The Global Council for Hispanic Ministries led the General Synod in bilingual worship—Spanish and English—on Monday morning. Rev. Jael Serrano-Altamirano preached, calling the delegates to keep shining their lights for Jesus.
Rev. Sarah Palsma elected vice-president of General Synod
Rev. Sarah Palsma has been elected as the next vice-president of the RCA General Synod on Monday evening. Palsma has served as a minister at New Hope Church in Powell, Ohio, since 2011. She is the youngest woman to be elected vice-president in General Synod history.
Three candidates were considered by the assembly. After serving at the pleasure of or in the absence of the president in the first year, the vice-president is typically the sole nominee for president the following year, meaning Palsma will likely preside over the 2026 General Synod. The next two years of General Synod will continue to be historically significant as restructuring recommendations are considered and implemented.
Palsma honored RCA ministers who have shaped her, including her parents, whose names had just been read in a resolution for clergy who retired in 2023, and who happened to be in attendance at General Synod.
As she closed, she returned to a Scripture passage she cited in her speech as a vice presidential candidate. “Let us not grow weary in the work that we’re called to do, for we will reap the harvest if we do not give up. Thanks be to God!”
Palsma will be installed at General Synod closing worship and will serve over the coming year.
Rev. Joshua Scheid voted General Synod president-elect
On Monday morning, the General Synod elected Rev. Joshua Scheid as its next president. Scheid serves as pastor of Massapequa Reformed Church in Massapequa, New York, and has served as General Synod vice president for the past year.
Upon election, Scheid addressed the synod:
“As we look to the year ahead, the task of restructuring may seem daunting, so my encouragement is that we encourage each other in faith,” he said, before presenting a “preschool science lesson.”
“Do you know how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly? The caterpillar eats and eats and eats. It makes a chrysalis, and then do you know what happens inside the chrysalis? The caterpillar turns into goo—and I believe, to the best of my research, that is the scientific term! Or what one butterfly expert calls an ‘amorphous blob.’ …
“And my apologies to the restructuring team members because that is not my assessment of your work! I’m simply trying to describe the reality that in the midst of something like restructuring, sometimes we can feel like goo. We’re wondering what comes out the other side. But friends, God is with us in the goo, God is good in the goo. And what emerges on the other side is good, too. Like that butterfly in Christ, you are created, you are called, and you are gifted. RCA, we are something beautiful as we look to Jesus and as we love like Jesus. This is God’s gracious invitation to transformation for us.
“It is a joyful honor to serve you and a joyful honor to serve with you,” he concluded. “When I look around the RCA, here’s what I see: the presence of Jesus, so real; the work of the Spirit, so rich. And I believe we can live into that together.”
Past synod presidents in attendance laid hands on Scheid and prayed over him as he prepares to begin his service as president; he will be installed Tuesday morning during General Synod closing worship.
Covenant shares percentage set for 2025
The General Synod voted to approve the recommendation from the General Synod Council to set covenant shares at 2.5 percent, with $207,500 allotted to theological education, and $30,000 allotted to the General Synod initiatives fund. Learn more about the discussion, covenant shares, and the RCA’s current financial picture.
Meet the candidates for General Synod vice president
The newest General Synod vice president will be elected Monday evening. After serving at the pleasure of or in the absence of the president in the first year, the vice president is typically the sole nominee for president the following year. On Sunday, delegates nominated five candidates: Pastor Israel Camacho, Rev. Beth Carroll, Rev. Brian Keepers, Rev. Sarah Palsma, and Rev. Grace Rim; Beth Carroll and Brian Keepers have withdrawn from consideration.
Pastor Israel Camacho
Israel is a commissioned pastor serving as the lead pastor of Iglesia Nueva Esperanza in Mesa, Arizona. He previously served as a church planter for Classis of the Southwest and youth pastor for 12 years at Rock Church in Mesa, Arizona. Israel is a graduate of Western Theological Seminary (MA and Hispanic Ministries Program). He actively serves as a member of the Women’s Transformation and Leadership Guiding Coalition, Classis of the Southwest Leadership team, and the Pastoral Formation Oversight Board. Israel has previously served on the Hispanic Council Executive Committee, Commission on Nominations, and the church multiplication team of Classis of the Southwest.
Israel’s passions are to help people discover God’s calling on their lives and discern their purpose in the body of Christ, as well as develop and equip leaders for ministry.
“My concern is always making sure that everyone has a seat at the table, including people that are not always welcome,” he said. “[We should] be a church that represents God’s church serving all members of our local community with acts of service and God’s love.”
