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2023

Recommendations

The following is a list of recommendations as presented in the General Synod workbook. Unofficial updates on the actions of synod will be placed here during the meeting; this list will be updated once a day.

  • Please note that these actions should not be considered official until the Minutes are posted later in the summer.
  • Amendments and substitutes made at synod are not included below.
  • Longer recommendations are shortened here (indicated by “…”). For full recommendations, please consult the workbook reports.

General Synod Council as Executive Committee

EC 23-1 Adopted as Amended
To approve the agenda and schedule of the General Synod as presented in the General Synod Workbook.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 39

EC 23-2 Adopted
To declare Amendment 1 to be approved for incorporation into the 2023 Book of Church Order.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 40

EC 23-3 Adopted
To declare Amendment 2 to be approved for incorporation into the 2022 Book of Church Order.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 40

EC 23-4 Adopted
To declare the amendment to the Special Rules of Order of the General Synod specified in CO 22-1, adopted in first reading by the 2022 General Synod, to be approved for incorporation into the 2023 Book of Church Order.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 40

EC 23-5 Adopted
To declare the amendment to the Special Rules of Order of the General Synod specified in CO 22-2, adopted in first reading by the 2022 General Synod, to be approved for incorporation into the 2023 Book of Church Order.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 40

EC 23-6 Adopted
To appoint Jillisa Teitsma as treasurer of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 41

EC 23-7 Adopted
To approve the continuation of the Commission on Christian Worship.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 44

EC 23-8 Adopted
To transfer City Church Denver in Denver, Colorado, from City Classis in the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics to Rocky Mountain Classis in the Regional Synod of the Far West.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 45

EC 23-9 Adopted
To transfer Renacer Church in Doral, Florida, from the Classis de las Naciones in the Regional Synod of Mid-America to the Classis of the Americas in the Regional Synod of the Far West.

Report of the General Synod Council as Executive Committee, p. 45

EC 23-9 Adopted
To appoint the following individuals to serve as the RCA’s representatives on the board of directors of Vibrant Congregations (Reformed Partnership for Congregational Renewal, RPCR) for the purpose of winding down the organization: Edie Lenz, Steve Norman, Sung Kim, and Liz Brand.

Addition to the Report of the General Synod Council Serving as the Executive Committee of the General Synod, p. 2

Finance

F 23-1 Adopted
To approve a General Synod 2024 covenant shares rate of 2.7 percent, of which $415,000 will be allocated for theological education according to the formula provided by PFOB.

Report of the Office of Finance, p. 57

F 23-2 Adopted
To eliminate the formula for assessing newly organized churches as adopted in R-51 in 2010. This will be effective for all newly organized churches that have organized on or after January 1, 2022. All newly organized churches currently being assessed under the graduated formula (those churches organized in the years 2018-2021) will be assessed based on the covenant shares method, but the graduated increase in their rate will continue to be based on the 2010 formula until they are paying 100 percent of the covenant shares rate.

Report of the Office of Finance, p. 58

Global Mission

GM 23-1 Adopted
To set the value of a full Partnership-in-Mission at $6,900 for 2023 (no increase over 2022); and further,

To ask every RCA congregation that does not currently support an RCA missionary with a Partnership-in-Mission share to consider taking on a full or partial share of support.

Global Mission, p. 113

GM 23-2 Adopted
Let it be resolved that the 216th session of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America, meeting at Central College in Pella, Iowa, from June 8-13, 2023, gives glory to God for the life and witness of Peter and Patty Ford, Craig and Christa Hollander, Deb Wilson, Sally Vis, and Haluk and Wendy Bilgen and offers a prayer of thanksgiving for their service to RCA Global Mission.

Global Mission, p. 115

Leadership

L 23-1 Adopted
To adopt the following resolution:

These individuals have loved Christ and fed his sheep. They have devoted themselves to spreading the Word and equipping the saints for the work of ministry.

(see Workbook report for full text)

Retired Ministers of Word and Sacrament, pp. 117-119

Board of Benefits Services

BBS 23-1 Adopted
To commend “An Equitable Future” to all RCA assemblies in the United States; and further,

To direct the Commission on Race and Ethnicity, in its role as advisor to the church on policies and initiatives that address issues of institutional racism, to study the paper…

(see Workbook report for full text)

Report of the Board of Benefits Services, pp. 154

Commission on Christian Action

CA 23-1 Adopted as Amended
To instruct the General Synod Council to send a letter through classis clerks, urging our congregations and member business owners to treat those in their employ as employees rather than independent contractors and urging their participation in unemployment insurance to benefit employees; and further

To instruct the General Synod Council to send a similar letter to RCA institutions and affiliated institutions with this same request.

