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1-September-1998 
98285 
 
    Middle Governing Body Relations Committee Considers 
    How PC(USA) Can Best Serve Congregations 
 
    by Vic Jameson 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-Strengthening the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s 
congregations is one of the highest priorities of the denomination's middle 
governing bodies, a special committee of the General Assembly has 
determined. 
 
    The Special Committee on Middle Governing Body Relations, which is 
moving toward completion of a three-year study launched by action of the 
1996 General Assembly in Albuquerque, N.M., says in a "vision" document 
that "developing, encouraging, equipping and resourcing the life and 
mission of its congregations as the Body of Jesus Christ" should be the 
major function of the denomination's regional and national entities.  The 
committee completed a four-day meeting here Aug. 24 after holding extended 
conversations with national staff members. 
 
    The conferences with staff members here were similar to earlier 
meetings with more than 700 persons, among whom were elected officials, 
synod and presbytery executives, educators, campus ministers, racial/ethnic 
groups, youth and special interest groups. 
 
    Four possible configurations have been considered by the committee as 
ways to best provide services to congregations: 
 
   *   Improve relations among existing governing bodies - sessions, 
presbyteries, synods and the General Assembly - through striving for better 
communication, higher trust levels and effective consultation.  This option 
would leave the denominational governing body and judicial systems 
unchanged. 
   *   Encourage presbytery and national ministry and mission units to work 
in various kinds of partnerships that could, but would not have to be, 
along present synod lines.  Partnerships could be based on common needs, 
mission projects or other interests and could be for long or short periods 
of time.  Judicial functions in this format would be carried out by a 
series of permanent intermediate-level commissions.  Synods might continue 
to serve mission/ministry functions but would have no governing 
responsibilities. 
   *   Maintain 16 regional entities as nongoverning regional mission and 
ministry units, with intermediate-level judicial commissions, leaving the 
current presbyteries and General Assembly as they are. 
   *   Involve presbyteries more directly in the mission/ministry of the 
whole church, moving into a three-level governing body system that would 
include sessions, presbyteries and the General Assembly. 
 
    The committee is due to talk with representatives of the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church in America in early October about that denomination's 
organizational structure and with members of the Presbyterian Church's 
General Assembly Council and Committee on the Office of the General 
Assembly in mid-October. 
 
    Its final report is scheduled for completion in an early December 
meeting and for presentation to the 211th General Assembly (1999) next June 
in Fort Worth, Texas. 
 
(Vic Jameson is editor emeritus of "Presbyterians Today" magazine and is 
the official scribe for the General Assembly's Special Committee on Middle 
Governing Body Relations) 

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