a bicycle accident. Besides serving Randolph CRC faithfully for nine years, Rev. Prol was an exceptional Stated Clerk of Classis Wisconsin. His death left both his church and the classis reeling. Unfortunately, Randolph CRC would struggle to maintain their place in the denomination. Unable to find a suitable CRC minister, the congregation would be led out of the denomination by Prol’s replacement in 2019.

Randolph CRC’s departure is one of many difficult separations Classis Wisconsin has endured in the past several years. In 2017, following the classis’ decision to extending voting privileges to its female delegates, Alto CRC transferred from Classis Wisconsin to Class Minkota. With the disbanding of New Hope CRC (2018) and Kenosha CRC (2022), Classis Wisconsin said good-bye to four of the 10 original members of the classis.

Classis Wisconsin Today

Still, Classis Wisconsin enjoys a rich spiritual unity and vibrancy. Classis renewal efforts resulting in the new four committee structure have strengthened the care and outreach efforts happening throughout the state. The Leadership Development Team supports three hybrid students at Calvin Theological Seminary who work in the classis, as well as two other students in the Coram Deo program who presently serve as lay leaders at Classis Wisconsin churches. The Church Planting & Renewal Team developed a resident church planter plan that has excited home mission efforts in the state. Currently, Brookfield CRC is using this residency to support McLowlly Soré as he works to establish Vivé Church. The Administrative Team supports the work of a monthly newsletter and video interview meant to connect congregations and leaders. These informational tools have encouraged connection and strengthened communication. The Executive Team has overseen a change to a Saturday classis meeting time. This change hopes to better accommodate officebearers whose work makes weekday meetings difficult to attend.

Despite its many strengths, Classis Wisconsin will need consistent innovation and intentional connection to stem challenging trends denomination-wide. While several churches are growing, overall membership in the classis drops year over year. Only one of the 17 churches maintains an evening service. Worship practices vary widely from church to church. The unique strengths and emphases of various congregations can bring great strength and diversity to a classis, but Classis Wisconsin will need to keep making consistent efforts to maintain its unity and shared ministry goals.

Appendix A

Bibliography

1. Acts of Synod 1866. Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 1866.

2. Acts of Synod 1924. Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 1924.

3. Acts of Synod 2017. Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 2017.

4. Agenda for Synod 2017. Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 2017.

5. Greidanus, Janet A. “In Memorium: Rev. Kenneth Prol.” The Banner, 152, January (2017): 13.

6. One Hundred Years in the New World. Grand Rapids, MI: The Publication Section of the Centennial Committee, 1957.

7. Vernon, Alison. “English Classes at a Wisconsin Church Develop More Than Language Skills,” The Banner 158, 6. June (2023): 20.

8. Yearbook 2025. Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Services, 2025.

Footnotes

Yearbook 2025 (Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Services, 2025), 45.

“1866 Classis Minutes” in Acts of Synod 1866 (Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 1866), 159. See also One Hundred Years in the New World (Grand Rapids, MI: The Publication Section of the Centennial Committee, 1957), 208.

Acts of Synod 1924 (Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 1924), 85. See also One Hundred Years, 210.

Acts of Synod 1924, 85.

One Hundred Years, 216.

One Hundred Years, 216.

Alissa Vernon, “English Classes at a Wisconsin Church Develop More Than Language Skills,” The Banner 158, 6. June (2023): 20.

Janet A. Greidanus, “In Memorium: Rev. Kenneth Prol,” The Banner 152, January (2017), 13.

Acts of Synod 2017 (Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 2017), 623. See also “Overture 1” in Agenda for Synod 2017 (Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Denominational Publications, 2017), 417-418.