wfn.org | Assembly rejects changes in General Assembly format...again

[PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org]

04-July-1996 
 
GA96101 
 
    Assembly rejects changes in General Assembly format...again 
 
ALBUQUERQUE--As it has repeatedly over many years, the General Assembly has 
rejected a recommendation that the format of the annual meeting of the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) be changed.  The vote by commissioners was 
365-161. 
 
    Usually, suggestions have been to move from annual to biennial meetings 
of the Assembly.  This year, the Assembly committee on Quadrennial Review, 
concurring with a recommendation from the special committee on review (CR) 
by a vote of 28-19, proposed continuing annual meetings, but with a twist. 
 
    The committee recommended that in odd-numbered years, no more than 
three days of the Assembly be used to conduct formal business.  The 
remainder of those Assemblies would "be devoted to worship and celebration, 
continuing education workshops, presentations and discussions on subjects 
of churchwide interest, leadership development, and programmatic 
information." 
 
    Youth Advisory Delegate Leanne Brower of Santa Fe Presbytery said that 
"the workload would be doubled [if the proposal is adopted], making it very 
difficult to effectively consider all the business before the Assembly." 
 
    The Rev. Scott Dalgarno of Cascades Presbytery and a member of the 
Assembly committee on Quadrennial Review, said the committee majority felt 
that the odd-numbered year proposal would give commissioners "a place to do 
real theologizing, real exploration of business." 
 
    The Rev. Gary Barckert of Seattle Presbytery agreed.  Noting that the 
CR repeatedly raised issues of alienation between congregations and the 
wider church, Barckert said the odd-numbered year proposal "will give us 
greater opportunity to explore areas of connectedness between people 
throughout the church." 
 
    But the Rev. George Hardy of Northern New England Presbytery, citing 
the town meeting tradition in New England, said he sees the General 
Assembly the same way.  "We're facing increasing disaffection between the 
local church and the national church -- I urge you to defeat this motion." 
 
    The Assembly approved the committee's six-point plan for implementing 
overture 95-74 from last year's Assembly.  The overture called for direct 
election of General Assembly-level committee members by presbyteries upon 
nomination by sessions as a way to better involve lower governing bodies in 
the work of the Assembly. 
 
    Instead, the committee proposed and the Assembly adopted: 
 
    * conversion of the 25 existing at-large seats on the General Assembly 
Council to presbytery rotation slots; 
 
    * the addition of up to 15 new at-large seats to allow the General 
Assembly nominating committee to fulfill the inclusiveness requirements of 
the Book of Order in proposing slates of nominees for election; 
 
    * commissioning of persons elected to General Assembly entities by 
their governing bodies; 
 
    * provisions for persons serving on General Assembly entities to 
formally report back to their governing bodies; 
 
    * encouragement to governing bodies to seek qualified Presbyterians for 
service on national entities; 
 
    * establishment of a nine-person committee on middle governing body 
relationships to rebuild connections between the General Assembly and 
synods, presbyteries and sessions. 
 
    And the Assembly, mindful of the feelings of alienation and 
disconnection in the church, called the church to "a year of prayer marked 
by self-examination, confession, repentance and thanksgiving..." 
 
Jerry Van Marter 

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