BIRMINGHAM — (PNS) The 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted overwhelmingly June 20 to leave the “fidelity-chastity” ordination standard for church officers in the denomination’s Constitution.
The Assembly’s 405-92 vote with four abstentions affirmed a recommendation from the Assembly Committee on Church Orders to keep G-6.0106b in the denomination’s Book of Order. The provision requires “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.”
An earlier motion to refer the matter to the PC(USA)’s 218th General Assembly (2008) was voted down.
The action followed approval of a controversial report by the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church. It included a new “authoritative interpretation” of the church’s Constitution that maintains current ordination standards for church officers but gives greater leeway in applying those standards to individual candidates for ordination.
The Rev. Tim Halverson, a minister commissioner from Peace River Presbytery who spoke in favor of the motion, said striking the fidelity-chastity clause would erode “trust” among some church members after commissioners approved the TTF report.
“I believe some day there will come a time when we will have full inclusion in that church and I pray for that,” Halverson said. “But I think we’ve just said to many of our conservative brothers and sisters who are very hurt by the vote on the TTF report that we would not push at this General Assembly to repeal G-6.0106b. I think if we do that, we break trust with them.”
The Assembly also disapproved two overtures that would have placed further strictures on the church’s recognition of same-sex relationships.
The Book of Order defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and church courts have ruled that Presbyterian ministers cannot conduct same-sex services that are held to be or can be confused with marriage ceremonies.
One of the disapproved overtures would have amended the Book of Order to declare the church’s opposition to any and all same-sex unions. A similar overture would have declared the church’s opposition to all same-sex unions but would not have amended the Constitution to that effect.
