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17-June-1998 
GA98084 
 
    Church Polity Committee 
    by Bill Lancaster 
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C.-On three overtures dealing with authoritative 
interpretations, the General Assembly Committee on Church Polity is 
recommending that the Assembly disapprove all three with the following 
comment: 
    "The 210th General Assembly would remind the church that authoritative 
interpretations can be helpful in clarifying some parts of the constitution 
without taking the valuable time of the presbyteries. 
    "The 210th General Assembly would also advise this and future General 
Assemblies that making a binding authoritative interpretation on 
controversial issues is unwise and that these issues are better handled 
through the amendment process." 
    The committee also is recommending to the Assembly the approval of part 
of two paragraphs from the Advisory Committee on the Constitution's advice 
regarding these overtures.  The paragraphs: 1.)  outline the three ways in 
which church law is formulated; 2.)  remind the Assembly of the limitations 
of Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) decisions in formulating church law; 
3.)  state the principal of church government "...that a larger part of the 
church or a representation of it [italics added], should govern a smaller, 
or determine matters of controversy which arise therein" (G-1.0400). 
 
    The three overtures are 98-10 from Presbytery of St. Andrew, which 
would limit PJC decisions to matters of process; 98-17 from the Presbytery 
of Winnebago which would render General Assembly authoritative 
interpretations non-binding and advisory only, while PJC authoritative 
interpretations would continue to be binding; 98-35 from the Presbytery of 
National Capital, which would render authoritative interpretations by 
either entity advisory only. 

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