Frequently Asked Questions: Transitioning to Middle Assemblies

Questions about the basics
Questions about formation process
Questions about access to information
Questions about how governance will work
Tricky questions

Questions about the basics

What are middle assemblies?

Regional synods and classes are combining into one assembly, the middle assembly. It’s called “middle” because it’s between the consistory (the most local assembly, which governs a congregation) and the General Synod (the broadest assembly that oversees the ministry of the denomination). Some of the responsibilities of middle assemblies are to ordain, install, care for, and oversee ministers, and commission and oversee commissioned pastors; receive and support congregations and organize them as local churches; and evaluate, oversee, and support those who are seeking to become ministers in the RCA.

How did this change come about?

In 2018, General Synod formed the Vision 2020 Team and asked it to look at future scenarios for the RCA in light of significant divisions. In 2021, that team recommended a restructure for the “sustained spiritual and organizational health” of the RCA. A restructuring team worked for several years, bringing 10 recommendations in 2024. One key recommendation was to combine the classis and regional synod, each of which is a separate assembly level, into one middle assembly level. The RCA’s constitution must be amended to accomplish this. General Synod adopted the necessary amendments, and they were approved by the necessary number of RCA classes (more than two-thirds). As the final step in the process, General Synod 2025 then declared the amendments effective with a delayed effective day of December 30, 2026.

When will this change take effect?

Because of the complexities involved in this transition, General Synod voted that the changes be approved for incorporation into the Book of Church Order, but that they will not take effect until December 30, 2026. (You can read more details and rationale in the General Synod workbook on pages 41-43).

The Commission on Church Order has also identified some changes that may take longer than the effective date of December 30, 2026, or procedures that will be required for a smooth transition, and has suggested additional provisions for those circumstances. Those are included in the recommendation on pp. 42-43 of the General Synod workbook. They include transitional leadership on boards and commissions, handling outstanding judicial business, tax exempt status, and more.

How many middle assemblies will there be?

The restructuring team envisioned 20 to 25 middle assemblies, but ultimately that is up to the regional synods to determine. Each regional synod has made a preliminary plan for forming middle assemblies, which are explained in this appendix report to the 2025 General Synod Workbook.

How will a middle assembly be different from a classis?

The role of a middle assembly, similar to a classis as stated in the Book of Church Order, will require every ministry in its bounds working together. Middle assemblies are required to:

  • Supervise churches within their bounds, including overseeing the boards of elders, the filling of pulpits, the proclamation of the Word, the administering of the sacraments, and the discipline of its members.
  • Raise up candidates for ministry, oversee their process, examine and support them, and ordain, install, and/or commission them.
  • Form and disband congregations, including teams on both ends of the spectrum to help organize, and supersede as issues arise, as well as when necessary to disband.
  • Provide support and care for congregational leaders, including care for ministers and their families.
  • Provide training and support for leadership development, including support for congregations in training elders and deacons
  • Oversee reporting

Though responsibilities are similar to a classis, middle assemblies might be a different size or configuration. The restructuring team, when it proposed middle assemblies, recommended a minimum of 10 churches per middle assembly, and encouraged 20-60 churches per middle assembly. The actual number of churches within a middle assembly will be determined by the currently existing regional synods as the middle assemblies are formed. The size may vary greatly across the denomination. For the latest update on how the restructuring is shaping up in different regions, see this appendix report to the General Synod Workbook.

Questions about formation process

Who is in charge of forming the middle assemblies?

Regional synods have authority to form and disband classes within their bounds, and have been given the work of forming the initial middle assemblies. The restructuring team provided this guidance last year: “If CO 24-4 is adopted, each current regional synod is asked to work together with all of its classes to develop a plan by June 2025 to re-form into one or more middle assemblies” (Minutes of General Synod 2024, p. 111).

The arrangement of middle assemblies is not permanent.

Once middle assemblies take effect, the assemblies can still change. Churches will be able to move from one middle assembly to another by mutual agreement of the church and the two middle assemblies involved. Formulary 19 is a new certificate of transfer of a church from one classis/middle assembly to another.

