MCC releases final report for PCUSA structural changes
By Jason P. Reagan, The Layman, February 15, 2012
Sweeping structural changes may come to the Presbyterian Church (USA) if the finalized recommendation of a denominational commission gets the final thumbs up.
By a 17-1 vote on Feb. 13, the PCUSA’s Mid-Councils Commission approved a slate of eight recommendations that will dismantle the denomination’s 16 synods and pave the way for an experiment in non-geographic presbyteries.
The recommendation calls for replacing the ecclesiastical functions of synods with five regional administrative commissions of the General Assembly as well as establishing a number of regional judicial commissions.
“Our first recommendation is to flatten the hierarchy and bureaucracy of our church by eliminating one level of ecclesiastical structure,” the report states, adding that the proposed changes stem from “a call for structures that prioritize the vitality and mission of congregations.”
Congregations may get a chance to form new “provisional” presbyteries under a recommendation that would open up a “season of experimentation.”
Provisional presbyteries would retain most of the rights and powers of current presbyteries. However, the provisionals would have no authority to “dissolve, dismiss or divide congregations.” Also the new presbyteries could not approve the sale, mortgage, lease or transfer of real property of its congregations without the consent of the presbytery of origin.
The MCC’s experimental plan would also change the constitution by approving the temporary dismissal of congregations to another presbytery within the synod or to “another geographically contiguous synod.”
“These proposals are intended to entrust presbyteries with the flexibility and responsibility of working together to discern and create mid council structures and relationships that will enable their missional congregations to thrive and adapt,” the report states.
The trial period will expire in 2021 unless extended by the GA.
The report also recommends the establishment of a National Racial Ethnic Ministries Task Force exclusively to explore and assess the need for racial ethnic ministries within the PCUSA.
Finally, the MCC closed up some loose ends by approving requests by two synods to transfer churches to other presbyteries.
Although the MCC has assembled several times across the country, the commission met by phone conference to vote on the final report after hammering out a draft earlier this month in Dallas.
The final report won’t become policy unless approved by the 220th General Assembly later this year and those recommendations that require changes to the constitution would also have to be approved by a majority of presbyteries.
“We offer these recommendations in the hope that they will energize the whole church to a season of more engaged partnership, collaboration, and creativity for bringing the mission of the God’s kingdom into diverse and rapidly changing local contexts,” the report states.
Created by the GA in 2010, the MCC is designed to “develop models that reflect the roles of middle governing bodies in [PCUSA] polity and the changing context of [the denomination’s] witness in the United States and their relationship with other governing bodies.”
The chairman of the MCC is actively blogging at www.bolsinger.blogs.com.