By Ed Thompson
I’m sure there would be lots of ways to summarize the 223rd General Assembly. I was thinking of doing a Top 10 list. Instead I’ve decided to lift up one or two highlights from each of the major GA committees. I’ll go through them in numerical order, starting with Committee 03. Committee 02, Bills and Overtures, is a major GA committee, but their work is more procedural, trying to make sure that everything keeps going and everything fits in, so they really don’t have any highlights. For some reason, there’s no committee 01.
Committee 03 was General Assembly Procedures. I’d say the most important thing coming out of that committee was Item 03-22 “Commissioners’ Resolution: On Directing the Office of the General Assembly to Develop a Plan for Cost-Reduction Measures for Meetings of the PC(USA) General Assembly.” In some ways, the title says it all. It’s short and may not be the most exciting thing to read, but it does have some long-term implications. It’s also a recognition that we don’t have unlimited funds available to us and that, in reality, we have shrinking numbers and thus a shrinking per capita base every year. In some ways, this is a reality check.
Committee 04, The Way Forward, is charged with looking at the future of our denomination. It started at the last General Assembly as a sort of think tank group, looking at how we can or could do things differently and what the priorities of our denomination should be or need to be moving forward. You might want to look at Item 04-05 the “2020 Vision Team—Interim Report.” This group was also established at the last General Assembly meeting and charged to look at the future of our denomination too. In some ways, there seems to be some overlap between these groups and the distinction between them was not clear, at least to me, but you may want to look at what they’ve been up to. They’re the ones that have suggested that our denomination needs to be Prayerful Courageous United Serving and Alive. (PCUSA).
With Committee 05 Mid Councils, I’d suggest looking at Item 05-09 “Commissioners’ Resolution: On the Challenge of Being Black in the PC (USA).” Unfortunately, those of us who are not black don’t recognize or understand the challenges that our black brothers and sisters face. This may not be the best place to start to understand what they have to deal with, but it is a start.
One of the issues that generated a lot of discussion in Committee 06 Church Polity and Ordered Ministry was Parental Leave. They used the action on Item 06-NB to answer several other overtures. You could look at that, although the rationale on Item 06-08 “On Amending G-2.0804, Terms of Call, to Include Paid Family Leave” may better address the issue. I think our presbytery has a pretty good parental leave policy, but not everybody does. We may not think of ourselves as trendsetters, but in this case, I think we may be ahead of the curve.
Committee 07 was Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. Item 07-01 “On America’s Interfaith Context and the Church’s Challenge” deals with hate speech and, to some extent, racism. It recognizes the way the world is changing and how we in the church might/can deal with it. We may not want to or think we need to address this since our state lacks a great deal of diversity, but like it or not, these issues are before us.
Committee 08 Environmental Issues produced the most passionate report and the longest debate – over whether we should divest from the fossil fuel industry. I’d say look at Item 08-01 “On Directing the Board of Pensions and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation to Divest from Fossil Fuel and Actively Invest in Securities That Focus on Renewable Energy,” as well as Item 08-08 “Mission Responsibility Through Investment Report.” Item 08-08 became the main motion and was adopted by the Assembly, so we are not divesting from these companies but have decided to continue our conversations with them as shareholders. Nevertheless, I think it will be helpful to look at both sides of the issue. Forty presbyteries concurred with Item 08-01, so there are a substantial number of Presbyterians who think divestment is the way to go. I’m not a prophet, but I expect this issue to come up again at the next General Assembly.
With Committee 09 Peacemaking, Immigration, and International Issues, I’d lift up two items. Both deal with refugees. Item 09-14 “Commissioners’ Resolution: Stop the Separation of Families” deals with the current situation at the US-Mexican border. While government policies are changing, this is what Presbyterians were thinking as of June 21. The other item is Item 09-12 “Commissioners’ Resolution: On North Korean Refugees.” I should have known there were North Korean refugees, but to be honest, I hadn’t thought that much about it.
Committee 10 Mission Coordination had several items that dealt with the Doctrine of Discovery. I’d suggest looking at Item 10-13 “The Doctrine of Discovery.” Briefly, my understanding is that this doctrine essentially serves as an apology for the way Native Americans have been treated. Apparently, the presbyteries in Alaska have found it helpful in their work with the churches that are composed of indigenous people.
I think it will also be helpful to look at Item 10-11 “On Establishing a Grant to Develop Resources to Educate Entities Regarding Serious Mental Illness Issues.” This is more than a grant program in that it serves to update “Comfort My People: A Policy Statement on Serious Mental Illness, “ approved by the 2008 General Assembly. The church doesn’t do a good job of dealing with mental illness. This continues to move us in the right direction.
Committee 11 Social Justice Issues had a couple things I’d suggest looking at: Item 11-14 “On Praying for a Movement of the Spirit to Engage Presbyterian Congregations in Nation-Wide Action to Prevent Gun Violence” and Item 11-02 “On Calling for an Immediate Moratorium on All Executions.”
Committee 12 Middle East issues did not generate as much debate as in the past. One thing that might be helpful is Item 12-02 “On Advocating for the Human Rights of All Citizens of Israel.” On this, as most of the other reports I’ve highlighted, I’d suggest concentrating more on the rationale.
Committee 13 was Board of Pensions, Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and the Presbyterian Foundation. They are all doing good work, but there were no real highlights coming out of this committee as far as I could see.
Committee 14 Theological and Church Growth Issues and Institutions obviously had the longest title and a number of interesting issues to deal with. I’d suggest looking at Item 14-12 “Commissioners’ Resolution: On Supporting the Reclaiming Jesus Statement with Prayer and Study.” To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the Reclaiming Jesus statement, but it sounds like this may be a helpful resource. Item 14-05 was “On Adopting the ‘Letter from Birmingham City Jail,’ written by the Rev. Dr. MLK Jr., as a Contemporary Statement of Faith (But not with Constitutional Standing).” Despite the title of this item, the assembly amended it, so now the “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” will be considered for inclusion in the Book of Confessions. At least that’s how my notes read. The thinking is that this is a way to get people to take Martin Luther King’s letter seriously and study it. If it was just recommended for study but wasn’t going to be considered as one of our confessional statements, no one would take it seriously. I hope we do take it seriously, and I hope to read it again myself.
Two last notes:
1) The way to access this material is to go to PC-Biz and then look under committees, where you’ll find all the items that committee had to deal with, including the ones I’ve mentioned.
2) You may not agree with every item adopted by this General Assembly. I probably don’t agree with every item adopted by this General Assembly. Instead of thinking that the General Assembly is speaking for the church, I find it more helpful to think of the General Assembly as speaking to the church. The Assembly cannot bind the conscience of any church member on any issue, so you don’t have to agree with or be concerned if you disagree with anything the Assembly has said. However, 538 commissioners and 142 Young Adult Advisory Delegates and a handful of theological student, ecumenical and missionary advisory delegates debated, prayed, and then voted on these issues, and this is where they came out. A random gathering of another group of 538 Presbyterians may have voted very differently on any particular issue. Let their statements inform you and even challenge you. They may have considered things that you had never even heard of or thought about. Read what they have to say, and then make up your own mind. As our constitution proudly and consistently affirms, “God alone is lord of the conscience.”(F-3.0101a)
Thanks to our commissioners – John Bolt, Susan Sharp Campbell, Larryetta Ellis, and Randy Fife – and to our Young Adult Advisory Delegate, Paul Brady. They will be reporting at our August 18 presbytery meeting, but I’m sure any of them will be glad to talk with you about their experience at the 223rd General Assembly and their perspective on any of these issues.