Overture calls for referendum to require per-capita payments
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, February 1, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Presbytery of Scioto Valley in Ohio has drafted an overture that calls for a national referendum to decide whether to force congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) to pay their per-capita apportionment unless they are excused by their presbyteries.
The presbytery council presented the proposed overture for a first reading. It has been referred to the presbytery’s Bills and Overtures Committee.
If the proposal enters the PCUSA Constitution, sessions of local congregations would no longer have the final say over how gifts of church members are spent. Some sessions currently withhold per-capita assessments because of their disagreement with General Assembly policies or activities by denomination’s staff.
A surge of withholding occurred in 1994 after the ReImagining God conference. Several sessions announced plans in 1999 to withhold their per-capita after the General Assembly Council, on a vote of 41-40, approved Women of Faith Awards to two lesbian activists and a leader in the ReImagining God movement.
Both the PCUSA Constitution and a ruling by the denomination’s highest court affirm the right of sessions not to pay their per-capita. The Book of Order says presbyteries are responsible for paying the denomination’s per-capita, even if some of their sessions don’t remit their apportionment. It says sessions have the responsibility and power to ” … determine the distribution of the church’s benevolences.”
The decision of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission was handed down in May of 1992.
The court test came after the Presbytery of Long Island tried to force First Presbyterian Church of Huntington, N.Y., to pay its per-capita. The session of the Huntington church withheld payment because the presbytery sponsored a seminar taught by a self-proclaimed witch, supported “More Light Churches” and their work on behalf of ordination of homosexuals, and supported the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.
The proposed overture would make changes in the Book of Order. One change would state: “The presbyteries may direct per-capita apportionments to the sessions of the churches within their bounds. Unless excused by the presbytery, a session shall be responsible for raising and timely transmission of per capita funds to its presbytery. A presbytery may use administrative or remedial processes to exercise care and oversight over congregations in its bounds that fail to raise or transmit such funds to the presbytery.”
“Administrative or remedial processes” could include presbytery-appointed committees to take over the duties of the congregation’s elected session, even to shut down a congregation, dismiss its pastor and assume control of its property and assets.
The per-capita apportionment for the General Assembly this year is $4.95. That’s $990 for a 200-member congregation, $2,475 for a 500-member congregation and $4,950 for a 1,000-member congregation.
The Presbytery of Scioto Valley is made up of 113 congregations in 21 counties in central and southeast Ohio.