The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America meet in
Atlanta, GA, June 20-23, 2006.  The actions of the assembly seem
to summarized well by the Stated Clerk’s (monthly?) letter
for July on the PCA web site.  I will leave that as the source of
news and make some comments about what is reported there.

One thing that struck me was the formalization of the moderator
selection process where they alternate annually between teaching elders
(ministers) and ruling elders.  This is a middle method between
the open process of the PC(USA) and the one nominee process that, like
the Church of Scotland, tend to favor the clergy.  This was a
teaching elder year for the PCA.

The second thing that struck me was the number of commissioners and
their distribution.  There were 1417 commissioners, about 1000
teaching elders and about 400 ruling elders.  No requirement for
parity but every congregation has to opportunity to send a voting
delegate.  The assembly did create (or adjust) a committee on
Overtures to meet just before future GA’s to help prepare the
business.  This would have parity of one teaching and one ruling
elder from each presbytery.

The assembly also approved a procedure for recording in presbytery
minutes a minister’s or candidate’s disagreements with doctrine. 
A presbytery could decide that an individual’s differences were merely
semantic, were not out of line with doctrine, or were out of
line.  If in the latter category they would not be eligible to
serve.  Sounds a bit like what the PC(USA) is arguing about at the
moment:  What constitutes essential tenets of the reformed faith.

There will be a proposed Book of Church Order amendment that
individuals pass an exam on the English Bible before becoming ruling
elders and deacons.

It is also interesting to note that the reported statistics (49% of
churches) show in increase in the number of churches and the total
membership of the denomination.  New presbyteries were formed in
the Atlanta area by splitting off parts of the North Georgia presbytery.

This cartoon is too good not to link to.  This is a Doug Marlette editorial cartoon from the Tulsa World web site.  Thanks to the Layman for the link.
Cartoon

The General Assembly
Received and commended to the church
for study the paper, “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing.”
The vote was 282 to 212. The commissioners chose not to “approve”
the study. While only a study paper that carries only the
endorsement of this GA and no formal doctrinal weight, it does
suggest some more creative language for the Trinity:

In
praising the triune God we use biblical language, both classic

Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost,

and
surprising

Mother,
Child, and Womb.

We
may use words that speaks of the inner relations of the Godhead

Lover,
Beloved, Love,

and
those that speak of the loving activity of the Three among us

Creator,
Savior, Sanctifier,

Rock,
Redeemer, Friend,

King
of Glory, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Love.

The
report was amended to clearly state that non-traditional language may
not be used in baptism.

Because of difficulties translating the Latin to the English a
footnote will be added to the Book of Order: “An alternative
translation of the Latin phrase, ecclesia reformata semper
reformanda, given above is, ‘The church reformed, always to be
reformed’ according to the Word of God, and the leading of the Holy
Spirit.” Also, the 8 year process has been approved to produce
a new hymnal and a new e-hymnal.

Referred to the Office of Theology and
Worship two overtures regarding the establishment of an ordained
office for Christian educators for inclusion in an ongoing study on
the “relationship between Baptism and the ministry of all church
members both ordained and not ordained.”

The GA, acting on a presbytery overture, voted to “Affirm
the current mandate of the Office of Interfaith Relations to promote
the common effort of Christians, Muslims, and Jews to work together
for peace, justice, and righteousness .” Additional points in the
overture to affirm that the three faiths worship the same God and
that we have a
common Abrahamic heritage were removed.

Almost
all of the committee member nominees from the Nominating Committee
were approved. While several were challenged, only two challengers,
both for places on the Advocacy Committee on Women’s Concerns, were
successful.

Commissioners
made history by confirming elder Linda Bryant Valentine as the new
executive director of the General Assembly Council, the first woman
to serve in that position.

The General Assembly adjusted its
controversial position on investment in Israel. By a vote of 483 to
28 the Assembly set as church policy that “financial investments
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as they pertain to Israel, Gaza,
East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, be invested in only peaceful
pursuits.” The recommendation was an alternate resolution to an
overture that sought to repeal and rescind the actions of the last GA
relating to “phased selective divestment in multinational
corporations operating in Israel.” Responding to the hurt and
misunderstanding caused by the action of the previous GA the assembly
also adopted a statement saying “We are grieved by the pain that
this has caused, accept responsibility for the flaws in our process,
and ask for a new season of mutual understanding and dialogue,”.

