Insider baseball: Voter Guide for PCUSA General Assembly

As I head to Detroit for the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) the most frequently asked questions I’m receiving from lay people across the country are:

1. “Who are ‘my’ commissioners? Who is representing ‘me’ at GA?,”

2. “When will the big controversial votes (ie marriage and Israel) be taken?” and

3. “What do you predict is going to happen?”

 

Commissioners

Taking these questions in order, although commissioners are elected from “your” geographic presbytery, commissioners to General Assembly do not represent you, the consensus of your presbytery nor the concerns of your particular church. They are instructed to arrive at the GA with an open mind, ready to engage the material presented and collectively discern the leading of the Holy Spirit in the matters before them as a council. That is to say that literally anything can happen at GA … and often does.

So, pray for the commissioners from your presbytery and pray for the commissioners serving on committees that are of particular interest to you. Visit www.pc-biz.org and click on “Committees” tab. Then scroll down through the list on the left hand side of the page and click on a committee of interest. Once that page loads you’ll see all the items of business before that committee. You can also click on “Members” to see the names of the commissioners serving on that committee. Pray for them.

 

Schedule and daily updates

The General Assembly “starts” on Saturday morning, and the election of the Moderator is the major item of business that day.

Commissioners will meet in their committees beginning on Sunday night and must complete their work by Tuesday evening.

Wednesday morning is spent “reading” all the reports and recommendations from all the committees as Plenary votes are taken on the committee recommendations, not the original items of business.

Although the docket is not officially set until the GA convenes and votes to establish an agenda, here’s what I anticipate

Thursday morning will be spent “out from under Robert’s Rules” in a time of “discussion” without debate or votes. The two topics will be reports/recommendations from Committee 4 (Israel/Palestine) and Committee 10 (Marriage). Votes will be taken on Thursday afternoon and evening on business from committees other than 4 and 10. Friday is the day (or night?) that debate and votes will take place on both marriage and divestment proposals.

You can follow all of this as it unfolds by watching the live stream: http://oga.pcusa.org/section/ga/ga221/

You can follow the business at www.pc-biz.org, www.layman.org, and I’ll be posting a video blog each morning that summarizes the news from the prior day.  You can also follow me on Twitter @carmenlaberge or follow The Layman’s twitter feed @preslayman.

 

Predictions

This is dangerous territory. First of all, God is sovereign, so predicting the outcome of church meetings is generally a fool’s errand.  What I can tell you is this: “if” I were whipping the vote on the floor of a secular political event, I would be fairly confident that the votes are present to follow the cultural trend of affirming same-sex marriage.  I would also be fairly confident that the votes are not present to boycott nor sanction Israel — although divestment, according to the PCUSA’s own Mission Responsibility Through Investment guidelines, may well pass. I can tell you that a Moderator who supports same-sex marriage will be elected (as all three candidates for Moderator have aligned themselves on the pro-LGBTQ side of that question).

This you must remember: councils may error and standing on the wrong side of history is not nearly as dangerous as standing on the wrong side of a holy God.

I covet your prayers as I seek to stand for the Way of Jesus Christ, Truth of God’s Word, the Life of Discipleship that is conformed to His holy will.

Carmen

P.S. There are hundreds of items of business at GA. I’m following these:

Business Item   Summary of original proposal                                 Committee recommendation                  approve         reject

