 Presbyterian Leaders’ Forum  Nov/Dec, 1997 A Message from the GAC Chair |
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“The General Assembly shall create an Assembly Council which shall have the following responsibilities: … to engage in churchwide planning to propose for General Assembly determination, the mission directions, goals, objectives and priorities of the church ...” (Book of Order, G-13.0201) Upon recommendation by the General Assembly Council, the 205th General Assembly (1993) approved a statement of vision and four priority goals (Evangelism, Justice, Spiritual Formation and Partnership). These goals and statement of vision have shaped the mission directions for the entire church for the last 4-1/2 years. While Council has engaged in churchwide planning, we have not yet adopted a current statement of vision or goals which are applicable to the Council itself. While I was a chemical engineering student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, one of my summer jobs was with Koppers Company near Monaca, Pennsylvania. In order to save money, I brought my lunch to work each day and ate at my desk. Another employee, Jim, who was married and had been employed by Koppers for several years, ate with me. On each of the first four days that we ate together, Jim would open his lunch, inspect his sandwich and then say in a disgusting tone, “Darn it, cheese again.” When he repeated this same routine on the fifth consecutive day, my curiosity compelled me to ask him who the unthoughtful person was that prepared his lunch each day. He seemed rather shocked that I would ask such a question, but looked me straight in the eye and said, “I do.” While serving as Council chair, I have observed that some of this “cheese again” attitude has manifested itself at various governing body levels in today’s church, including Council. This attitude is exhibited by those who worry or complain about their own plight or condition but who have not attempted to create a vision or plan to alter their course. Such circumstances often lead to discontent and dysfunction. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) states “Where there is no vision, the people perish… .” Matthew 6:33 (KJV) further instructs “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” These passages, when read together, have lead Council Vice Chair Lynda Ardan and me to recognize that Council must have a vision and plan for itself in order to effectively and credibly accomplish its Book of Order responsibility of engaging in planning and goal setting for the entire church. We also recognize that no vision or plan for Council will succeed unless it is in accord with God’s will. These considerations resulted in our identifying and presenting to Council 10 goals for Council to achieve by the time the 210th General Assembly meets in Charlotte, NC next June. The first goal is to strengthen Council’s spiritual unity. The others pertain to improving certain internal financial systems, electing an Executive Director, Council becoming more proactive, improving relations with the Foundation, making better use of middle governing body partnerships, increasing support for communication resources, clarifying Council’s identity, clarifying staff and elected roles and devising better dispute resolution processes. Please continue to pray for Council as we strive to accomplish God’s will. – Fred L. Denson, GAC Chair |
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