wfn.org | Theology and Worship, and Global Partnership Committees

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01-July-1996 
 
GA96038 
 
Theology and Worship 
 
    Attempts to define "the essential tenants of the Reformed faith" at the 
national-level of the Presbyterian Church (USA) were stopped by the 
Assembly committee on Theology and Worship after extended debate. 
 
    Overture 96-32 (New Covenant Presbytery) was disapproved by a 26-8 
vote, though commissioners were weighing whether to draft a minority report 
to comment on the "deep hurt" that prompted the two resolutions at press 
time. 
 
    Language in the overture describing the tenants as "the beliefs of the 
Church catholic, of the Protestant Reformation and of the Reformed 
tradition" as "essential tenants" were thought by some to be too vague to 
add much clarity to the Book of Order. 
 
    Minister-commissioner Robert Dunham of New Hope Presbytery summarized 
the denomination's historic stance on "essential tenants" by placing 
"trust" in sessions and presbyteries to examine, ordain or discipline 
elders, deacons and ministers within their jurisdictions. 
 
    Opponents of that view argued for more "specificity," while others 
described the wide diversity of theological opinion within the PC(USA) as 
"anarchy." 
 
    The stricter interpretation found in Overture 94-42 (Presbytery of Los 
Ranchos) -- affirming the "historical actuality" of the virgin birth, the 
bodily resurrection and miracles of Jesus -- was rejected by a 27-2 vote. 
It also sought affirmation of the five tenants "as a condition of their 
service" for all church staff and ordained persons. 
 
 
 
Global Partnership 
 
    The Assembly Committee on Global Partnership voted by mid-afternoon 
Monday to reaffirm the upcoming church-wide "Year With Latin Americans" as 
a mission emphasis and to affirm the goals of the worldwide AD 2000 
movement. 
 
    The mission action calls for presbyteries and congregations to "get to 
know" Latin Americans in the U.S. and in this hemisphere through travel, 
fellowship, volunteering, sponsoring refugees and involvement in public 
policy work.  It instructs the General Assembly Council and its mission 
divisions to work with partner churches and ecumenical agencies to plan 
four regional conferences and travel study seminars in Latin America and 
with Latin Americans in the U.S. 
 
    After moderate debate about sensitivity in evangelizing "unreached 
peoples" in Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic cultures, the committee's vote was 
unanimous in endorsing AD 2000 -- a movement the General Assembly Council 
member the Rev. Walter Ungerer described to the committee as a third-world, 
grassroots Christian movement. 
 
    Ungerer also said there are no financial implications in engaging in 
evangelism among the "least evangelized people," since funding exists 
within the Worldwide Ministries Division (WMD) budget and in extra 
commitment accounts. 
 
    WMD International Evangelism associate the Rev. Jeff Ritchie said work 
will be coordinated through existing networks with church partners and 
through the creation of new networks "as the Spirit leads." 
 
Alexa Smith 

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