The annual Polity Conference was held Sept. 24 – 26 at Snowbird, Utah.
Of particular interest to the presbytery staff and stated clerks in attendance were discussions related to upcoming votes in the presbyteries on proposed amendments to the constitution of the PC (USA). Other topics included property issues when congregations seek to withdraw from the denomination; presbytery examinations of prospective Ministers of Word and Sacrament; the transformation of funding systems within the PC(USA); immigration issues; and new changes in proposed revisions to the PC(USA) Form of Government.
Living Into the Actions of GA 218
In a session called, “What Really Happened,” the Rev. Gradye Parsons, General Assembly stated clerk, and the Rev. Mark Tammen, director of constitutional services of the Office of the General Assembly (OGA), led the group in reflection on how presbyteries are handling the controversial proposed amendment to replace the current G-6.0106b of The Book of Order — the commonly called “fidelity and chastity” provision.
The proposed amendment (labeled 08-b), which has been sent to the denomination’s 173 presbyteries, would delete the current paragraph which requires church officers to live in “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness”—and replace it with a new G-6.0106b that would tie ordination decisions more closely to assent to the ordination vows currently in the church’s Constitution without singling out a sexual conduct standard.
In the same action, the Assembly issued a new authoritative interpretation of The Book of Order declaring that interpretive statements related to sexual standards for ordination that predate the adoption of G-6.0106b in 1996 “have no further force or effect.”
Tammen reminded participants that the Assembly took two actions. “First, the Assembly deleted the specific prohibition against ordaining gay and lesbian persons [contained in authoritative interpretations dating back to 1978]. That’s gone. It leaves us with the whole constitution, and the responsibility to examine people’s lives. That is a change. It may not change the process in your presbytery. But it is a change. Taking away one explicit prohibition doesn’t change the process. It just means the process is more important in asking the follow-up questions.”
Parsons pointed out that the General Assembly approved the overture with a comment: “Presbyteries are strongly encouraged to consider this overture using a process of listening and discernment.”
“Remember,” he said, “If you ask the same old question, you get the same old answers. If you have the same old debate, you get the same old outcomes. Your task is to find a process so that at the end of it, after the debate, you still are in community with each other.”
Table discussions revealed that a number of presbyteries have developed strategies for discernment and information-sharing before taking any votes. A sample discernment process developed by the Rev. Victoria Curtiss, a member of the PC(USA) Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church may be found on the Web.
“What will we do after the vote?” Tammens asked. “We will live as the body of Christ, as brothers and sisters in faith.”
The Rev. Daniel Saperstein, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks questioned, “What is the fear of being in relationship in a denomination when we disagree with each other? Often it comes down to a question of authority of scripture. It’s a question of getting at the fear. In the presbytery we are trying to dive to the deeper question of scripture and what unites us and what doesn’t. Then in February, we’re just going to vote.”
Examination of ordination candidates those to be received as members
The 218th General Assembly also adopted a supplementary authoritative interpretation of the PC(USA) Constitution that applies the historical practice of “scrupling” — the declaration of conscientious objection by candidates for ordination, coupled with discernment by the ordaining body whether the declared objection is disqualifying — equally to all ordination standards of the denomination.
The Polity Conference provided the chance for presbytery leaders to consult on how they are handling either real or potential declarations of scruples. Many are devising new methods for examining candidates for ordination or previously-ordained ministers seeking to transfer presbytery membership.
Tammen, Parsons, and Elder Doska Ross, OGA’s manager of polity guidance and training, stressed the importance of establishing a process to deal with scruples before one actually comes up.
“Prep your Committee on Ministry and your Committee on Preparation for Ministry so they know what to do if a scruple does come up — maybe do a case role play before you have an actual situation,” Tammen urged. “Start with understanding the dynamics, and your specific protocols will follow.” Protocols developed by governing bodies will be posted on MGB Connect as they become available.
