Format of next General Assembly will include some major changes
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, January 1, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 217th General Assembly (2006) of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which will be the denomination’s first biennial meeting, will be different in many ways.
Gradye Parsons, associate stated clerk, outlined some of the possible changes, but cautioned that not all are definite. He suggested members of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, which is responsible for planning the assemblies, keep two words in mind – “in negotiation.”
The ongoing negotiations deal with a number of plans involving two sister denominations, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America. The Cumberland denominations will hold their General Assemblies in Birmingham, Ala., at the same time that the PCUSA General Assembly is meeting there. The dates for the PCUSA meeting are June 15-22, 2006.
The three denominations have agreed to come together for worship services and some other parts of their meetings, although they say the time-sharing is not tantamount to a merger of the three bodies.
One area of change deals with the worship services. During previous General Assemblies, the PCUSA services were held in the morning. The Cumberland denominations want them to be held at night – and they will be.
Other changes:
- The General Assembly will open on Thursday instead of Saturday. The election of a new moderator will be on Thursday, June 15, at the first night business session.
- Committee meetings will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 16-17.
- Worship services will be held during the evenings, either 6:45 p.m. or 7 p.m., with night committee meetings or business plenary sessions following.
- Normally, the major worship service is on Sunday morning, previously the second day of the General Assembly, with the outgoing moderator preaching. However, there will be no major Sunday worship and the date for the outgoing moderator’s sermon has not been set.
- The worship services on June 18, 19, 20 and 21 will be joint services with the two Cumberland denominations.
- The General Assembly will adjourn on Thursday, June 22.
The plenary sessions of the General Assembly will consolidate all of the non-business events (statements by ecumenical delegates, promotion of PCUSA programs, etc.) into the plenary meetings Monday and Tuesday nights.
“The technical word for them is ‘hoohaw events’,” Parsons said. “There have been consistent complaints that [because of the ‘hoohaw’] commissioners don’t get down to business for 30 to 40 minutes after the plenary opens.”
Another major change could be technology. The General Assembly planners are considering an almost all-digital presentation of reports, motions and business material for commissioners and delegates. That would require commissioners to use their own laptops or borrow one.