General Synod delegate info

The 2023 General Synod will be held on the campus of Central College in Pella, Iowa. It will begin on the afternoon of Thursday, June 8, at 3:00 p.m. and is planned to adjourn by noon on Tuesday, June 13.

Registration for General Synod will be online. If pre-synod seminars or webinars are offered, delegates will be informed further into the planning process. On-site check-in will be held Wednesday, June 7 and Thursday, June 8. 

Facilities

General Synod meets on a college campus and will involve a lot of walking. The schedule can be intense and days can be long. The workbook, registration, and supporting materials are accessed only electronically. (You may print your own copies if desired.) It is helpful if you are comfortable with electronic means.

General Synod will be held in accessible facilities and provide reasonable accommodations to all participants.  This includes, but is not limited to, people with known hearing impairments, sight impairments, and mobility impairments. Assistive hearing technology will be provided in all plenary areas and other primary meeting areas (if possible).  Alternative formats such as sign-language interpretation and captioning will be provided upon request for official print and electronic materials. The use of service animals will be permitted. In all cases, participants will be required to request specific accommodations in advance, during the online registration process, so preparations can be made for them. Individuals who have impairments can be accommodated at synod. The RCA desires their perspectives and their full participation.

Travel

Delegates must attend the entire meeting. It is vital they attend worship, committee meetings, and plenary sessions in order to participate effectively as a delegate.

Delegates must book travel arrangements through The Travel Advantage (800-553-6643) after they receive registration materials in early April. The Travel Advantage will not book flights with late arrivals or premature departures without permission of the General Synod Office. If you must arrive after the meeting begins or leave prior to the meeting’s end, or miss sessions during the meeting, the stated clerk of classis must send a written notice to Liz Brand in the General Synod Office confirming from which sessions the assembly approves the delegate’s absence.  In addition, the General Synod will be unable to assist delegates who encounter travel delays if they have not booked flights with the RCA’s travel agent. Classes will be responsible for the difference in air travel costs for delegates who do not book at a price equal to or less than the economy 30-day advance-booking prices. The Travel Advantage will be instructed to notify the General Synod office before issuing a ticket which does not meet this guideline. If the ticket costs more than the 30-day advanced booking price, your classis will then be given the choice to allow the individual to participate, with the classis paying the difference in price.