Three members of that committee dispute some of the findings, so they’ve presented a minority report.
Commissioners to the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may choose to follow one of those two alternatives or a third possibility — the lead of overtures offered by presbyteries.
The 218th GA (2008) responded to overtures regarding the expansion of marriage status to same-sex partners by forming a study committee to consider the possibility. But the committee’s commission precluded the option to propose actual constitutional changes regarding the definition of marriage, which is specifically stated as being “between a man and a woman.” The resulting study mostly outlines the options being promoted and sought throughout the church, offering insights regarding the strengths and weaknesses of such options.
But this is not the end of other possibilities.
Presbyteries can introduce new business to a GA’s docket. So, the GA’s Union and Marriage Issues Committee will consider 11 overtures urging the church either to change its position or to solidify the existing policy, along with the report of the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Marriage and Holy Unions.
Eight of the overtures would amend the language about marriage in the Directory for Worship.
Overtures from Baltimore (12-02), Hudson River (12-03), and East Iowa presbyteries (12-07) would allow Christian marriages for same-gender couples.
Overtures from Boston (12-04) and National Capital presbyteries (12-10) would allow pastoral discretion in deciding whether to preside at weddings for same-gender couples while also amending the Book of Discipline to specify that couples who are married may not be required to testify against one another.
Overtures from the presbyteries of Albany (12-06), Des Moines (12-08) and Heartland (12-09) also would allow for pastoral discretion in deciding whether or not to preside at such ceremonies. Further, they allow sessions to use their discretion in deciding whether or not to allow such ceremonies to be held in their church buildings.
Overtures from New Covenant (12-01), Prospect Hill (12-05), and Central Washington presbyteries (12-11) would not amend the constitution, but rather, call for more explicitly defining marriage as a heterosexual covenant.
The Special Committee, appointed by Moderator Bruce Reyes- Chow, addresses the topics it was mandated to study:
» The history of the laws governing marriage and civil union, including current policy debates;
» How the theology and practice of marriage have developed in the Reformed and broader Christian tradition;
» The relationship between civil union and Christian marriage;
» The effects of current laws on same-gender partners and their children;
» The place of covenanted same-gender partnerships in the Christian community.1
The Special Committee recommends the denomination adopt the covenant, “Those Whom God Has Joined Together, Let No One Separate,” a guide for communities of faith seeking to discuss difficult issues.
The final report of the Special Committee recommends further study in sessions and presbyteries, to include issues of Biblical interpretation as well as the final report of the special committee itself.
Three members of the Special Committee, submitted a minority report, urging the GA to declare unequivocally that weddings be performed exclusively for heterosexual couples.
1 Minutes, 2008, Part I, p. 259