Further, General Synod will be able to form and disband middle assemblies when needed. Following the effective date of December 30, 2026, the Book of Church Order will read: “The General Synod shall, after consultation with the classes involved and upon a two-thirds majority vote, form, combine, or disband middle assemblies.” (When the constitutional amendments described above become effective at the end of 2026, the reference to “classis” will change to “middle assembly.”)

Does every church choose where they will go?

It was the intent of the restructuring team that regional synods would work together with their classes and congregations (and possibly with other regional synods) in determining the initial formation of middle assemblies. This was reiterated in the principles and process for grace-filled transition to middle assemblies in the 2025 General Synod Workbook: “Every effort should be made to ensure that middle assemblies are formed with the consent of each classis and consistory” (p. 44, report of the General Synod Council serving as executive committee of the General Synod).

What if a congregation or minister doesn’t make a choice about which middle assembly to join?

Churches and ministers of Word and sacrament are required to be part of a middle assembly. If the church does not have a preference about a middle assembly or has a preference but does not make it known, its current classis or regional synod will likely select one on its behalf. This process may vary from one classis or region to another. In some places, all classis churches may go to one middle assembly unless a particular church initiates a transfer to a different middle assembly; for instance, some classes are becoming middle assemblies, and their churches will be part of the middle assembly unless they make plans to move elsewhere. In other places, perhaps each church will make that decision individually.

I don’t want to go to the middle assembly where my regional synod wants to put me. What are my options?

Your first option is to advocate for yourself. Speak clearly with your classis and regional leaders about your desired next step.

If the middle assembly you wish to join is being created by another regional synod, your congregation will need to transfer to a classis in that regional synod first. This requires approval of General Synod (BCO Chapter 1, Part IV, Article 2, Section 3; 2025 edition, p. 69).

Another option is to wait until the effective date of December 30, 2026, and then petition your new middle assembly for a transfer. Churches will be able to move from one middle assembly to another by mutual agreement of the church and the two middle assemblies involved. The process for ministerial transfer from one assembly to another remains unchanged.

How can we determine which middle assemblies are available for selection and understand their specific characteristics?

Your regional synod executive leader has information about what middle assemblies are developing in your area, as well as a high-level understanding of what is developing in other regions. Each region is on a slightly different timeline with this process—some are farther along than others—but the executive leader will be able to give you the latest information. You may also review the supplemental appendix report to the General Synod Workbook, where each region shared its plan for middle assemblies as of mid-May 2025.

Do churches need to join a middle assembly within their current regional synod?

No, churches are free to seek a middle assembly beyond their current regional synod. This is already happening. General Synod 2025 approved the requested transfer of five churches across regional synod lines, each of which was supported by both regional synods.

This is affirmed by the principles and processes for grace-filled transition to middle assemblies, laid out in the 2025 General Synod workbook: “As new middle assemblies are formed, a local church may be a member of a middle assembly, or classes may be re-formed into a middle assembly, beyond currently-defined regional synod bounds” (p. 44).

Questions about access to information

I don’t know how the restructuring is playing out in my area. Where do I find information?

This web story gave an update about how the restructuring was shaping up in a few areas of the RCA as of late March 2025. Regional synods released an appendix report to the General Synod Workbook, giving a progress report about their restructuring as of mid-May 2025.

What should we do with the records of our classis or middle assembly?

Arrange for the transfer or records to the RCA Archives by contacting RCA archivist Elizabeth Pallitto at archives@rca.org or 848-237-1761.

Questions about how governance will work

What will the role of elder or deacon be in this new structure?

Elders and deacons have important roles in the RCA—leading in their local congregations, and with elder delegates also serving at classis, regional synod, and General Synod. After the transition to middle assemblies, these roles will be the same, except elder delegates will only be needed for two broader assemblies, rather than three.

After regional synods are dissolved, who will have the authority to form and disband middle assemblies?

General Synod will be able to form and disband middle assemblies when needed. Following the effective date of December 30, 2026, the Book of Church Order will read: “The General Synod shall, after consultation with the classes involved and upon a two-thirds majority vote, form, combine, or disband middle assemblies.”

How will the RCA function with so many different sorts of middle assemblies being set up?

