Overture proposal would allow congregations to change presbyteries The Layman Online Tuesday, January 31, 2006 Highlights of proposed overture to allow congregations to choose their presbyteries and presbyteries to choose their synods With a two-thirds vote, congregations and their ministers could seek to affiliate with another presbytery for theological or missional reasons. With a majority vote, presbyteries could accept the transfer of congregations and their ministers. The transfer of ministers would have to be approved by the Committee on Ministry of the receiving presbytery. With a two-thirds vote, presbyteries could seek to affiliate with a non-geographical synod. With a majority vote, synods could receive those presbyteries. To continue its existence, a synod would have to have three presbyteries. Upon the request of no fewer than 12 congregations, the synod could create a new presbytery. A two-thirds vote by the synod would be necessary. The General Assembly could create a new synod upon the petition of no fewer than three presbyteries. A two-thirds vote by the General Assembly would be necessary. Beaver-Butler Presbytery on Jan. 28 approved an overture that calls for changes in the Book of Order that would allow congregations, with a two-thirds majority vote, to join presbyteries and synods of their own choosing – if the presbyteries and synods vote by a simple majority to accept them. The proposal would also allow presbyteries, by a two-thirds vote, to switch synods if a receiving synod approves the change by a simple majority. The regional presbyteries and synods are now geographical with the exception of three Korean presbyteries. Advocates of the overture said the changes would allow common ministry based on such factors as theology, missional understanding and strategy, ecclesiastical accountability, geography or other considerations. The overture calls for extensive changes in the Book of Order. If approved by the 217th General Assembly during its June 15-22 meeting in Birmingham, Ala., the proposal would have to be ratified by the denomination's 173 presbyteries. The proposed overture was the brainstorm of a group that calls itself eLink Overtures. The high-tech sounding name is actually an acronym: Emerging, Logical, Innovative, Nongeographical, Kairos. But eLink Overtures does use high-tech tools, including an interactive Web blog site. Three pastors in the Beaver-Butler Presbytery – Jeffrey Arnold of First Presbyterian Church in Beaver, Pa.; Greg Wiest of Glade Run United Presbyterian Church in Valencia, Pa.; and William A. Teague of Park Presbyterian Church in Beaver, Pa. – were the prime movers behind the overture. They argue that allowing congregations and presbyteries the right to associate with presbyteries and synods of their own choosing would promote harmony – or peace, unity and purity – in the denomination. If the proposal is ratified, the presbyteries and synods might develop more like-minded constituencies, but the legislative work of the denomination would still be done by the national General Assembly.

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