wfn.org | Assembly Affirms Social Witness Policy Process

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

19-June-1997 
GA97096 
 
             Assembly Affirms Social Witness Policy Process 
 
                         by Nancy Rodman 
 
 
SYRACUSE--The 209th General Assembly Wednesday evening affirmed the 
existing policy for the development of social witness policy adopted by the 
205th General Assembly (1993) and refers "Why and How the Church Makes a 
Social Policy Witness", which provides for churchwide input, to 
presbyteries, congregations, and theological schools for study and use. 
The Assembly encouraged the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy to 
use all means of communication to ensure that all congregations receive 
appropriate information in a timely manner. 
 
    The current social policy development process calls for feedback from 
all congregations at its beginning through a prospectus and summary. 
Persons are nominated to work on the proposed topic and nominees are 
examined for balance and expertise.  A study document is written for 
churchwide use with twelve months allotted for response.  Once the 
responses are integrated into the document, a synod consultation is held. 
The refined document goes to the General Assembly Council, is again 
revised, and again goes to the GAC.  Policy statements grow from the 
church, are developed by the church, are critiqued by the church, and 
finally approved by the most inclusive governing body of the church. 

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