Renewal Network opposes PCUSA’s Amendment F
The Layman Online, October 26, 1999
LOUISVILLE – The Presbyterian Renewal Network, during a meeting in Louisville on October 25, said the proposed amendment to the constitution creating the Council of the Assembly would be a step away from traditional Presbyterian representative government.
The statement continued: “The effect of the amendment would be to remove power from local governing bodies and vest more power in a small, appointed body. We urge all Presbyterians to seriously review the implications of this proposed change in the Book of Order.
“We believe it is essential to uphold a church government of elders and ministers called and commissioned by congregations and presbyteries. All church bodies must be open and accountable to the Scriptures, the church’s constitution, the decisions of governing bodies, and the input of all its members.
“Amendment F would make significant changes in six sections of the Book of Order. It would introduce another layer of government between the current General Assembly entities and the General Assembly itself. The new Council of the Assembly would take over various functions now exercised by the General Assembly Council. But the GAC, downgraded and renamed as the Mission Agency, would retain other responsibilities. In itself, this multiplication and blurring of structures tends to diminish accountability.
“Most seriously, the newly created and empowered Council of the Assembly would be less representative than the current General Assembly Council. Today its presbyteries and synods elect over two-thirds of the members of the GAC. But, under Amendment F, none of the 21 members of the new Council of the Assembly would be elected by the lower governing bodies that fund the General Assembly mission programs. “
Nine would be appointed by General Assembly entities that receive funding – five from the Mission Agency and one each from the Board of Pensions, the Presbyterian Foundation, the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, and the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program. Three would be the moderators of the three most recent assemblies. The remaining nine would be three commissioners each from the three most recent assemblies. The language of Amendment F leaves undecided the crucial question of who would select those nine. It makes no provision for them to be chosen by presbyteries or synods.
“We appreciate the goal of the proposed amendment–the desire for a body of more manageable size that would coordinate the work of all entities carrying out the General Assembly mission directives. We urge presbytery commissioners to vote against it because it moves us away from elected representation.”
The Presbyterian Renewal Network is a fellowship of 16 independent organizations that work cooperatively and independently for renewal in the Presbyterian Church (USA).