MILWAUKEE — During the opening plenary of General Assembly 227, the church that governs by spiritual discernment was also governed by patience, good humor, and the old-fashioned parliamentary fallback of voting by voice and raised hands.
The 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) began meeting this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, despite WiFi connectivity issues that hampered the assembly’s digital voting system and commissioners’ ability to participate.
Tech issues notwithstanding, the work moved relatively quickly: 64 items were cleared by unanimous consent, four entity leaders confirmed, and a budget proposal was received that could push per capita costs nearly 20% higher if all pending financial items are approved.
Jihyun Oh, stated clerk of the assembly and executive director of Presbyterian Life & Witness, acknowledged two empty seats where Partner Advisory Delegates from Venezuela and Cuba should have been sitting but were unable to enter the U.S. due to issues with their visas.
64 items cleared — with six pulled for floor debate
Commissioners approved by voice vote a consent agenda with 64 items. Six were pulled from the consent agenda for floor consideration: GAR-06, GAR-12, GEN-06, ORD-04, RIW-07 and RIW-10 — fewer than in previous assemblies.
GEN-06 would add an LGBTQIA+ readiness question to the Ministry Discernment Profile used in pastoral searches; the Gender and Sexuality Justice committee approved it 54-8.
Related reading: “Gender and Sexuality Committee backs LGBTQIA+ gathering and gender-affirming healthcare resolution” by Patrice Gaines, Outlook reporting
ORD-04, from Susquehanna Valley Presbytery, would amend Book of Order G-2.0301 to allow ruling elders to serve at the mid-council level without first serving on a congregation’s session; the Theological Education and Ordination committee recommended disapproval, 51-5, and similar overtures have failed at five consecutive assemblies.
RIW-07, seeking a report on the elimination of PC(USA) mission co-workers, was consolidated into the broader World Mission review overture RIW-01. RIW-10, which affirms Kairos Palestine II – a document from Palestinian Christian leaders whose title includes the phrase ‘faith in a time of genocide’ – was recommended for approval 51-5.
Related reading: “Committee orders review of World Mission closure and mission co-worker cuts ” by Eric Ledermann, Outlook reporting
Stated clerk offered her report
In her Stated Clerk’s report, Oh acknowledged “a lot of pain around the transition from World Mission to global ecumenical partnerships” and expressed hope that the assembly would “acknowledge and honor the service of those who served as embedded mission co-workers around the world” — then led the assembly directly into a liturgy honoring that service.
She then offered a portrait of a denomination she believes is persevering through that pain. PC(USA) membership stood at just over 1 million in 2025 — a loss of 26,845 members, but the slowest rate of decline in recent years, with certificates of transfer positive for the third year running. Oh framed the numbers through a lens adopted by the 225th General Assembly in 2022: the letters P-C-U-S-A, standing for a church that is Prayerful, Courageous, United, Serving, and Alive. “This is not the story that just can be told by numbers,” Oh said. “Our story, and our story with God, is so much more than that.”
Four entity leaders confirmed; Holloway makes history
The most striking confirmation came from Krysten Carter Holloway as president of the Board of Pensions — the first African American woman to hold the role.
“I heard God in a still small voice say, ‘Trust me,’” Holloway told the assembly, noting her father, a 95-year-old Presbyterian minister with dementia, was present. “He said to me, ‘She is my daughter, Chris. I love her, and she loves me,’” she said.
Also confirmed: Bridgett A. Green as president and publisher of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, succeeding retiring president David Dobson; Ian Hall as president of the PC(USA), A Corporation; and Tom Taylor as president of the Presbyterian Foundation, marking 16 years in the role.
Budget: $90.4 million in 2027, with 34 items still pending
The 2027-2028 unified budget totals $90,454,606 in 2027 and rises to $97,921,505 in 2028, driven largely by the once-every-six-years convergence of the 228th General Assembly and Presbyterian Youth Triennium. As it stands, the proposed 2027 per capita rate is $10.94. Thirty-four pending items carry financial implications could add $3.1 million to the budget, and, if approved, could increase the 2027 per capita by $2.07 — a 19% increase.
Climate committee goes five for five
All five items before the Assembly Committee on Climate and Environmental Justice cleared the consent agenda. Vice moderator Mike Goodman framed the sweep as a turning point: “The question for Presbyterians is no longer whether there is a climate crisis, but rather what our theological and prophetic response as Presbyterians is.”
Related reading: “Climate and Environmental Justice Committee votes to go further on fossil fuel divestment” by Darla Carter, Presbyterian News Service
The first woman ordained returns to Milwaukee
Margaret Towner — the first woman ordained as a teaching elder in a PC(USA) predecessor denomination, who later retired from Milwaukee Presbytery — was recognized in plenary. In a video celebrating her accomplishments, she recalled having to borrow vestments that didn’t fit and congregants who would not attend worship if she was preaching. “The way to break down the prejudices,” she said, “would be for me to just quietly go in and be as much of a pastor as I could.”
The Presbytery of Milwaukee also cited the 1971 election of Lois Stair as the first woman to moderate the General Assembly of the UPCUSA, a predecessor denomination to PC(USA).