00-02	GANC recommendations for all open positions at the GA level		some	some
03-01, 03-02	Requesting TE’s to pay per capita; allowing presbyteries to limit per capita payments		X
03-03	Seeks to give non-ordained young people voice and vote; make them full commissioners at GA			X
03-04	9 recommendations from Biennial Assembly review committee addressing “processes” at GA meeting that are not governed by Robert’s Rules of Order		some	most
03-05	Office of the General Assembly and Presbyterian Mission Agency Per Capita budget
03-06	Advocacy for hotel and hospitality workers; adopting a new PCUSA policy with $$ implications		some	some
03-09	Standards of conduct for GA commissioners and advisory delegates
04-01, 04-03 and 04-06	Reviewing GA policy on the Two-State solution with an eye toward “liberation from all Israeli rule”; seek to position the PCUSA to side exclusively with the Palestinians			X
04-02, 04-0704-05, 04-08	Seeking divestment from Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard and Motorola SolutionsSeeks boycott of all products from HP			X
04-04	Seeks affirmation of the current occupation-free investment in Palestine		X
04-09	“Resolution on Equal Rights for All Inhabitants of Israel and Palestine and on Conversations with Prophetic Voices”			X
05-01,05-02	Reorganization/reconfiguration of Synods (related to Rec 011)			X
05-04, 05-res	Mid Council Commission II Report and related response from Synod executives		some	some
06-01	Replacing “guided by” with “obedient to” the Scriptures in ordination standards		X
06-02	Regarding sale or encumbrance of property given to a local congregation as a gift		X
06-08	Allowing presbyteries (not only congregations) to elect and ordain commissioned ruling elders		X
06-09	Clarifying what is meant by “Essentials of the Reformed Faith”		X
06-10	Allowing for affiliate congregational membership for Teaching Elders		X
06-11	Allowing churches to realign with other presbyteries within the PCUSA		X
06-12	12 recommendations for changes to preparation for ministry process and ordination exams		some	some
07-01	Seeks to abandon Old Testament “covenant” affirmation of Israel as the people of God			X
07-02	Amending the “Interreligious Stance of the PCUSA” paragraph in the Book of Order			X
08-03, 08-04	Revisions to churchwide plan for equal employment opportunity and affirmative action and revisions to PMA manual of operations that eliminate the criteria of Christian faith for employment by the denomination			X
08-05	Resolution to define and interpret standards for PCUSA Racial Ethnic schools and colleges		some	some
08-06	Resolution to develop a churchwide antiracism policy		some	some
08-07	“Fairness in Ministerial Compensation: Incentives and Solidarity”			X
08-08	“The Gospel from Detroit: Renewing the Church’s Urban Vision”		some	some
08-09	Adding for-profit prisons to the “sin list” of proscribed investments; targeted divestment			X
08-12	Institutional relationship btn PCUSA and Presbyterian Women		X
08-13	Recommendations to restructure PCUSA special offerings and recipients		some	some
08-14	Resolution to address child/youth protection policies and resources in the PCUSA		some	some
08-15	Making the PMAB $80 mill budget/actual expenditures transparent		X
09-01,09-07	Advocacy for gun violence prevention (accept) and gun control (reject)		?	?
09-02	2 yr study on the plight of unwanted children and special committee on abortion review		X
09-04	Advocacy for national moratorium on the imposition of the death penalty		X
09-05	2 year study on how to advocate for effective U.S. drug policies			X
09-06	Advocacy for reform to the U.S. financial and political systems			X
09-09	Advocacy for “food sovereignty” (approve Rec 1-4 and 7; reject Rec 5 and 6)		some	some
09-10	Study on End of Life issues		X
09-12	Provision for trauma crisis counseling training to care for survivors related to homicide victims			X
09-13	Review of efforts toward cultural proficiency and creating a climate for change in the PCUSA		some	some
09-15	Advocacy funding to educate against and help prevent voter suppression		some	some
09-16	“Tax Justice: a Christian Response to a New Gilded Age” is a series of recommendations for re-writing the U.S. tax code with the goal of redistribution of wealth through progressive taxation, the elimination of deductions for mortgage interest and charitable contributions and the elimination of the clergy housing allowance.			X
10-01, 10-02,	Seek to redefine marriage by amending the BoO to replace ‘man and woman’ with ‘two people’ (if approved by GA, would go to presbyteries for vote; implementation July 2013). It is noteworthy that no overtures propose changing the passages of the Book of Confessions where marriage is defined as between one man and one woman.			X
10-03, 10-04,	Seek to redefine marriage by asking GA to issue an authoritative interpretation allowing PCUSA ministers to perform and PCUSA property to host same-sex weddings (like an executive order, no ratification by presbyteries is necessary; immediately effective at close of GA)			X
10-05	Seeks to allow for same-sex marriage by PCUSA pastors and in PCUSA churches in states where the practice is legal			X
10-06	Seeks to rescind the 1991 authoritative interpretation that prohibits PCUSA pastors from performing and sessions from allowing facilities to be used for same-sex weddings			X
10-07	Seeks to create a task force to identify common ground and reconcilable differences on same-sex marriage			X
11-02	Spiritual and material support for the persecuted Church; turning attn to the plight of Church that is suffering in Egypt and elsewhere		X
11-03,05,06	Advocacy for the normalization of relations with Cuba			X
11-04, 11-10	Advocacy related to U.S. drone policies, war and surveillance		some	some
11-07	On commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide		X
11-08	Making a test case of international law out of the situation in the Western Sahara			X
11-09	Advocacy for Dominicans of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic		some	some
11-11	“Risking Peace in a Violent World: Affirmations for presbytery consideration”		some	some
11-13	Advocacy for comprehensive social witness policy on human trafficking as human rights issue		X
11-14	Resolution on sexual violence in the U.S. military		some	some
11-15	Encouraging the use of the Code of Conduct to protect children from sexual exploitation in Travel and Tourism industries		X
12-01	Requiring participation in the Board of Pensions Plans		X
12-02	Directing Board of Pensions to distribute Plan benefits to plan members leaving PCUSA			X
12-03	On publishing the current list of churches certified as “Relief of Conscience” by the BOP		X
13-01	Reintroduction of The Belhar Confession for inclusion in the Book of Confessions			X
13-02	Proposed new Directory for Worship for study and comment		draft	draft
14-01	1001 New Worshipping Communities church-wide initiative		some	some
14-02	“Educate a Child, Transform the World” proposal from the Presbyterian Mission Agency		X
14-03	“Living Missionally” proposal from the Presbyterian Mission Agency		X
14-04	Racial Ethnic & New Immigrant church growth consultation committee report		some	some
15-01	Divestment from supply-side fossil fuel companies (oil, gas and coal)			X
15-02	Advocacy for sustainable development and the “precautionary principle”			X
15-03	Commission study of the impact of coal export projects on human health and well being			X
15-04	Advocacy of the Presby. Immigrant Defense Initiative to promote rights of illegal immigrants		some	some

 

Commissioner Resolutions and any other “sleeper” issues will be posted as they are available.

http://layman.wpengine.com/