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“Love figures it out.”

This was general secretary Tom De Vries’s message to delegates in his report to synod Friday morning, challenging the delegates to work together as members of Christ’s church, even in a time of disagreement.

“We do not stand at a place where we call for unity simply for the sake of unity,” said De Vries. “We are bound together as a covenantal community—men and women who have made covenants before God and with one another to minister to the total life of all people and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

De Vries reminded delegates of the long history of RCA mission in the world, including missionaries in Japan in 1859 and a partnership between the RCA and the people of Bahrain that began in 1893. “Whether it be in Japan or Bahrain—or Highland Park or Fresno or Brantford or Sheboygan—the impact that has been made and is being made is great,” he said. “And it will grow greater—not if we try to do it alone, but if we journey together as God’s people who have been called for God’s purposes.”

The general secretary celebrated the progress that has been made through the RCA’s 15-year ministry goal, Transformed & Transforming. Since its launch in 2013, 392 congregations have already begun participating in one or more of the Transformed & Transforming ministry initiatives, including leadership and learning communities, elder and deacon training, racial and ethnic leadership development, catalytic coaching, and informational refugee events.

“In the midst of some of the greatest tension in the history of the RCA, we are seeing some of the greatest ministry impact through Transformed & Transforming,” said De Vries. “We have come together as a denomination and found agreement around mission.”

At the same time, De Vries called for delegates to be the church—to act with love toward their fellow delegates as they wrestle together with tough decisions facing the church this year.

“We have been a denomination that has persevered for almost four centuries—through disagreement, through differences, and through conflict,” he said. “I believe it is because we are a people who don’t just do church—we understand what it means to be the church. We know it isn’t our church; it is Christ’s church.

“Being the church means being more committed to finding God’s solution to our disagreements than making sure our side wins.”

See full synod coverage at www.rca.org/synod