In response to a comment expressing discomfort with presbyteries making ordination decisions for the whole denomination, Parsons responded, “In some sense, ordination is very unique to the presbytery. But once you are ordained, it is for the whole church. But re-examination is required to move to another presbytery. Therefore, we have a hybrid system — ordination is for the whole church, but every governing body reserves the right to determine their own membership.“
Ross urged more rigorous examination of all potential ministers. “You need to be pushing more. You ought to be saying ‘no’ to a variety of folks, for a variety of reasons. It’s time for us not to just take everybody in who knocks at the door.“
Re-shaping Future General Assemblies
Much on the mind of Polity Conference participants were ways to tweak future General Assemblies.
Acknowledging the frustrations of commissioners to the 218th with the sheer amount of business, the technological growing pains, the size of committees, and the close percentages on many votes, Parsons said, “We need to continue to reshape the Assembly. We don’t want commissioners going home frustrated.
“We just got the evaluations back Monday, so we’re just starting to sift through the data, “ he said. “This will be the first job of our new director of operations. I don’t think there’s one idea out there on how to fix it; I think there are a bunch of ideas.”
Property issues and congregations seeking to leave the denomination
PC(USA) General Counsel Martha Clark reported on progress in assisting middle governing bodies to fulfill the mandate of the 218th G.A. that presbyteries and synods develop processes that exercise “the responsibility and power ‘to divide, dismiss, or dissolve churches in consultation with their members” (Book of Order, G-11.0103i) with consistency, pastoral responsibility, accountability, gracious witness, openness, and transparency.”
Clark said the consensus is emerging that “If you go through a consultative process, there is a greater likelihood of an amicable resolution than if you go through a lawsuit.”
Tammen pointed out that some governing bodies are now in their second and third generation of policies related to property concerns and care of congregations — both the members who wish to withdraw and those who want to remain in the denomination. These policies are posted on MGB Connect as they become available.
Update from the Form of Government Task Force
The Rev. Dan Williams, who served as co-moderator of the General Assembly’s Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revision and who has been added to the original Form of Government Task Force (FOG), reported on progress made on the revision since the Assembly, which referred the document back to FOG for more work.
Williams reminded the gathering that the mandate for revising the Form of Government is to reflect an “ethos shift from a more regularatory polity to one that features brevity and flexibility, while preserving essential Presbyterian polity and leading the church to be more missional.”
The task force has met frequently since GA, and will be posting their suggested changes to the original proposed revision on the FoG webpage in the near future.
Among the most significant modifications, Williams said, are:
· A fuller definition of terms;
· Clarification of the relation of the first section of the proposed revision — The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity — which replaces the first four chapters of the current Form of Government to the rest of the Book of Order;
· Clarification of the section on “Ministry of Members” and more flexible criteria for validating ministries by presbyteries;
· Clarification of the section on “administration of mission.” Williams said “it includes everything we did or didn’t say about per capita, including what you were afraid we might or might not have said and it recognizes that some councils don’t use the word per capita.” ; and
· Explicit stipulation that the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission can issue authoritative interpretations.
Disaster assistance and immigration issues
Conference attendees also received updates on disaster situations internationally and in the United States Midwest and Gulf coast.
Synod of the Sun Executive Judy Fletcher said, “The Ike damage is enormous. Entire towns no longer exist. They have no homes to go back to.” Participants were urged to continue to promote appeals from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in their presbyteries and to lead their constituents in giving and volunteering.
PC(USA) Manager of Immigration Issues Julia Thorne spoke about escalating concerns for immigrants, including those working as religious workers in PC(USA) congregations.
She said, “I hope that Presbyterians can be the voice of reason as the immigration debate continues to be in the forefront of national news.” Thorne urged that any one with particular immigration concerns be in touch with the PC(USA) immigration office sooner, rather than later. “The saddest days we have are the days when we are contacted, and it is too late to do anything,” she said.
Erin S. Cox-Holmes is associate general presbyter for Kiskiminetas Presbytery.
