On Friday, Synod heard from the general secretary, synod president, several commissions, and more.
Worship: God will supply what we need
The African American Black Council led opening worship on Friday morning of General Synod. Rev. Sharon Atkins preached a powerful sermon about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath from 1 Kings 17. In a season where there has been a significant departure of churches from the RCA, she reflected on the story, saying, “God will supply what we need. … In the midst of anything, God is still on the throne, God is still working it out, and God is still coming forth with the power to supply.
“I’m often discouraged when I hear someone ask the question, ‘How many churches have left our denomination? How many members have we lost?’ Friends, I don’t know what God is doing, or why we’re going through what we’re going through. I don’t know about this particular season in the life of our denomination. But I refuse to see the jar almost empty. I refuse to speak doom and gloom over this here Reformed Church in America. This is God’s house. This is God’s church. And we are God’s people. … We need to give God praise, not for the churches that have left, but for the churches that are here right here, right now. This ain’t about us, this is about God. If this is where God wants us to be, we are going to build God’s house right here, right now.”
Other worship leaders included Rev. Dr. Micheal Edwards, Rev. Dr. Patricia Sealy, Rev. Maudelin Willock, Rev. Susanah Wade, and Vivian Campbell.
Watch a recording of Friday morning worship.
This is the second consecutive year that morning worship is led by the RCA’s four racial and ethnic councils. Watch morning worship on the General Synod videostream at www.rca.org/synod. Saturday and Monday worship will be streamed at 8:30 a.m. Central time. Sunday worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. Central. Tuesday closing worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. Central.
Restructuring team proposes draft for feedback
As instructed by General Synod 2022, the restructuring team offered an interim report to General Synod 2023, before it makes a final report to General Synod 2024. Restructuring team members Michelle Chahine and Gildo Vieira presented an overview of the work of the team to date, the values and outcomes that have emerged from that work, and finally a three-proposal restructuring plan for delegates to review together. The proposals are:
- Proposal #1: Move to global leadership and resource centers with clusters of churches and ministries
- Proposal #2: Move to more frequent local gatherings with less frequent global gatherings
- Proposal #3: Create a biblically-based system for accountability and discipline
Throughout the presentation, the team reminded the delegates that this is a draft and not a final proposal. Delegates will have dedicated time to thoughtfully engage with the draft throughout the day tomorrow, providing feedback in discussion groups and discussion in the evening plenary session.
General secretary calls for love, unity, and witness
On Friday morning, general secretary Eddy Alemán addressed the General Synod with a message of continued lament and hope in a season where more than 200 churches have left the RCA following decisions made by General Synod 2021.
“We must continue to lament for the loss that we are experiencing, not only with the departing of these churches, but also with what we are seeing in the world today,” said Alemán. “At the same time, we need to keep hope alive … Hope is a beautiful thing that really helps us to carry the burdens of life. Hope is beautiful. And biblical hope is not only the desire for good things to happen, it is the knowledge that good things will happen. It is the belief that God is going to do something great.”
He exhorted the denomination to live with humility and faithfulness in the messiness of the middle. “We are envisioning a future that is not either/or, but a future that is both/and.
“We need to keep hope alive. God is doing a beautiful thing in the midst of this challenging season,” Alemán said. He shared hopeful highlights of ministry within the RCA, including the work of the Center for Church Multiplication and Ministry and Global Mission, as well as the reality of living into our Revelation 7:9 future through a more diverse denomination.
Alemán also affirmed women in ministry, noting that some departing churches left at least in part because of women’s ordination. “But we in the RCA will always, unapologetically, bless and embrace all of our women leaders and pastors,” he said. “Women of God, we need you! Thank you for responding positively to God’s call in your life.” This year’s synod will celebrate five decades of women’s ordination as elders, deacons, and ministers.
He concluded his report with a pastoral call to love, unity, and witness. He charged the denomination to practice unity in our diversity that will serve as a witness to the world, centering the proclamation of the gospel in all we do.
“[Proclaiming the gospel] is where we must spend all of our focus in our denomination,” he said. “It is where we must spend our time, our resources, and our energy. This broken world so loved by God must hear the message of the good news of the gospel with passion and boldness through the ministry of the Reformed Church in America …
“God is up to something amazing in our future. Do you believe that? Let us love one another sincerely, let us be united in our diversity, and let us proclaim the good news of the gospel with passion and boldness!”
General Synod President describes the life changing power of mission trips.
In his presidential report to General Synod, Rev. Dwayne Jackson highlighted the life-changing experience of his mission trip to South Africa with RCA mission partners. He encouraged all of General Synod to go on a mission trip and to share their stories with others in the RCA family. Additionally, he talked about how RCA assemblies, staff, and leaders are living faithfully into their ministry contexts despite concern and uncertainty around the coming restructuring team report. Jackson celebrated five decades of the ordination of women in the RCA, as well as the way the Spirit has revealed hope in monthly prayer gatherings as he met with others in the RCA to pray.