Israel and his wife, Karla, have two adult children and two grandchildren.
Rev. Sarah Palsma
Sarah currently serves as co-pastor of New Hope Church in Powell, Ohio, where she has previously served as associate pastor. She also currently serves as chair of the Ministerial Formation and Care Committee for Rochester Classis. Past involvement in the RCA has included being moderator for the Commission on Christian Worship and serving on General Synod task forces.
Sarah’s leadership and personal values are peace (biblical shalom that brings wholeness and healing), context (listening to stories of the past to help inform the future), and adaptability (exploring opportunities and allowing the Spirit to be at work). She also has a deep passion for ensuring that each person knows they are an image-bearer of God.
“Another passion I have is to ensure that we are putting hands and feet to our prayers, meaning that we aren’t just praying for justice, mercy, and peace, but that we are actively involved in our local and global communities to carry out the gospel message of love in action to the marginalized, the overlooked, and the broken.”
Sarah is the daughter of recently retired RCA ministers Nolan and Phyllis Palsma and is affectionately known as “Auntie Sarah” in both blood family and found family. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and religion from Northwestern College and an MDiv from Western Theological Seminary.
Rev. Grace Jeeyoon Rim
Grace is co-minister of the Lamb of God Reformed Ministries in Nanuet, New York. She also serves as classis clerk for Rockland-Westchester and serves on the executive committee of the Regional Synod of New York. Grace values continual prayer, gratitude for God in all situations, and surrender to Jesus.
“The Lord has prepared me to be open to listen to others and to listen to God’s leading through the Holy Spirit—to be a voice for those who are not being heard,” she says.
“My passion and concern is to share the grace that God gives in our weakness, especially at a time of uncertainty and restructuring,” she adds. “My heart is to work together as a family of God to bridge relationships for Jesus … and to spread God’s grace and forgiveness across every tribe, tongue, nation, and all walks of life.”
Grace holds a psychology degree from SUNY at Stony Brook, with a minor in child and family studies, and an MDiv from Alliance Theological Seminary. She received her ordination through the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency.
General Synod takes steps toward a more equitable Book of Church Order
The General Synod initially approved five changes to the Book of Church Order initiated by the African American Black Council, designed to bring more equity to church governance and to align the BCO with the RCA’s antiracism policy. Learn about the changes that were adopted and will next go to classes for approval.
Synod paves a road of continued collaboration with Canadian churches
On Monday afternoon, the General Synod approved an advisory committee recommendation responding to an overture from the Regional Synod of Canada to form an independent denomination. The recommendation, which was written out of a desire for continued collaboration, will include the voice of the Regional Synod of Canada (RSC) as a pivotal part of the restructuring process as the denomination explores what incorporating international churches into its systems looks like. It also encouraged the RSC to outline a more detailed structure and polity of their proposed new denomination as it relates to the Book of Church Order. A number of Canadian delegates thanked the advisory committee for their work and listening ear, while others expressed frustrations over potential duplicated work following this overture. The dialogue trended toward hope for collaboration and also a desire for some form of autonomy for the RSC within a restructured system. Read the recommendation that was approved.
Other business
- General Synod heard reports from its four racial and ethnic councils: the Council for Native American and Indigenous Ministries, the Global Council for Hispanic Ministries, the Council for Pacific and Asian American Ministries, and the African American Black Council. It was the first report of the Council for Native American and Indigenous Ministries since it was officially reconstituted earlier this year after adopting bylaws and electing officers; synod called for the re-formation of the council in 2022.
- New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, and the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency (MFCA) presented reports to the synod. This year, the MFCA celebrates its 25th year of ministry under its current name.
- In response to an overture from the Classis of Mid-Hudson, the General Synod directed the General Synod Council to “develop a policy for the gender data and honorifics, that could include an option not to disclose this information; and further, to study the linguistic implications of this policy in a multilingual denomination.” This was at the advice of the Advisory Committee of Overtures and New Business.
- Spurred by an overture from the Classis of Central Plains, the General Synod considered at length the needs of some congregations and classes in the midst of restructuring. In the end, the deadline for the mutually gracious separation for churches who are considering leaving the RCA was extended. The deadline was changed from June 1, 2026, to June 1, 2028.
Watch the videostream of General Synod worship and plenary sessions.
For full coverage of General Synod 2024, visit www.rca.org/synod.
EN 
ES 
KO 
PT