On March 4 and 5, more than 200 RCA church members and leaders attended restructuring team roundtable discussions on the East Coast. The restructuring team is in the process of hosting 13 such discussions throughout the denomination to present its work so far and to collect feedback.
The events were hosted by New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Good Shepherd Reformed Church in Bayside, New York; Community Reformed Church at Manhasset, New York; and Niskayuna Reformed Church in Niskayuna, New York.
“It was a great weekend connecting with hundreds of wonderful people from the Regional Synods of the Mid-Atlantics, New York, and Albany,” says Rev. Eddy Alemán, the RCA’s general secretary. “God is giving us great opportunities to have wonderful conversations throughout the denomination.
“I’m really encouraged by the conversations we had and for the future of our beloved denomination. Each event was different, but all four had very good conversation with people who care deeply about the RCA and its future.”
The feedback gathered at these events, Alemán says, is important for the restructuring team’s work, which is proposing changes to the structure of the RCA for sustained spiritual and organizational health. Get an overview of the restructuring team’s work.
The weekend’s events drew 224 attendees from 79 churches. Participants included deacons, elders, pastors, church planters, a few young adults, and other RCA members and leaders. Alemán was joined by Rev. Chad Farrand, the RCA’s director of church multiplication and a member of the restructuring team, along with director of Advancement Larryl Humme and chief communications officer Christina Tazelaar. Additional members of the restructuring team presented at the events closest to home for them: Rev. Dr. Micah McCreary at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Rev. Young Na at Good Shepherd Reformed Church, and Rev. Dr. Sherri Meyer-Veen at Niskayuna Reformed Church.
At the events, participants worshiped together, heard from Alemán and Farrand about the state of the RCA and the progress of the restructuring team, and spent time discussing and providing feedback.
Following the weekend’s roundtable events, the restructuring team is gathering in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for several days of in-person meetings to continue their work, focusing especially on questions of structure and communication. (Read the latest update from the team, released after its February meeting.)
“Please join me in praying for this team and for the important conversations they will be having,” Alemán says.
Upcoming roundtable discussions will be held in Fresno and Norwalk, California; Lemont, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; and Austin, Texas. A final event will take place on Zoom on May 11 for people who were not able to attend an in-person event. The meetings are open to anyone in the RCA; they are not limited to pastors.
EN 
ES 
KO 
PT