DETROIT, Mich. — Even with the possibility of changes coming to the current mid-council structure, the Synod of Puerto Rico may remain as it is.
An overture asking that the synod be left alone no matter how many synods are determined following a recommendation from the Mid-Council Commission 2 (MCC-2) passed through the Mid-Councils Issues Committee Tuesday night and will go before the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for approval later this week.
Committee members voted 39-18 in favor of sending Business Item 05-02 before the full assembly. The decision came a couple of hours after an amended version of the MCC-2 report (Business Item 05-04) was approved to ask the GA to allow a reduction in the number of synods to no more than 10-12.
Raul Santiago, an overture advocate, spoke of the Presbyterian history in Puerto Rico and the importance of the Reformed tradition on the island.
“The Presbyterian Church has become the gateway to the Caribbean because people decided to go to the island and spread the Word,” he said. “That allows us to keep doing mission.”
Carmen Rosario, of the Advisory Committee on Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC), also spoke in support of the overture.
“To dismantle the Synod of Puerto Rico would be a backward step in the long history of the Presbyterian Church in Puerto Rico,” she said. “The voice of Presbyterians in Puerto Rico would be diminished.”
Mavet Mendez, a Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAAD) from Elizabeth Presbytery, shared that sentiment, saying, “I do not wish for the Synod of Puerto Rico to lose its voice (in the PCUSA).”
Several others spoke against the motion, including MCC-2 member Jim Wilson.
“I don’t think anyone should leave the table before the conversation has started,” he said. “Nothing has been predetermined. This whole process (reduction of synods) is an opportunity for them to express their concerns, but to prejudge seems to be a mistake.”
Theological Student Advisory Delegate Kari Olson added, “I’d like them to be at the table for conversation. I don’t want to exempt anyone from the conversation.”
Ed Townsend of Utica Presbytery expressed concern that it might be viewed that the Synod of Puerto Rico was given “protection.”
“We didn’t do anything to protect other synods in adopting (Business Item) 05-04,” Townsend said. “I think we need to trust the process. We shouldn’t be predicting the outcome of the process here today if we believe in it.”
While giving approval to the Puerto Rico request, the Mid-Councils Issues Committee rejected an overture from Homestead Presbytery asking that there be consultation before possible reorganization of synod or presbytery boundaries (Business Item 05-01).
The motion was defeated 38-14, based primarily on the approval of Business Item 05-04 earlier.
Corey Schlosser-Hall, of Northwest Coast Presbytery, advocated for the motion, calling it a “wise and simple proposal that starts in the right place. The presbyteries and synods involved should be the primary consultees. Presbyteries and synods coming together on their own initiative can work, and it has worked. This would be less effective if started by the General Assembly as a matter of merger rather than mission.”
However, his advocacy for the measure fell short.
“There is nothing in 05-04 that precludes anything we just heard,” one commissioner mused. “There has already been a lot of advance work done. We answered this overture with our response to 05-04.”
Vice moderator Don Frankland called for a adoption of a motion to show the committee answered the overture with its response and recommendations in 05-04. The vote was 56-2 in support of the motion.