wfn.org | Correction and Clarification Correction to note number 5203

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

Reply-To: wfn-news list <wfn-news@wfn.org>
5-March-1999 
99092 
 
    Correction and Clarification 
 
    by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
    A story in the Feb. 26 issue of NEWS BRIEFS about two special 
committees of the General Assembly (#99072, p. 14) failed to adequately 
distinguish the different processes by which the two reports are going to 
the 211th General Assembly this year in Fort Worth, Texas. 
 
    The Special Committee on Middle Governing Body Relationships was 
instructed by the 1996 Assembly to bring its report jointly to the General 
Assembly Council (GAC) and to the Committee on the Office of the General 
Assembly (COGA).  Thus, the special committee's report will not be 
considered by the Assembly, but instead a joint report from the GAC and 
COGA in response to the special committee's report. 
 
    In a preliminary draft of its report, the special committee proposed 
the elimination of synods.  In its final report, the special committee 
instead recommended a two-year consultation "leading to the determination 
of the feasibility of the PC(USA) moving to a three governing body system" 
without specifically mentioning synods.  The joint recommendation of GAC 
and COGA - the recommendation that will be acted upon by the Assembly - 
calls for a consultation process "which examines and encourages 
relationships within and among middle governing bodies and bring a report 
and any necessary or desirable recommendations to the 213th General 
Assembly (2001)." 
 
    The 1997 General Assembly elected the Special Committee for Review of 
the General Assembly "to address and make appropriate recommendations on 
all issues relating to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)" and was instructed 
to report back directly to the Assembly this year. 
 
    The GAC has no authority to change the special committee's report but 
can comment upon it.  After considerable discussion, which was accurately 
reported in the NEWS BRIEFS story, the council approved a comment which 
included a few commendations and several concerns and "recommended" that 
the Assembly address those concerns "before moving forward with 
implementation of the report and its recommendations." 
 
    In addition, the electronic version of the story, released on PresbyNet 
and the World Wide Web prior to its publication in NEWS BRIEFS, incorrectly 
reported that nine of the 21 members of the proposed Committee of the 
Assembly are to be Assembly commissioners.  That mistake was corrected for 
NEWS BRIEFS, which accurately reported that 12 members of the proposed 
committee - nine commissioners plus the three most recent Assembly 
moderators - will be on the committee. 

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