Reformed Church in America to restructure

The 400-year-old denomination will reorganize because of divisions over same-sex marriage and ordaining LGBT people. The 214th General Synod voted last week to create a restructuring team to handle the changes. Many conservative churches already left the denomination for independent networks. One network, the Alliance of Reformed Churches, reported 125 Reformed Church in America congregations have expressed interest in joining it.

What will change? The restructuring team might categorize each church group, called a classis, by theology rather than geography. Supporters said this system will unify like-minded congregations and prevent more churches from leaving, Religion News Service reported. Critics are concerned the move might create a precedent of the denomination reorganizing over every new disagreement. The team said it is pursuing a “generous exit plan” for departing congregations to keep their buildings and continue to support RCA missionaries.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report in Relations about a similar denominational split in the United Methodist Church.