Like 711 other elder and clergy commissioners, I have been preparing for a busy week in Minneapolis for the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s 219th General Assembly. It will be a time for our denomination to discern God's will on significant issues facing the church today and as it sets a course for the future. I am one of four commissioners from the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley.
For me, it will also be a homecoming of sorts. I am originally from Minnesota and still have many relatives in the Twin Cities area and the southern part of the state.
It is my hope that by sharing my experience as a commissioner that you will have a greater understanding of what our denomination is doing at GA to chart its future.
And there is much to be done. There are at least 220 overtures (proposed changes to the Book of Order, our denominational constitution) awaiting action by the assembly, along with major reports on the proposed new Form of Government, Middle East peace, and civil unions and marriage. It is a lot to absorb. I'm almost halfway through reading all this material with only 10 days left before the assembly's start. Fortunately, there are 18 committees assigned to review the overtures by topic, and the recommendations that come out of committee will give the assembly a sense of the discernment that already has occurred on each of these overtures.
I have been assigned to Middle Governing Body Issues, which will be reviewing several overtures seeking a change in our governing structure by either eliminating or changing the functions of synods and presbyteries. It is part of the wider discussion about the future form of the PCUSA. That is why the decision on the new Form of Government will be so important. Will we keep a Book of Order that may have become less a constitution and more a manual of operation that spells out everything governing bodies must do? Or will we have a constitution that outlines the standards by which we operate and gives governing bodies the flexibility to create the forms that best allow them to function within a denomination that must be able to respond to major changes in the world around us along with a declining membership? In other words, what shape will our future take? How are we reformed, always to be reformed?
That's just one of the big questions that may or may not be answered during this assembly.
Two other major issues, both related, have to do with civil unions and marriage, and our ordination standards. We are not alone as a denomination wrestling with questions about homosexuality, marriage, and who can or can't be ordained for service as a minister of Word and Sacrament, elder or deacon. And while this assembly may not answer those difficult questions, I am encouraged by the final report of the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage, which proposes not that we take specific action related to gay unions/marriage but that we continue to find ways to come together to discuss these issues about which we disagree. Whatever your feelings on these issues, that is certainly an encouraging hope for the church.
But what can you do far away from the assembly site in Minneapolis while commissioners are hard at work? Here are my hopes:
◗ Pray for me and the other commissioners. The week will be long and busy. We need to feel the strength of your support.
◗ Follow the work of the assembly during the week of July 3–10. The links in this blog, particularly PC-Biz and Presbyterian Outlook, will let you read about issues before the assembly and follow the action as it unfolds. The more we all know and understand, the better able we are to discern together God's will for us.
◗ Pray for the power of the Spirit to be at work as the assembly discerns God's will for our denomination.
I look forward to continuing this conversation over the next couple of weeks.
Peace and shalom!
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