Report of the Commission on Christian Action, p. 156-157

CA 23-2 Adopted as Amended
To form an ad hoc committee, meeting remotely via Zoom or other technology, to seek further transparency and understanding around the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and unemployment insurance for denominational (GSC) staff…

(see Workbook report for full text)

Report of the Commission on Christian Action, p. 157

CA 23-3 Adopted as Amended

To resolve to pray in the name of Christ Jesus for global peace—particularly naming peace in the Holy Land and any other noteworthy conflicts at the time—at each of the worship services held during meetings of the General Synod until peace comes.

Report of the Commission on Christian Action, p. 159

CA 23-4 Adopted as Amended

To urge classes and congregations (through classis clerks) to begin a study of the conflicts in the Holy Land with the attempt to understand the fears of each side of the conflict, making use of the following resources, among others, for this study:

Joshua and Sally Vis – https://joshvis.com/resources
RCA Middle East Peacemakers –www.facebook.com/groups/550613948318966
The Parents Circle – Families Forum – www.theparentscircle.org

Report of the Commission on Christian Action, p. 159

CA 23-5 Adopted

Be it resolved, that General Synod 2023 expresses its sincere gratitude to Rev. Liz Testa, Rev. Dr. Joshua Vis, and Sally Vis for their leadership in hosting a Holy Land trip in November 2022; and further,

To direct GSC staff to broadly publicize any such future trips in the coming years to encourage more RCA members to embark on these learning journeys.

Report of the Commission on Christian Action, p. 159

CA 23-6 Adopted

To encourage RCA agencies, assemblies, and individual congregations to research and consider making any purchases through Indigenous-owned businesses, and to make a list of some of these businesses available on an RCA webpage for the Native American and Indigenous Ministries Council.

Report of the Commission on Christian Action, p. 160

CA 23-7 Adopted as Amended

To urge members of the congregations, classes, and regional synods of the Reformed Church in America to educate themselves on the resources highlighted in the CCA’s 2023 report on spiritual abuse in order to equip congregations and members to address spiritual abuse, both locally and systemically.

Report of the Commission on Christian Action, p. 162

Commission on Church Order

CO 23-1 Adopted
To adopt the following amendment to the Book of Church Order, Chapter 1, Part I, Article 7, Section 2p (2022 edition, p. 25) for recommendation to the classes for approval (additions are underlined; deletions are stricken):

(see Workbook report for full text)

Report of the Commission on Christian Worship, p. 188-189

CO 23-2 Adopted
To adopt the following amendment to The Bylaws of the General Synod, Chapter 3, Part I, Article 9, Section 5 (2022 edition, p. 124) for submission to the next General Synod for final approval (additions are underlined; deletions are stricken):

(see Workbook report for full text)

Report of the Commission on Christian Worship, p. 190

Commission on History

H 23-1 Adopted
That the General Synod hold in abeyance the proposal to develop a Historic Trust to support the Archives until such time as the denominational archivist should recommend that work be resumed on it.

Report of the Commission on History, p. 200

H 23-2 Adopted
That the following resolution be spread across the minutes of this General Synod:

WHEREAS Russell Louis Gasero…

(see Workbook report for full text)

Report of the Commission on History, p. 200-201

Commission on Theology

TH 23-1 Adopted as Amended
To adopt the following amendment to the Bylaws of the General Synod, BCO Chapter 3, Part I, Article 5, Section 9a (2022 ed., p. 119), for recommendation to General Synod 2024 for final approval:

Report of the Commission on Theology, p. 225

TH 23-2 Rejected
To instruct the general secretary to make the paper “Together in Difference” available to all classes, consistories, and assemblies of the RCA, and to invite them to hold discussions and write responses; and further…

(see Workbook report for full text)

Report of the Commission on Theology, p. 227

Theological Education

TE 23-1 Adopted
To approve the following amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of New Brunswick Theological Seminary:

(see Workbook report for full text)

Report of Western Theological Seminary, pp. 259-260

Commission on Nominations

N 23-1 Adopted
To elect the above-named nominees to serve as members of the General Synod commissions, agencies, and boards, and the boards of trustees of RCA-related educational institutions, for the terms identified; and further, To elect Patricia Sealy to serve as moderator of the Commission on Nominations for the annual term beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024.

Report of the Commission on Nominations, p. 4

N 23-2 Adopted
To elect the above-named appointees, who were appointed ad interim by the General Synod Council, to serve as members of the General Synod commissions, agencies, and boards indicated, for the remainder of the terms identified.

Report of the Commission on Nominations, p. 5

N 23-3 Adopted
To affirm the election of the above-named Central College nominees to serve as General Synod members of the Central College Board of Trustees for the terms identified; and further, To elect the above-named Hope College nominees to serve as Synod Members of the Hope College Board of Trustees for the terms identified; and further, To appoint the above-named Northwestern College nominee to serve as a General Synod trustee of the Northwestern College Board of Trustees for the term identified.

Report of the Commission on Nominations, p. 6