wfn.org | CRC Selects Chris Pullenayegem Leadership Exchange Director

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> CRC Picks Director for Leadership Exchange

July 21, 2009 -- The Christian Reformed Church has selected Chris
Pullenayegem as the first director of its new Leadership Exchange.

Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Pullenayegem will begin his work in
September.  Most recently a church renewal and ministry specialist for
CRC Home Missions, he was appointed to the position today by the
executive committee of the CRC's Board of Trustees.

"I am deeply honored to work for the CRC and to work in this
capacity," said Pullenayegem, 52, of Toronto, Ontario. "This will give
me a chance to help shape the leadership for the next few generations
in the church. I hope to leave a legacy of leadership."

As part of the denomination's 150th anniversary, Synod 2007 issued a
mandate for the CRC to develop a Leadership Institute, later changed
to Leadership Exchange, with a significant academic emphasis on peer learning.

The purpose of the exchange, synod said, is to help prepare leaders by
"coordinating leadership training resources offered by other
institutions and to supplement such training resources as needed
through providing seminars in various places, tutoring, mentoring and
encouragement."

Pullenayegem says the exchange will offer training resources for
leadership formation from inside the CRC and perhaps the business,
industrial and educational worlds as well.

"We will invite leaders in to talk about leadership. The mandate is
that we learn from the best," he says. "I see this as part of an
ongoing learning culture in the CRC. We will be doing a lot of
dialoguing around leadership issues and then implementing the best
ideas and practices throughout the church."

He says that almost every significant change in the church has come
from God raising up leaders who are willing to listen and to learn.

The institute will be directly connected to the CRC and its operations
will fall under the oversight of the Board of Trustees.

Pullenayegem says there are three things that can help make a solid
and creative leader. First, the person must be man or woman of strong
moral character. Second, the person must have developed a daily walk
with God. Third, the person must be open-minded, able to work closely
with others, and remain willing to keep learning leadership skills.

The new director grew up in the Sri Lanka Reformed Church and says he
learned a great deal about leadership and other things from CRC
missionaries. "This is an investment by the CRC that has in essence
come home," he says. "I was mentored by a man who was mentored by a
CRC missionary."

Pullenayegem worked in a variety of capacities for the Sri Lanka
Reformed Church. In 2001, he moved with his wife and three children to
Canada, where he worked in refugee and immigration work with the
advocacy group Citizens for Public Justice.

In 2007, he took the position as a ministry specialist with Christian
Reformed Home Missions in Canada. He is a member of Friendship
Community CRC in Toronto, where he is worship leader and involved
adult education.

> -Chris Meehan, CRC Communications

> --
> Chris Meehan
> News & Media Director
> Christian Reformed Church in North America
> 1-616-224-0849