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207th General Assembly, 1995


By John H. Adams
The Layman Online
Friday, June 11, 1999

The 207th General Assembly, meeting in Cincinnati, approved a new representation plan intended to orient national leaders toward the people who elected them.

The commissioners also urged as a "matter of urgent priority" that the General Assembly Council and Presbyterian seminaries discuss matters of theology, practical faith and spiritual formation "particularly as they are informed by the Scriptures and the Book of Confessions.''

The Commissioners had agreed that the denomination is "experiencing a theological crisis of enormous proportions" and called for a review of "all General Assembly structures to determine if they are vital to the preaching and teaching of the gospel and building up congregations."

Marj Carpenter
Marj Carpenter,
was elected moderator

Photo by Ron Rice
Marj Carpenter, who told the commissioners that "We can do a lot together in this church if we remember missions and forget to quarrel," was elected moderator.

The statistics report was the worst ever for the PCUSA. Membership loss was 43,930. Church support of the General Assembly Council Mission Budget fell by $1.6 million during a 12-month period. Shortfalls were attributed to widespread opposition to PCUSA involvement in the ReImagining God movement. The only increase noted in the data was in the number of PCUSA ministers.
1999 General Assembly issues

The Top Ten issues at the 211th General Assembly
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