Amendment A vote tied at 83
By Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman Online, April 18, 2001
The vote on Amendment A is tied at 83, with only seven presbyteries left to vote.
If Amendment A is approved, G-5.0103 of the Book of Order would be amended to read “No persons shall be denied membership for any reason not related to profession of faith.” Currently, the wording states “No person shall be denied membership because of race, ethnic origin, worldly condition, or another other reason …”
Amendment A began as an overture to the 212th General Assembly from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. The overture requested amending G-5.0103 to include “sexual orientation” in the list of persons not to be denied membership into the church to clarify confusion about the church’s policy regarding welcoming gays and lesbians as members of the PCUSA.
The Advisory Committee on the Constitution advised assembly commissioners that adding “sexual orientation” was unnecessary and would not change the Constitution’s ordination standards, which prohibits the ordination of persons who insist on practicing sexual activity outside of marriage.
While the assembly’s Committee on Church Polity recommended approval of the original overture, the wording was changed on the plenary floor and approved by the Assembly.
Tallies of the presbytery votes on all amendments are listed on the website of the Office of the General Assembly.