MILWAUKEE – The 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meeting here this week heard reports and acted on items presented by the Committee on Theological Education and Ordination (ORD) pertaining to seminaries, preparation for ministry, and maintenance of ministry credentials.
Task force recommendations dominate debate
The first item of business addressed by the assembly Monday evening was consideration of recommendations in the report submitted to the committee by the Ordination Task Force in item ORD-07.
Related reading: “In marathon second day, ordination committee approves 8 of 10 recommendations from Ordination Task Force” by Layton Williams Berkes
The task force recommendations came in eight parts and were debated over three plenary sessions.
Section A’s primary focus was to amend section G-2.0601 of the Book of Order to include training that addressed “anti-racism, intercultural competency, implicit-bias awareness, and the equitable support of LGBTQIA+ inquirers and candidates” every 36 months for presbytery members responsible for preparing candidates for ministry.
An amendment suggesting this frequency be changed to every year was not approved, and the recommendation remained at three-year intervals.
Section B sought to modify section G-2.0603 of the Book of Order to require boundary training for ministerial inquirers that includes “the topic[s] of sexual misconduct, and child sexual abuse prevention training, and anti-racism training with recertification at least every thirty-six months.”
Additionally, inquirers (those in the first stage of the ordination process) are to have background checks and a presbytery-required evaluation, “including psychosocial and vocational inventories, during their inquiry phase.”
Section C produced the most debate during the ORD committee report. Its contents codify the means by which candidates for ministry may be evaluated for ordination and make allowances for international university degrees. In addition to the PC(USA)’s historic system of ordination exams, the alternative means of “senior ordination portfolios” or a combination of ordination exams and senior ordination portfolio items was debated by the assembly as a means of examination for ordination.
Related reading: “On day one, committee addresses recent restructuring at Columbia Theological Seminary” by Layton Williams Berkes
The ordination portfolio would:
- Be prepared by the candidate according to standards established by “a body created by the presbyteries.”
- Be evaluated first by the candidate’s presbytery (or its preparation for ministry body).
- Be sent, along with the presbytery’s evaluation, to a national body created by the presbyteries for final evaluation.
- Be assessed using culturally competent, bias-aware standards that are consistent, transparent, anti-racist, and interculturally competent.
As explained by Teaching Elder Commissioner (TEC) Eric Adamcik from the Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse, who served on the Theological Education and Ordination Committee, presbyteries would work with inquirers at the outset of their exam process to determine the best path for their evaluation.
“The idea would be that you come in as an inquirer and you know that you’re working towards an exam or this portfolio before you start,” he clarified.
Section D seeks to amend the language of section G-2.0102 of the Book of Order that reaffirms the non-hierarchical nature of ordered ministries in the PC(USA).
Section E seeks to amend section G-3.0301 of the Book of Order to grant commissioned pastors a voice and vote in their presbyteries while they are serving in their commission.
Section F seeks to amend section G-2.1001 of the Book of Order to set a baseline for commission ruling elder education requirements to include “demonstration of competent understanding and application of Presbyterian polity, Reformed worship and sacraments, Reformed theology, biblical interpretation of the Old and New Testaments, preaching, Christian education, and pastoral care.”
Section G seeks to amend section G-3.0301 of the Book of Order to more fully incorporate immigrant worshiping communities into the PC(USA), including granting them representation with a voice and a vote at presbytery meetings.
Section H seeks to amend section G-2.1002 of the Book of Order, permitting presbyteries to recognize that the training Certified Christian Educator ruling elders receive may also qualify them for commissioning as commissioned pastors.
Theological educators honored
The assembly approved the recommendations of the Theological Education and Ordination Committee on ORD-07 as amended 389-85. If approved by a majority of presbyteries, the Book of Order will be updated with these changes on July 3, 2027.
On Tuesday morning, the assembly took up the business of the Theological Education and Ordination Committee by shifting its attention to the recommendations of the Committee on Theological Education and its Awards for Excellence in Theological Education found in ORD-11.
Recipients of the award “for outstanding lifetime contributions to theological education in and for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)” at this assembly were James Hudnut-Beumler, professor of American Religious History at Vanderbilt University, and Frances Taylor Gench, who recently retired as a professor of biblical interpretation at Union Presbyterian Seminary.
Videos celebrating the influences of Hudnut-Beumler and Gench were shown to the assembly. With Gench present, she received a standing ovation from the assembly attendees after the video honoring her was shown.
Due to the amount of time allocated to the discussion of ORD-07, the speaker limit was reduced from two to one minute as approved by an assembly vote of 398-78.
Seminary presidents confirmed
The next items of business on Tuesday afternoon included the confirmation of the elections of Travis Frampton as president of the University of Dubuque [ORD-15] and Maisha Handy as president of McCormick Theological Seminary [ORD-16]. The assembly approved these committee recommendations by votes of 445-5 and 449-3, respectively.
Assembly approves one constitutional change, rejects another
Further items of business from the Theological Education and Ordination Committee moved through assembly votes more quickly than had earlier overtures.
ORD-02 recommends changes to sections G-2.06 and G-2.07 of the Book of Order to clarify that the ministry preparation being called for in these sections is for the “Ministry [of Word and Sacrament]” and pertains to those being trained for such ministry.
The assembly approved the committee’s recommendation on ORD-02 and, if approved by a majority of presbyteries, will become part of the Book of Order effective July 3, 2027.
ORD-04, which sought to remove the requirement of time-of-service for ruling elders wishing to serve in a mid council role, was not approved by the committee. The assembly agreed with the committee’s disapproval by a vote of 423-30, and this change will not be submitted for inclusion in the Book of Order.
Study of collaborative ministry approved
The final item of business from the Theological Education and Ordination Committee deliberated by the General Assembly was ORD-03, which recommended a special committee of 8-10 people be assembled “to study and develop recommendations for an approach to ordained ministry in which ministers serve together as part of ministry teams, supporting faithful ministry in congregations by drawing on their particular gifts to meet the evolving needs of the church.”
Asked how PC(USA) theological institutions can respond to these changing needs, Beth McCaw from University of Dubuque Theological Seminary answered on behalf of PC(USA) seminaries, “We have followed with great appreciation and interest the work of the committee and of the assembly today and there are many points on which we are eager to join the work of the church and are already supporting the pieces that have been identified.”
She noted ordination examination portfolios were already in use and are a “meaningful measure” of competency for ministerial readiness.
The assembly approved the recommendation of ORD-03 by a vote of 417-38, which concluded the business of the Theological Education and Ordination Committee.
