As the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) is trying to pencil in more details on the blueprint for the 2022 General Assembly, some bigger-scale questions are rising up too. What’s the plan for future General Assemblies? Should Big Tent be revived — or some kind of in-person gathering with a chance for Presbyterians to be together and build personal connections? Whose voices are heard at an assembly, and whose are not? And – not to put it too bluntly – what’s the point? When a General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) speaks on matters of public policy, who’s really listening? How can churches be relevant in an increasingly secular world? Often, it’s paid lobbyists who have influence on Capitol Hill, not the churches, said J. Herbert Nelson, the PC(USA)’s stated clerk. The General Assembly puts a lot of time and effort into crafting statements that call on Congress to take action on public policy matters like climate change or gun violence, … [Read more...]

At a high level, they know what they want to achieve: designing a General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with space for imagination, innovation, building relationships — and doing it mostly virtually. The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA), meeting via Zoom April 13-15, is working to begin put flesh on the bones for its plan for the 2022 General Assembly, in which assembly committees will meet in person in Louisville, Kentucky, but most of the plenaries will be held online. Among the points of discussion: How can COGA build in opportunities for education and conversation for commissioners and advisory delegates before the assembly even starts? Among the possibilities: webinars in the weeks or months before the assembly on some of the big issues, with a chance for commissioners to submit questions in advance. Online “ask me anything” sessions with PC(USA) leaders. And a community bulletin board that would open 30 days before the assembly — and … [Read more...]

The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) considered a “first read” on a series of documents that would shape the 2022 General Assembly — with a formal vote on those proposals to come at COGA’s next online meeting, April 13-16. Some of the big takeaways from the draft proposals, which COGA work groups presented in a Zoom meeting March 18, are that: The 2022 General Assembly would be a hybrid of in-person committee meetings in Louisville from June 20-July 3, 2022 and online plenary sessions on June 18 and July 5-9, 2022. Commissioners and advisory delegates would have online opportunities for pre-assembly community building. That would include space for educating commissioners about particular items of business and an area for them to develop commissioner resolutions. Statements for open hearings would be pre-recorded. Commissioners and advisory delegates would have the opportunity to view those on their own — but not during the committee meeting time. … [Read more...]