The overtures keep rolling in — more than 90 ideas for the 2006 General Assembly to consider, on everything from peace in Africa to disagreements over homosexuality here at home.
Theological Task Force
Overture 81 from Philadelphia presbytery, proposes a direct amendment of the recommendations from the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The task force wants to strike a balance between national standards for the church and some local determination of when departures from those standards, as a matter of conscience, should be tolerated. It suggests that presbyteries and sessions determine when departures from the standards “constitutes a failure to adhere to the essentials of Reformed faith and polity” and are substantial enough that a person could not be ordained or installed.
But some have argued that such language amounts to an end run around the PC(USA)’s constitutional standards, which require that for a person to be ordained, that person practice fidelity if they are married or chastity if they are single.
And Philadelphia presbytery is proposing language that would have local governing bodies determine whether a particular departure “violates a direct provision of the Book of Order,” which would bar the person from being ordained. That overture also states that “it shall not be deemed reasonable or responsible” for a governing body not to maintain any Book of Order standard.
Otherwise, the overture states, the task force recommendation “would produce the absurd result of allowing sessions and presbyteries to decide that there are nonessential requirements in the Book of Order when examining a candidate for office.”
Stockton presbytery, in Overture 79, distinguishes between essentials of Reformed faith and essentials of polity. Historically, presbyteries and sessions have determined what’s a departure from the essentials of Reformed faith, the overture states.
But the essentials of Reformed polity “have been established nationally,” not by ordaining bodies, it says. And the overture contends that the covenantal nature of the church requires local governing bodies to “defer to the discernment of the majority.”
And Pittsburgh presbytery, in Overture 73, proposes that whenever the standards use the language “shall” — as the fidelity and chastity standard does — that should be considered an essential of Reformed faith and polity.
It states that the purpose of its proposal is “to protect the system of checks and balances” in the PC(USA) that reinforces a sense of unity.
Another presbytery, Plains and Peaks, in Overture 86, suggests putting some of the central questions the task force report raises to the Advisory Committee on the Constitution before the assembly votes. In essence, the overture asks, “Do governing bodies, in fact, have a ‘right of conscience,’ or are they obligated to abide by the specific mandates of the Constitution” of the church?
Church property
In Overture 71, Stockton presbytery fires a direct shot on behalf of congregations that think the PC(USA) is marching down the wrong path altogether and who want to leave. It would change the constitution to say that church property “is the sole property of the church” except for the amount of financial assistance the PC(USA) has provided.
And it would state that a congregation could sever its relationship with the PC(USA) by a vote of 60 percent of that church’s active members.
“No church should have to forfeit its assets to uphold its biblical beliefs,” the overture states.
Montreat history office
Salem presbytery, in Overture 78, seeks to reverse the decision by the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly to close the Presbyterian Historical Society office in Montreat, N.C., and asks the assembly to find ways to fund the Montreat office separate from the per capita, or per-member, budget of the PC(USA).
The overture argues that closing the Montreat historical office “would destroy a precious heritage that has great potential for the life and ministry of the total church, as well as partner churches around the world.”
Western North Carolina presbytery, in Overture 75, asks that the Friends of the Historical Foundation at Montreat, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, take over as the board of directors of an independent entity at Montreat and that it relieve the General Assembly of responsibility for the Montreat historical archives.
Sudan
Trinity and Shenango presbyteries, in Overture 92, ask the PC(USA) to support the peace process in Sudan “and to explore the appropriateness of taking measures against any companies selling war materiel to the government of Sudan by adding their names to the divestment list of the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment.”