There’s already significant variety among classes when it comes to number of churches or missional focus. Some classes, such as City Classis and Classis of the Americas, are affinity based rather than geography based. Likewise, regional synods operate quite differently in terms of staffing and services. In some ways, the RCA is already used to variety from one assembly to the next. In other ways, the restructuring allows churches and ministers a little more freedom to find what best meets their needs. Some churches and ministers may be drawn to more robust services, while others may prefer a more pared-back style with less financial investment. Some might want to be part of an assembly with a high level of support for specialized ministers. Some might opt to join a middle assembly that’s particularly focused on discipleship.

Will representation at General Synod be affected by the size of middle assemblies?

Middle assemblies could vary greatly in number of churches and the membership of those churches. The restructuring team foresaw this, and suggested a change to how General Synod delegates are calculated. That change got an initial green light last year, and the Commission on Church Order brought recommendation CO 25-2 to General Synod 2025 for consideration. Under this proposal, each middle assembly would receive one minister and one elder delegate for each 2,000 confessing members or fraction thereof (General Synod workbook, pp. 173-174). So if a middle assembly has 2,000 or fewer confessing members, it would have one minister and one elder delegate; if it has between 2,001 and 4,000 confessing members, it would have two minister delegates and two elder delegates. If it had 4,001 to 6,000 confessing members, it would receive the previous four delegates plus another minister and elder delegate each. This more closely ties representation at General Synod to the size of the classis. General Synod adopted the constitutional amendment establishing the new calculation, which now goes to classes for approval.

Tricky questions

We have a pastor who is not physically or mentally able to go through the process of transferring their ordination to a new middle assembly, but their classis is being dissolved and their ordination needs to move. How do we handle this?

Typically, according to the Book of Church Order, “A minister who moves from the bounds of one classis into another shall request a Certificate of Transfer (Formulary No. 9) from the classis where membership is held. The certificate shall be presented prior to the approval of the minister for reception into the new classis. That classis shall notify the sending classis when a minister is received” (2024 edition p. 57).

If a minister is not able to request a certificate of transfer, there are a few options. First, if the minister has issued a power of attorney, his or her designee may request the certificate of transfer. If there is no power of attorney, the classis may choose to transfer the minister, and the middle assembly may receive the minister, according to their responsibilities outlined in the BCO.

What about commissioned pastors and preaching elders?

Commissioned pastors are trained by their classis and commissioned to a specific ministry. Likewise, preaching elders are commissioned by a classis for preaching in a specific congregation. Their credentials typically don’t transfer from one classis to another, but it may be an option as part of the restructuring. Talk to your classis or regional leaders to explore possibilities.

Who is responsible for the oversight of RCA pastors serving other denominations where there’s not a formula of agreement or exchange of ministers agreement?

These ministers will be amenable to a middle assembly as of December 30, 2026, rather than a classis.

How will all this get paid for? How will we keep it from burdening congregations?

Condensing two middle assemblies (regional synods and classes) means one less assessment (referred to at the denomination level as a “covenant share”) each year for congregations—a significant reduction in cost each year. (Currently, congregations pay assessments to General Synod, regional synod, and classis; after the middle assemblies take effect, congregations will pay assessments to General Synod and their middle assembly.)

The denomination offered small grants to regional synods to help with the restructuring process.

There will be some additional expenses associated with starting middle assemblies and disbanding or reconfiguring classes and regional synods. Many regions or classes will use some of their reserves to pay for costs related to the changes.

What if we realize our new middle assembly is not a good fit?

This is addressed in the principles and processes for grace-filled transition to middle assemblies: “After the effective date, the transfer of a church from one middle assembly to another happens by mutual consent of the middle assemblies involved, without any required action by the General Synod. Even where best intentions are followed, it is possible that a local church may discover that its new middle assembly is not a place where it can flourish in ministry. Deference should be given to the decision of the consistory to transfer for a period of at least several years; this is something that could be adopted by General Synod as a regular (similar to the Regulations for Mutually Generous Separation that were adopted by General Synod 2021)” (General Synod workbook, p. 44).

It depends upon various factors, including the nature of the issue, how specific or quantifiable it is, who the affected parties are, and what state or provincial laws may apply. The assembly should gather as much information as possible regarding the matter and then consult with an appropriate financial or legal professional. If the matter involves a question of church order or governance, the General Synod’s Commission on Church Order may be asked for an interpretation of the Book of Church Order, but its response would only be advisory.