On June 27, the assembly confirmed updates to the child/youth/vulnerable adult protection policy for the General Assembly agencies and entities (item 00-05). The original policy, which applies to national church meetings, events and conferences, fulfills the Book of Order mandate to have such a policy. It was adopted at the 222nd General Assembly. A series of amendments were adopted. (These changes that likely would have been made in committee. However, given the constraints of the virtual meeting, they were made by the entire body of the assembly). These amendments altered the ablest language of “crippled” (in reference to the church being impeded to do the work of Christ as result of the damage of abuse) and added “vulnerable adults” to a list of those to be included in the social media protections of the policy. Additionally, reflective of the current reality, an amendment was made to make sure the policy that mandates two non-related adults must always be present … [Read more...]

J. Herbert Nelson was elected on June 27 to serve a second four-year term as stated clerk of the General Assembly. Wilson Kennedy, chair of the Stated Clerk Nominating Committee, placed Nelson's name into nomination, saying, “J. Herbert’s call to this office is undeniable.” Nelson was re-elected by a vote of commissioners from the 224th General Assembly, which is meeting online this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The stated clerk serves as the chief ecclesial officer and public voice of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). For the past four years, Nelson has brought to that role an intensity and a commitment to justice that has pushed the denomination out of what he called “the trappings of institutional life,” and further into connection with the issues and concerns of the world. Nelson, 61, earned a doctor of ministry degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a master of divinity degree from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary and a bachelor of arts … [Read more...]

The 2020 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted overwhelmingly June 26 to approve a resolution declaring that Black lives matter; confessing that the church has been complicit in perpetuating injustice; and pledging to “confront and dismantle systemic racism” in the church and in society. The assembly passed that resolution – called “Responding to the Sin of Racism and a Call to Action” – by a vote of 407-72 (85% voting yes). According to Megan Acedo, a ruling elder from Philadelphia Presbytery who presented the resolution to the assembly, the document was written collaboratively by representatives of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, the Presbyterian Health Education and Welfare Association and the assembly Committee on Business Referrals. And that resolution is a stronger statement than one originally proposed by the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly — with some commissioners saying, as ruling elder Eric Beck from Presbytery of the Pacific … [Read more...]

The assembly passed the consent agenda at the Plenary 2 meeting of the 224th General Assembly on June 26 after removing five items for discussion. The first of these items was 00-25, the confirmation of the Class of 2024 of the Board of Directors for the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program (PILP). The class included: Thomas McNeill, a ruling elder from the Presbytery of Southern New England for an at-large position; Olivia Smith, a teaching elder from the Presbytery of Denver for an at-large position; Steven Bass, a ruling elder from the Presbytery of Seattle representing the Presbyterian Foundation; Nicholas Yoda, a teaching elder from the Presbytery of Cincinnati; Jesse Hite, a ruling elder from Charlotte Presbytery, for an at-large position; and Rafael Medina, a ruling elder from the Presbiterio del Suroeste of Puerto Rico for an at-large position. Nikki Cooley, a minister from Heartland Presbytery, spoke against the confirmation of this class. She … [Read more...]