wfn.org | Quadrennial Review Commitee

[PCUSA_NEWS@ecunet.org]

Date: 13-Jun-96 
 
96225            General Assembly Backgrounder:  
                   Quadrennial Review Commitee 
 
                      by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
     When the reunited Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved its mission 
design in 1986, provision was made for a quadrennial review of the 
structures and operations of the mission enterprise of the denomination. 
That review was to be carried out by an independent committee of 
Presbyterians elected solely for that purpose by the General Assembly. 
 
     The second quadrennial review has been completed by a committee of 18 
persons elected by last year's General Assembly.  It reports its findings 
and recommendations for remedial actions to this General Assembly.  The 
committee concluded: "In the process of our work we found much to celebrate 
throughout the church.  We also found much to concern us." 
 
     The Quadrennial Review Committee (QRC) report is 45 pages long and 
contains 33 recommendations for improving the work of the Presbyterian 
Church (U.S.A.) at its General Assembly level.  The report comes three 
years after the General Assembly offices in Louisville were restructured. 
That 1993 restructure reduced the General Assembly budget by $7 million and 
national staff by some 20 percent. 
 
     The key recommendations in the report call for: 
 
    *       A year of prayer "marked by self-examination, confession, 
            repentance and thanksgiving" in response to growing theological 
            divisions and disagreements over the programmatic direction of 
            the denomination. 
    *       The hiring of an independent consulting firm "to study all 
            aspects of the Office of the Executive Director and Corporate 
            and Administrative Services of the General Assembly Council" in 
            response to reports of "unhealthy interaction and contests of 
            authority" within the structure of the church. 
    *       A formal process of internal review of all Assembly-level 
            programs to gauge their overall effectiveness in response to 
            the QRC's finding that the "working atmosphere at the 
            Presbyterian Center in Louisville is filled with tension and 
            overwork." 
    *       A new model for meetings of the General Assembly that would 
            devote most of even-numbered year Assemblies to "worship and 
            celebration, continuing education workshops, presentations and 
            discussions on subjects of churchwide interest, leadership 
            development and programmatic information" rather than formal 
            business.  General Assemblies in odd-numbered years would 
            continue to be business sessions. 
    *       Revised procedures for nominating and electing persons to serve 
            on national committees of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 
            procedures intended to more fully involve congregations and 
            presbyteries in policy setting and decision making at the 
            General Assembly level of the church and to strengthen the 
            accountability of persons elected to serve on national 
            committees to their congregations and presbyteries. 
    *       Further strengthening the involvement of congregations and 
            presbyteries in determining who serves on national committees 
            by requiring that all nominations to national committees be 
            processed by the General Assembly Nominating Committee.  Fewer 
            than one-half of the 850 Presbyterians currently serving on 
            national committees have come through the GANC, which assures 
            balanced representation and endorsement by congregations or 
            presbyteries prior to election by the General Assembly.  The 
            majority of national committee members have been appointed 
            through various ad hoc processes, at times without the 
            knowledge of their congregations or presbyteries.  
 
(Jerry Van Marter will be covering the Quadrennial Review Committee for the 
General Assembly  Newsroom.) 

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