wfn.org | General Assembly backgrounder: Christian educators

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

Note #5912 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

24-May-2000
00212

	General Assembly backgrounder:

	Christian educators

	by Jerry L. Van Marter

	The 212th General Assembly will choose between two competing proposals on
the role and status of Christian educators in the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.).

	The crux of the issue for many years has been whether Christian educators
should be ordained officers of the church and, if so, the nature of that
ordination.

	Currently, the PC(USA) has three ordained offices: ministers, elders (lay
people ordained for governance and spiritual oversight of church members),
and deacons (lay people ordained for humanitarian service.

	A task force that has been studying the issue of the role of Christian
educators in the church is proposing that educators be given the opportunity
to be ordained as ministers with a specialization in Christian education.

	In response to that proposal, the Presbytery of Chicago has submitted an
overture (resolution) calling for the creation of a separate ordained office
of church educator.

	Whether or not the fourth ordained office is established, the role and
status of Christian educators will improve.  The task force is recommending
that educators be granted some of the same employment rights and protections
as ministers -- applying the same minimum salary guidelines and access to
the same administrative processes for hiring and firing, for instance.  The
task force is also recommending that Christian educators be afforded greater
rights and powers in their presbyteries.

	This is at least the third time in the last 20 years that the role of
Christian educators in the PC(USA) has been debated by the General Assembly.

	In 1982, just prior to Presbyterian reunion, the former Presbyterian Church
in the United States (the Southern "stream") approved the fourth ordained
office of Christian educator and the presbyteries ratified the amendments to
enact it.  But the former United Presbyterian Church in the United States of
America (the Northern "stream") had no such office and the 1983 plan for
reunion did not include the fourth ordained office.

	In 1985, the General Assembly again approved a proposal to create the
fourth ordained office of Christian educator, but the required majority of
presbyteries failed to ratify it, with the opposition led by presbyteries
from the former Northern stream.  The tally was 61 presbyteries in favor and
80 opposed.

	The Christian educator issue has been referred to the Assembly Committee on
Church Orders and Ministry.

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