Presbyterians choose ‘honorably,’ and CUiC By John H. Adams The Presbyterian Layman Volume 33, Number 3 Posted May 22, 2000 Presbyterians say they prefer to retire all ministers honorably, that they don’t want to restructure the denomination’s government and that they wish to remain a part of an ecumenical movement now known phonetically as “Quick.” Quick is the pronunciation of a strange-looking acronym – CUiC – that stands for Churches Uniting in Christ, which is a new variation of an organization known for years phonetically as “Koku,” or Consultation on Church Union. CUiC, retirement of ministers and government restructuring were the three hot-button items subject to approval by a majority of the 173 Presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church (USA). At press time for The Presbyterian Layman, all three issues had been decided. When a Presbyterian minister retires, the “honorably” is automatically part of the record. The amendment would have withheld the honorific unless the presbytery was “moved by affection and gratitude” to add it. A proposal to restructure the government of the PCUSA was resoundingly defeated. It would have created a Council of the Assembly (in place of the General Assembly Council). The new body would have had fewer elected members. Many critics said it would have been more influenced by the denomination’s paid staff. There was some rousing debate over CUiC, a retooled version of the old Consultation on Church Union, but the presbyteries voted overwhelmingly in favor of an ecumenical statement that describes the organization. The statement includes a number of provisions that seem to conflict with the PCUSA Constitution – including monitoring of local sessions by CUiC representatives from other denominations – but Presbyterian leaders promoting the agreement said the agreement did not in fact violate the Book of Order.

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