GA commissioners will consider a new Form of Government
By Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman, June 10, 2010
One of the more significant issues coming before the 219th General Assembly is the proposed revision of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Form of Government (FOG). If approved by GA commissioners, the new FOG – or nFOG, as it has become known – would be forwarded to the denomination’s 173 presbyteries for approval.
The nFOG Task Force recommends sweeping changes to the life of the denomination, and the Presbyterian Coalition, along with the Presbyterian Renewal Network, is urging commissioners not to approve the recommendations.
Both groups released a statement, “For a wealth of reasons, the nFOG should not be adopted. Throwing out our present Form of Government would bring many troubles, … Nothing in the present Form of Government is keeping any congregation from being missional – which it should be and can be with the simple will to serve Jesus Christ.”
According to The Presbyterian Coalition’s paper “More harm than help: The new Form of Government,” nFOG:
- Demotes Scripture because there is “no statement in the Foundations section that points to the Reformed conviction regarding the authority of Scripture for the Church or for individuals.”
- Reduces the authority of Christ. nFOG leaves out words found in the current Form of Government that recognize that “Christ has been set above ‘all power and dominion and every name that is named.’” In contrast the proposed language limits Christ’s authority to “the Church, ‘for the establishment and extension of His Kingdom.’”
- Promotes radical inclusiveness without boundaries. “Any limit on diversity is removed, putting G-6.0106b in conflict with a new “diversity” standard, found in F-1.0403.”
- Reduces due process protections for pastors and congregations
- Ends voluntary per-capita and mission giving. “Subtle but significant changes in the nFOG allow presbyteries to require congregations to support all aspects of the presbytery’s budget and also allow the General Assembly to require presbyteries to support all aspects of the General Assembly budget.”
In “How the new Form of Government would harm congregations,” posted on the Coalition Web site, Elder Carol Shanholtzer stated that nFOG would “significantly change congregational life by limiting the powers of the session. The nFOG would create a centralized, top-down governance, with the session at the bottom of the structure, following instructions from and sending required financial support to the higher governing bodies.”
Commissioners will have several options in dealing with the proposals. They can approve or disapprove the task force report. There are also eight overtures from PCUSA presbyteries asking for either changes in what is proposed or more study before it is approved.
The Form of Government Revision Committee (7) will debate the issue and make recommendations for all General Assembly commissioners to consider later during the GA plenary. The presbytery overtures would:
- Amend 3.0109 of nFOG to allow flexibility in the composition of committees, from Western Reserve Presbytery. The overture asks that “at least half” of each committee or commission be members of congregations.
- Add a new G-3.0303, “relations with other presbytery and ecumenical partners” to nFOG, from the Huntingdon Presbytery. The aim of the overture is to define a process for presbyteries and denominations to exercise jurisdiction over ministers who labor outside the bounds of their home presbytery.
- Commend the work of the nFOG Task Force to the church for additional study and discernment from Middle Tennessee Presbytery. The overture states that the church has not “broadly studied, nor adequately digested, the effects and implications of sweeping changes” as proposed by nFOG.
- Develop the Form of Government as an enabling constitution instead of a manual of operations by Foothills Presbytery. According to the overture, an enabling constitution would “help heal the present breakdown of governance.”
- Amend G-3.0103 and G-3.0111 of nFOG by San Fernando Presbytery. The overture seeks to remedy what the presbytery sees as a lack of representative accountability.
- Receive the report and post a draft on a Web site for presbyteries to propose amendments from Central Washington Presbytery. The overture’s rationale states, “We believe that the proposed changes … are so vast and foundational, that they are not simply changes to our current communion, but would go so far as to functionally constitute the creation of a new denomination.”
- Receive the report, and take three specific actions from Mississippi Presbytery.
- Amend the G-3.0103 of the report of the Form of Government Task Force from San Juan Presbytery. The amendment would state that councils above the session level must establish committees on representation in accordance with the Articles of Agreement.
All items of business before the assembly are posted at www.pc-biz.org.