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General Synod is taking place June 8-13, 2023, at Central College in Pella, Iowa.

From June 8-13, delegates from around the RCA will come together in Pella, Iowa, for General Synod. They will worship together, fellowship, and deliberate and vote on many things related to the RCA’s ministry. Daily General Synod news roundups will be posted each day at www.rca.org/synod

General Synod plenary sessions will be video-streamed with a 30-minute delay. The videostream and a schedule of plenary sessions are posted on the synod homepage, www.rca.org/synod

Worship services at General Synod will also be video-streamed this year. For a second year in a row, General Synod worship will be led by the RCA’s four racial and ethnic councils. Worship services are held each day during synod, typically first thing in the morning but also on Thursday evening for opening worship and Tuesday mid-morning for closing worship. Worship services will be streamed at www.rca.org/synod

What is General Synod?

General Synod is both an event and a body of people. The event is a once-a-year gathering that shapes the direction of the denomination. The body of people who gather for the annual event make up one of the four assemblies of the Reformed Church in America.

Assemblies are the four levels of RCA government: consistory, classis, regional synod, General Synod. The Book of Church Order calls the General Synod the RCA’s “highest assembly and judicatory,” but “highest” doesn’t mean most important or that it’s the final authority; each assembly has authority over different things. General Synod’s authority is broadest, while the classis is the assembly with the greatest number of responsibilities.

Following the example of the early church, the RCA believes that decisions should be made by gathering people together to discern the will of God. Because the whole church cannot meet together at one time and place to make decisions, governing bodies made of those who hold an office within the church carry out the work of the church at various levels.

The RCA has a presbyterian government. Those who hold an ordained church office serve on governing bodies that oversee different levels of ministry within the denomination. But unlike in a political democracy, those in church office do not represent the will of the people; they represent the will of Christ.

The General Synod is primarily made up of elders and ministers, sent from classes and regions as voting delegates. It also includes corresponding delegates—who can speak to issues on the floor but can’t vote, make motions, or hold office—who represent boards, commissions, and others within the RCA.

At synod, these delegates work, worship, pray, and fellowship together for the better part of a week. The rest of the year, the General Synod functions through the General Synod Council, commissions, and agencies of the RCA.

Anticipated business

The RCA’s restructuring team is in a multi-year discernment process. They are researching, consulting with other leaders in the denomination, and exploring what structure could best serve the denomination in the future. Their proposals are expected to be aimed at helping the RCA live in the tension, following God by finding common mission in a divided world. The team will bring recommendations to General Synod in June 2024, and will bring a preliminary report to General Synod in June about the structures it’s considering. Delegates will spend time in small groups considering that report and giving feedback. Read an update from the restructuring team following its March 2023 meeting. 

General Synod will set the first ever percentage of income for Covenant Shares, a percentage of income model that will replace the per-member financial assessment to support denominational ministry. Covenant Shares will go into effect in 2024. 

Synod will also consider recommendations from its commissions, boards, and agencies. For the full agenda of General Synod, see the General Synod Workbook.