The Rabbinical Council of America was established in 1935, to advance the cause and the voice of Torah and the rabbinic tradition by promoting the welfare, interests, and professionalism of Orthodox rabbis all around the world. During the past 80 years, the RCA has been in the forefront of many issues, movements, ideas, and initiatives intended to enhance the status and impact of the many facets of Torah on Jewish life in its interactions with the world around it.

The RCA includes rabbis who have been ordained by many dozens of yeshivot and prominent rabbinic personalities. During its many decades, it has been led by outstanding rabbinic personalities. Most notable and distinguished was the late Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, guiding spirit and mentor to the RCA until his death in 1993. The RCA has been an important partner with many Jewish organizations, including Yeshiva University and RIETS in New York, Beth Medrash L'Torah in Chicago, The Beth Din of America, The Orthodox Union (of which it is the rabbinic authority), The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, various Israeli governmental agencies and offices, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the Religious Zionists of America, the World Jewish Congress, the Jewish Welfare Board, the Memorial Foundation, and a variety of rabbinic groups and organizations, including Chief Rabbinates, all around the world.

Membership in the RCA is held by close to 1000 ordained rabbis, spread throughout 14 countries. These include congregational rabbis, teachers and academicians, military chaplains, health-care chaplains, organizational professionals, and others. A special RCA region with a central office in Jerusalem is located in Israel. It publishes important Torah and intellectual journals, holds annual conventions and conferences, and issues occasional position papers and statements on the issues of the day.

In servicing the Orthodox rabbinate, the RCA provides numerous services, including placement services, counseling and mentoring services for rabbis, continuing rabbinic education courses, multiple list-servs and group email communications, extensive on-line resources (under development), special convention learning sessions, occasional yemei iyyun, weekly homiletic materials mailings, members' pension plans, Beth Din-related services, cemetery purchases in Israel, a variety of rabbinic texts and resources used by rabbis in the course of their work.