The Assembly made the way clear for a
study to determine the feasibility of a establishing a
Korean-language synod only after several commissioners voiced deep
concern about separating Presbyterians by any ethnic or language.
The recommendation includes a consideration to “reflect on new
and innovative ways that the PC(USA)
can empower and work in partnership with all racial ethnic
congregations.”

The Assembly approved the following
Book of Order amendments to be voted on by the presbyteries:
Officers of synods my be enrolled as members of synod; COM is to be
in correspondence with CLP’s; A new chapter 14 of the Form of
Government and a task force to review the rest of it. The following
changes from overtures were turned down: Authoritative
Interpretations must be affirmed by presbyteries; church property
belongs to the church; to allow CLP’s to be given emeritus status;
the pastoral call processes may begin upon announcement of a pastor
leaving, not at the point of departure; to allow churches to choose
their presbyteries of membership.

By better than a 3-to-1 margin,
General Assembly commissioners approved an overture from the Health
Issues committee on late-term pregnancies that affirms the lives of
viable unborn babies. As the committee recommended, the Assembly
turned down an overture from Beaver Butler Presbytery that would have
ceased funding for any group that advocates either for or against
abortion. The assembly also endorsed the
use of medical marijuana as a social justice issue.

The assembly voted to disapprove
Baltimore Presbytery’s overture, which asked for an authoritative
interpretation to make mandatory per-capita payments from
congregations to presbyteries, synods and the General Assembly.

The report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity
of the Church was approved with only minor adjustments to the
authoritative interpretation. A minority report to remove the
authoritative interpretation was defeated 234-281. Following this a
committee recommendation to leave the ordination standards in the
Book of Order was overwhelmingly approved. It was also approved to
send out a pastoral letter and study material to the churches about
this action.

The GA portion of per capita was
raised $0.22 to $5.79 for 2007, and 2008.

At the beginning of the GA it was
announced a gift to the church of $150 million by Denver elder
Stanley W. Anderson for church revitalization. Towards the end of
the Assembly news reports had revealed that Mr. Anderson had
significant financial and legal issues and may not be able to follow
through on the donation.

The Assembly has finished perfecting the two reports.  Recommendation 5d was amended to now read:

d. Whether the examination and ordination and installation decision complies with the constitution of the PCUSA, and whether
the ordaining/installing body has conducted its examination reasonably,
responsibly, prayerfully, and deliberately in deciding to ordain a
candidate for church office is subject to review by higher governing
bodies.

Marj Carpenter and John Buchannan made a joint comment that they love this church and to adopt the recommendations and get on with being the church.

The most anticipated business session of the GA has begun.  Both Ecclesiology and Church Orders are to report this afternoon.

The moderator is beginning with a time of silence and guided prayer.  Doors have been closed and she has asked the same for the laptops.

Well, the vote on substituting the minority report for the main motion has been taken and it lost 227/240.

If you wanted to make this a true left/right split the more conservative commissioners would be siding with the minority report and opposing the study that includes a lot of other names and descriptions of the members of the Trinity besides the traditional Father/Son/Holy Spirit or even Creator/Redeemer/Comforter language.

I’m not ready to declare this a true bell weather for the rest of the assembly but it is interesting.  It has been my observation on matters like this that a lot of centrists will go with a study paper like this were a lot of effort has been put into it.  This is not where they will draw a line.  But it looks like it could be very close (no, that is not new news) when they get to PUP in the ecclisiology report, probably tomorrow.

This was the first piece of business requiring strong parlimentary proceedure, speakers for and against, and electronic voting.

Watching on line it is interesting to see speakers at microphones are juggling their laptops in order to quote from the materials

Greetings,
   A pretty routine morning so far.  Everything up to this moment has been by voice vote and without speakers from the floor.  However, we have just hit the first minority report, this on the study paper on the Trinity.  We will see how it goes.

A couple of side notes, both sort of about LES, the electronic system to manage business.

On a lighter note, the Moderator announced that there would need to be pauses in business while LES caught up.  One of the items she announced would be used to fill the time was stand up comedy by executive presbyters.  I eagerly await their contributions.

As for LES itself, I am on it trying to follow the business.  My biggest frustration is that the list items are there, but just in a list, not in the form they are being presented to the assembly.  What it means is that there is no list of what is on the committee’s consent agenda.  Also, when I hit page 2 of Committee 13 I get page 1 of “All Committees.”  OH, WAIT, I just reproduced the bug…  When I hit page 2 of Committee 13 I get page 1 of “All Committees.”  If I then click on Committee 13 on the menu on the left I get page 2 of committee 13.  Don’t tell me this is a feature not a bug!

Stay tuned.