Note #9118 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
06075 Feb. 10, 2006
Council streamlines itself
GAC approves plan that will reduce its membership from 84 to 48
by Jerry L. Van Marter
LOUISVILLE - After a concerted but light-hearted lobbying effort, the General Assembly Council (GAC) on Friday (Feb. 10) approved a restructuring plan that reduces council membership by almost half and strengthens its ties with the middle governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The GAC's Governance Task Force introduced the proposal Tuesday, then hosted several days of "Questions and Cashews" events (named for the group's snack food of choice) to answer questions and assuage misgivings of members who felt that a streamlined council would be less representative of various PC(USA) constituencies.
The plan was approved by a secret-ballot vote of 38-23.
It reduces council membership from 72 to 39 and cuts the number of corresponding (non-voting) members from 12 to 7. With the addition of two ecumenical advisory delegates (also non-voting), the council's total membership drops from 84 to 48.
The GAC added one corresponding member, from the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA). The Rev. Jim Collie, executive presbyter in Santa Fe and a COGA member, had argued that "much would be lost" if that corresponding relationship was ended.
Carol Adcock, of Fort Worth, TX, the chair of the Governance Task Force, said the smaller council will be "leaner, more responsive and more flexible."
But not less expensive.
A linchpin of the new structure is an annual meeting between council and executives of the PC(USA)'s 183 presbyteries and 16 synods. The cost of that meeting will more than offset any savings related to the reduction in the council's membership. Financial officers estimate a net increase of about $25,000 in meeting costs.
"This annual meeting of all execs is a particularly important piece of this new structure," said GAC Executive Director John Detterick. "It will concretely enable us to work more closely together across the church."
Adcock agreed, saying: "We feel that formally convening an annual meeting will help our respective work be done in tandem so as to better support congregations. We think it will also provide opportunities ... for the PC(USA) to have a more cohesive approach to mission, and thus a greater impact on ministry both in the United States and around the world."
Twenty-one members of the new GAC will come from the presbyteries (down from the current 48). The council will include two synod executives and three presbytery executives. The current council has a representative from every synod. In the new configuration, every synod will be included in the council's membership, but not through designated representatives.
Four young adults, 18 to 35 years old, will be elected at-large by the General Assembly.
And for the first time, a substantial bloc of members - 8 of the 39 voters - will come from the ranks of General Assembly commissioners. In addition to the current and immediate past moderators, six commissioners will be GAC members - two each from the three most recent Assemblies.
The task force proposal called for nine GA commissioners to be GAC members, but the council reduced their number to six and added one additional young adult member, one additional executive presbyter and one additional synod executive.
"The GAC is accountable for interpreting and implementing the actions of the General Assembly," said Steve Benz, East Tennessee Presbytery executive and vice chair of the task force. "The presence of the General Assembly commissioners on the council will remind us whom we are accountable to."
Council members will be elected to single six-year terms.
The plan changes the GAC from a programmatic body to a visionary one, focusing on goals and objectives, task force members said.
The internal structure of the council will conform to the four goal areas and eight objectives of the 2007-2008 Mission Work Plan, the council's strategic blueprint for the next two years. The goal areas are Justice and Compassion, Evangelism and Witness, Spirituality and Discipleship, and Leadership and Vocation.
The GAC's committee structure will be built around the goal areas rather than the ministry divisions - Congregational Ministries, National Ministries and Worldwide Ministries plus Mission Support Services - the model now in place.
Detterick said a "provisional" staff structure that corresponds to that of the council will be proposed in late April. He said he expects the staff proposal will likely be based on "coordinating tables related to the goals and objectives" rather than actually "mirroring the council structure."
Several GAC members raised questions about various liaison relationships between the GAC and other General Assembly agencies. Adcock said those "jots and tittles" will be ironed out between now and the GAC's meeting in March 2007.
You are currently subscribed to the PCUSANEWS listserv of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to
mailto:PCUSANEWS-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org.
To update your email address, send your old email address and your new one to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
For questions or comments, send an email to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
To learn more, visit http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/