The PCA GA has begun debate on the issue of deaconesses and women in the diaconal ministry. There is a commissioner committee report that basically says “the Book of Church Order is clear, a study committee is not needed.” There is a minority report to create the study committee.<\/p>\n
The presentation began with a motion to rule the minority report out of order since the BCO is clear on the subject. The Moderator ruled that the minority report was in order, he was challenged on the ruling, and in a counted vote his ruling was sustained by the Assembly 518 to 369.<\/p>\n
The committee majority argument is 1) that the BCO is clear about only men serving as officers of the church and 2) creation of a study committee would produce “two strong reports” and would polarize the church. “Now is not the time to raise to a higher pitch another controversy in the PCA.” There has been enough controversy over the last several years. The minority argument is that there are plenty of people on both sides of the issue who want clarity on the subject. Also, the minority report is restrictive that the study committee would be specific to the question of women serving in diaconal ministry and would be pastoral in its recommendations leaving changes to the BCO to presbytery overture.<\/p>\n
The presenter of the minority report also complimented the chairman for his leadership of the committee, and commented on how after heated debate there were apologies made by commissioners to one another for conduct during debate.<\/p>\n
It is interesting that the first speaker in the debate on the minority report invoked the blogosphere. His point is that this is not about the issue, but how the issue is dealt with — not in e-mail or blogs going back and forth, but gathered together face-to-face. (Strike against the Church Virtual.) Other comments included the idea that just because women can not hold offices they should not be treated as second-class citizens (my phrase). Also that division is sometimes necessary and that all they do is create study committees. At the first extension of debate the Moderator polled those waiting to speak and found many more wanting to speak for the minority report than speaking against it. One of the irony’s of the second vote to extend debate is that it took about as long to count the votes as the time that would have been added to the debate. The moderator did get a laugh when he was informed that he had made a parliamentary blunder and to try to get it correct he said “We’ll have to study that.” Debate was closed by a vote of 420 to 467 and the Moderator acknowledged the time irony. <\/p>\n
The minority report failed — it was close enough that a division of the house was necessary, but a counted vote was not. In the debate on the main motion there were a few comments about the future, including the statement that this issue will come back to GA in the future. It was noted that some elders are not against the ordination of women as deacons, but do not practice it due to the prohibitions of the BCO.<\/p>\n
The debate on the main motion was not extended and the main motion was quickly passed on a vote using the cards.<\/p>\n
I’ll post this now, but there are three more overtures on this topic that will presumably be answered by this action.<\/p>\n
Update: Overture 19, to decline to erect a study committee, was answered with comment that BCO changes were not in order in this matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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