At its March 22–23 virtual meeting, the General Synod Council (GSC) voted to add another member, Sherri Meyer-Veen, to the denomination’s restructuring team.
Meyer-Veen is co-pastor of Schoharie Reformed Church in Schoharie, New York, and Faithwalking and Churches Learning Change coordinator for the Regional Synod of Albany. She has served or worked with congregations in six of the eight regional synods and holds an M.Div. with a cross-cultural concentration (Fuller Theological Seminary) and a D.Min. focused on resilience (New Brunswick Theological Seminary).
“I’m happy to see the Rev. Dr. Sherri Meyer-Veen joining a great group of gifted and anointed men and women from across the denomination to pray, dream, and discern together the future ministry of the Reformed Church in America,” says Eddy Alemán, RCA general secretary. “Sherri brings to the restructuring team a wealth of experience having helped the Schoharie Classis and the Regional Synod of Albany go through restructuring processes in the past. She is a pastor, coach, facilitator, and a trained mediator helping groups discern God’s emerging future for them. Her work with Faithwalking and Churches Learning Change makes her uniquely qualified to help the team do the work General Synod asked them to do, and I’m hopeful about the future.”
“I believe the Regional Synod of Albany has unique gifts to offer the denomination at such a time as this and am so glad to be included in the team,” says Meyer-Veen. “I believe I have gifts for this work. I am honored and humbled to serve in what appears to be such a beautifully diverse group of our denomination and look forward to our denominational future with hope.”
GSC took this action after receiving correspondence from the executive committee and staff of the Regional Synod of Albany, expressing deep disappointment that no one from their region was appointed to the restructuring team and asking that the oversight be rectified. The team’s original makeup was announced in early February.
“Sherri’s appointment to the restructuring team rectifies the unfortunate oversight of not having any representation from the Regional Synod of Albany in the initial makeup of the team,” Alemán says.
The restructuring team aims to prepare churches who remain in the RCA for healthy and sustainable ministry. The Vision 2020 Team discerned that restructuring would be necessary for this to happen. The restructuring team had its first meeting by Zoom in March and will gather in person from May 11-13 for its next meeting. The team will bring recommendations to General Synod in June 2024.
The restructuring team includes:
- Eddy Alemán, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America
- Dale Assink, classis leader for Central Plains Classis
- Greg Brower, pastor of Zion Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan
- Michelle Chahine, General Synod Council member, Regional Synod of the Great Lakes executive committee, elder
- Chad Farrand, classis executive for Classis de las Naciones, associate director of RCA Church Multiplication
- Andrea Godwin-Stremler, trustee at Western Theological Seminary, executive director of New Revelations Collegiate Mission in Krum, Texas
- Dionne Harvey Parks, elder at Chosen Generation Fellowship Church in Carson, California
- Sung Kim, lead pastor of Grace Churches in Ann Arbor, Michigan, associate general secretary and chief operating officer of the Reformed Church in America
- Micah McCreary, president of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, General Synod professor of theology
- Sherri Meyer-Veen, pastor of Schoharie Reformed Church in Schoharie, New York, Faithwalking and Churches Learning Change coordinator for the Regional Synod of Albany
- Ina Montoya, elder at Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church in Dulce, New Mexico
- Young Na, pastor of Forest Park Church in Woodhaven, New York
- Andres Serrano, pastor of Iglesia La Senda in Corona, California, and coordinator for Hispanic Ministries of the Reformed Church in America
- Gildo Vieira, elder at Igreja Vida Nova in Toronto, Ontario
Additional resource people include Marijke Strong and Brian Keepers from the Vision 2020 Team, representatives from the Commission on Church Order, and Tim TenClay, pastor of Community Reformed Church in Manhasset, New York; resource people have no vote. Bob Logan acts as a facilitator for the team.
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