The Presbyterian Layman July/August 1999 Latest COCU proposal going to presbyteries The General Assembly voted 437-81-6 to ask presbyteries to determine whether the denomination will become part of “Churches Uniting in Christ” – a new relationship with eight other communions in the Consultation on Church Union (COCU).
If approved by the presbyteries, the “Churches Uniting” relationship will be characterized by “visible marks,” including: • recognizing each other as “authentic expressions of the one church of Jesus Christ;” • recognizing one another’s ordained ministry; • engaging in mission together, “especially a shared mission to combat racism;” • promoting “unity with wholeness” and opposing “all marginalization and exclusion in church and society based on such things as race, age, gender, forms of disability, sexual orientation, and class;” • creating “appropriate structures of accountability and appropriate means for consultation and decision making.” The document has been criticized for placing almost all of its emphasis on uniting churches on social issues – racism, sexism, etc. – and little on a joint commitment to evangelical mission and nurturing church members. During floor debate, an attempt was made to eliminate the phrase “sexual orientation,” but David Batchelder, moderator of the Assembly Committee on Catholicity and Ecumenical Relationship, said that the denomination had to approve the document language exactly as it is or withdraw from the union. (PLC) Hate crimes overture amended to become more inclusive Commissioners to the 211th General Assembly approved an amended version of Overture 99-64 from the Presbytery of Western Reserve on the “negative effects of stereotyping and hate crimes based on sexual orientation.” The overture, which called on GA to “support federal legislation that provides enhanced penalties for violent crimes motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or disability of the victim,” had called for a nine-person task force, including gay or lesbian members, to focus exclusively on violence against people based on sexual orientation. The National and Social Issues committee recommended that the Assembly approve the overture, and refer it to the GAC “to be accomplished through its existing budget, and further that the GAC be instructed to include representatives of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered population in carrying out these directions.” Once the recommendation was introduced on the plenary floor, Commissioner Russ Howard offered an amendment to end the sentence after the word “budget.” He also changed each reference of sexual orientation in the section dealing with the task force to include “victims of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender and disability.” The amendment passed 300-206. The amended motion passed 445-47. (PLC) Revised ‘Building Community Among Strangers’ adopted “Building Community Among Strangers,” a controversial document submitted by the PCUSA’s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and sent back to them by the 1998 General Assembly, came back to the 1999 Assembly having undergone significant revision. The original study was sharply criticized for equating believers in the truth of God’s revelation with followers of “a jealous tribal God.” It urged Presbyterians to become “Christian humanists,” religious pluralists who believe that all beliefs about God are equally valid. The new document unequivocally states that “Jesus Christ is Lord of the world as well as the church.” In addition to the changes made prior to this Assembly, commissioners incorporated several additional alterations, then adopted the amended document. (PLC) Assembly approves Church Growth Strategy Team Report The 211th General Assembly approved the Church Growth Strategy Team report by a voice vote. Jinny Miller presented the report and its themes. The Church Growth Strategy Report gives four challenges to churches asking if they want to be well (grow), if they are willing to change, if they will take risks and if they will take responsibility for themselves, rather than blaming their losses on other factors. The Assembly approved recommendations to declare the USA and Puerto Rico to be mission fields with the congregations as the basis for local mission supported by the presbyteries and other governing bodies, to challenge sessions and other governing agencies of the church to review their commitment and plans for reaching communities, to invite sessions and other governing bodies of the church to share their plans with the Church Growth Strategy Team, and to challenge churches to focus on discipleship by setting minimum goals of two percent annual growth in worship attendance and starting two new Christian Education initiatives annually. (PLC) Assembly provides funding for military chaplains The Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel, which provides the required ecclesiastical endorsement for Presbyterian Church (USA) military chaplains, will be funded by the General Assembly Council, and the GAC has been directed by the 211th General Assembly to look at ways to increase funding for the group. While an overture from the Presbytery of Long Island had called for the Council to be placed under the auspices of the Office of the General Assembly for administrative and funding purposes, the action of the Assembly places the group under the GAC. The Assembly specified funding the group “at current levels,” but added the comment, “Recognizing the valuable role our chaplains play in ministry to those who serve our nation, we express our appreciation to them and commend study of ways appropriately to increase funding for the Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel to the General Assembly Council, National Ministries Division.” (PLC) Per capita and property The General Assembly approved a recommendation to affirm the responsibility of presbyteries to meet their per-capita allocations – even if their mission budgets must be pared. Current interpretation by the General Assembly’s Permanent Judicial Commission says sessions are solely responsible for the allocation of funds in the local congregation – and therefore cannot be forced to pay to the presbyteries their allotted share of the General Assembly costs. Because of their disagreement with General Assembly actions, several sessions have ceased paying their per capita and redirected that money to other ministries. In response to a question from Central Florida Presbytery, the Assembly adopted language proposed by the Advisory Committee on the Constitution, “A presbytery has the responsibilities to remit per capita allocations to synod and General Assembly, even though a congregation does not pay the per capita allocated to it by the presbytery.” In a related issue, commissioners affirmed the right of the stated clerk’s office to assist presbyteries legally when congregations seek to withdraw from the denomination with their property, zoning disputes and other church/state issues. The commissioner affirmed “the principle expressed in the Form of Government that all property held by or for a particular church, a presbytery, a synod, or the Presbyterian Church (USA), whether used in programs or held for investment, is held in trust for the use and benefit of the Presbyterian Church (USA) (Book of Order, G-8.0200).” (PLC) Gun overtures approved by GA The 211th General Assembly approved two overtures supporting the legitimate possession and use of firearms. By approving overture 99-58 from the Presbytery of Alaska, the Fort Worth General Assembly “reaffirmed the denomination’s position in support of legitimate possession and use of firearms in hunting, the maintenance of a subsistence lifestyle, target-shooting, collecting and other recreational sports.” Overture 99-62 from the Presbytery of Yukon asked the GA to reaffirm that its policies advocating strict gun control legislation “would not cover shotguns and rifles legitimately used by sportsmen,” and that the “scope of the General Assembly policy on guns does not extend to hunting, target shooting, collecting or other recreational uses of firearms. Privately owned guns used for these purposes are not the focus here.” (PLC) Realignment of GA entities approved The 211th General Assembly approved the report of the Special Committee for Review of the General Assembly, which sets in motion a plan to restructure the entities or “agencies” of the General Assembly. The restructuring includes the formation of a 21-member Council of the Assembly, which will replace the Committee of the Office of the General Assembly, with Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick as head of staff. The GAC will be renamed the Mission Agency, with John Detterick as executive director. The Council of the Assembly will have 21 members and will be responsible for the administrative duties of the GAC. The Mission Agency will be the same size as the current GAC, but the report calls for a possible reduction in two years. The agency will be responsible for coordinating the mission program of the Assembly. The report includes a plan for the transition of the current boards to the proposed boards; a plan for resolving disputes between interagency entities; and changes that will be needed in the Book of Order. (PLC) Assembly acts on polity recommendations The 211th General Assembly dealt with proposals on revision of the Form of Government by referring back to the Advisory Committee on the Constitution (ACC) the Foundational section of the draft revision for further revision. They asked that it be submitted to the 212th General Assembly for consideration as a study resource. The ACC was discharged of the 1993 and 1997 referrals recommending revisions to the Book of Order thus effectively ending the revision process. The General Assembly amended the Book of Confessions by replacing the current text of the Nicene Creed with a contemporary translation by the English Liturgical Commission. The presbyteries approved this amendment 135-37-1. (PNS) |
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