With a sense of hope for the future of the RCA, Jackson said, “So let us focus our energy on doing what God has called us to do, and what we will discover is that we can take comfort in knowing that God will provide. We may have to make a few changes along the way, we know that, but this in no way changes the work that God has called us to do today.”
Read more about synod president Dwayne Jackson’s report on the state of the RCA.
A call back to the RCA’s DNA: Mission
In his report on Friday evening, RCA Global Mission director Rev. Dr. JP Sundararajan identified RCA Global Mission as “the gold standard for mission engagement around the world” and urged the RCA not to forget that mission is its DNA. His presentation celebrated 75 years of RCA mission work in Africa and honored the faithful service of missionaries transitioning from the field: Haluk and Wendy Bilgen, Peter and Patty Ford, Craig and Christa Hollander, Sally Vis, and Debra Wilson.
“We are so very blessed to have been RCA missionaries—your missionaries—for 40 years,” said Patty Ford, who was present at synod with Peter. “But we couldn’t have done it without your support, your prayers, your financial gifts. So we want to thank you from the depths of our hearts for allowing us to be where God called us to be and to do what he called us to do.”
Sundararajan identified other opportunities to partner with Global Mission, including announcing the dates for Mission 2025, an event that will build off of Mission 2020, and inviting RCA members to host a Meal for Peace in recognition of World Refugee Day. Churches can also support Global Mission through a Partnership-in-Mission (PIM) share, which General Synod approved to set at $6,900.
Watch the full report and view the mission videos shared at General Synod.
Friday evening, General Synod celebrated the five newest churches to be officially organized into the RCA family since October 2022. We warmly welcome Iglesia Cristiana Semilla de Oración in Samana, Dominican Republic; Iglesia Centro Protestante de Chile in Santiago, Chile; Montreal Iglesia Reformada, Miami, Florida; Vida de Reino Iglesia Reformada in Sarasota, Florida; and Sunrise Community Church in Austin, Texas.
Advancement report highlights power of estate gifts
In his report, director of Advancement Larryl Humme shared a story of how he witnessed generosity begetting generosity in the form of an unexpected estate gift.
He received a call from an attorney whose client was seeking a way to bless the church financially as he considered his will and estate plan. This client had been a longtime member of an RCA congregation, but that local congregation had recently closed. Because giving to his local church was no longer an option, the donor was wondering how he might make a gift to the denomination of his church, which had nurtured him and cared for him for so many years. Beyond his home and a few stocks, his estate was not large by some standards, but that did not deter his desire to give back.
Humme was able to connect the attorney with the Church Growth Fund, which has blessed so many congregations since its inception by offering affordable-rate loans to RCA churches for building projects. It then uses the income generated by the loan interest to fund RCA grants and scholarships.
Three years later, upon the passing of this donor and the sale of his property, the Church Growth Fund received a gift of $500,000. The generosity of care that a local RCA church showed this man has become a blessing for so many other RCA churches now. “Generosity begets generosity,” Humme said.
Humme invited delegates to consider including the Reformed Church in America as part of their estate plan. If you would like to have a conversation about this, you may email advancement@rca.org.
BOBS seeks more equitable future for all RCA ministers
On Friday, the General Synod commended the paper, “An Equitable Future,” to RCA assemblies and directed the Commission on Race and Ethnicity to study the paper, consider solutions, and report back to Synod 2024.
The paper details some of the obstacles to employment benefits within the RCA’s churches of color, as uncovered through a series of conversations that BOBS initiated with a handful of RCA ministers and members representing a slice of the RCA’s diversity. The conversations arose out of a growing awareness that the employment benefits stipulated in the RCA’s Book of Church Order (BCO) can be difficult for some congregations to provide. The BCO requires churches to provide retirement contributions, health insurance, life insurance, and long-term disability insurance to full-time and part-time ministers, which generally costs a church $25,000 for the full benefits package.
The group delved into the particular challenges facing congregations in a variety of demographic contexts and spelled them out in detail in the paper. Even as BOBS is sensitive to the cultural factors and financial situations of these congregations, its report names deep concerns for the long-term wellbeing of ministers.
The paper raises many questions, which cannot be directly addressed by BOBS, since any changes to the benefits requirements would necessitate changes to the Book of Church Order and thus need the approval of the General Synod and two-thirds of RCA classes. Because of that, the Commission on Race and Ethnicity has been asked to partner with the racial and ethnic councils and BOBS to look for ways to bring more equity to the benefits requirements for the sake of all RCA ministers.
“You have gathered us from far and wide, to come as one body, to do the business of this, your church, the Reformed Church in America, the church that you love. And so Lord, bless us, guide us, inspire our hearts, our minds, and spirits to do your work.”
–General Synod president Dwayne Jackson, praying for the synod
Other business
On Friday, General Synod also heard reports from Northwestern College and the Commission on Christian Discipleship and Education. Staff from the RCA’s Center for Church Multiplication and Ministry also gave updates on their work.
Did You Know?
The Board of Benefits Services is celebrating 100 years of incorporation. BOBS cares for RCA ministers from first call through final breath, with a specific focus on insurance, retirement, and grants.
Friday photos
For full coverage of General Synod 2023, visit www.rca.org/synod.
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