View this story online at
http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07267.htm [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=v5rrv4bab.0.wtdsv4bab.9dc9s4bab.2056&ts=S0237&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcusa.org%2Fpcnews%2F2007%2F07267.htm].
07267 May 8, 2007
Clarification: Form of Government Task Force story
by Jerry Van Marter
LOUISVILLE - Due to scheduling conflicts and agenda changes, the Presbyterian News Service's coverage [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=v5rrv4bab.0.xtdsv4bab.9dc9s4bab.2056&ts=S0237&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcusa.org%2Fpcnews%2F2007%2F07221.htm] of the April 12-14 meeting of the Form of Government Task Force [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=v5rrv4bab.0.ytdsv4bab.9dc9s4bab.2056&ts=S0237&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcusa.org%2Fformofgovernment] (FOG) was incomplete.
After PNS left the meeting, the task force re-entered its discussion of the materials it is developing for consideration by the church and, ultimately, by the 218th General Assembly (2008).
The Task Force received much criticism of its initial attempt to recast the first four chapters of the Book of Order in what it believes is a more orderly and comprehensible form. It calls that document "Foundations of Presbyterian Polity."
Early in the April 12-14 meeting, the group considered submitting both the existing first four chapters of the Book of Order and its "Foundations" document, first to the ACC - which is required to review all proposed changes to the PC(USA) constitution - and ultimately on to the General Assembly.
FOG Task Force co-moderator Cynthia Bolbach of National Capital Presbytery - the other is Sharon Davison of New York City Presbytery - characterized the group's subsequent decision: "the Task Force vote was to send both documents to the Advisory Committee on the Constitution (ACC), along with our proposed Form of Government. We are sending this material now to the ACC in order to get its input and comments, just as we are soliciting input and comments from across the entire church.
"At its meeting this summer, the Task Force will review comments, and will decide at that point what we will send to presbyteries and sessions in September."
The Rev. Mark Tammen, director of the Office of the General Assembly's Department of Constitutional Services and staff to the task force, told PNS that the task force wants the ACC "to compare 'Foundations' and the first four chapters to see if all the material currently in that part of the Book of Order is encompassed in 'Foundations.'"
Tammen said the task force wants to know "What will help the church best? What do we need from a revised Form of Government?"
Bolbach, in an email to PNS, elaborated: "The Task Force believes that our foundational assumptions are of sufficient importance that they deserve to be set apart in a discrete section of the Book of Order. We deliberately sought to reorganize the existing material in a manner that would undergird a missional polity, would support flexible patterns of authority and order, and would reflect a greater theological and literary unity.
"Our 'Foundations of Presbyterian Polity' reflects this reorganization, but in a way that retains the vast majority of the present text of G-1.000 - G-4.000, albeit in a somewhat different structure.
"We recognize, however, that in the 25 years since the adoption of those chapters in their present form a great love has developed for the current text. At this point in our work, we are simply sending both to the ACC for their consideration and review."
The ACC is scheduled to meet in Louisville in mid-June. The next meeting of the FOG task force is Aug. 16-18, also in Louisville.
As it develops its draft documents, the task force is posting them on its Web site [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=v5rrv4bab.0.ytdsv4bab.9dc9s4bab.2056&ts=S0237&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcusa.org%2Fformofgovernment].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.pcusa.org/ [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=v5rrv4bab.0.ivtnu4bab.9dc9s4bab.2056&ts=S0237&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcusa.org%2F]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101645285498&ea=wfn-editors@wfn.org&a=1101648152533
This email was sent to wfn-editors@wfn.org, by newsservice@ctr.pcusa.org
Update Profile/Email Address
Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM)
Privacy Policy:
http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp
Email Marketing by Constant Contact(R) www.constantcontact.com
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 100 Witherspoon Street | Louisville | KY | 40202