Overture wants more laity involved in governance
The Layman Online, January 29, 2002
An overture to the 2002 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) calls for a constitutional change that would “provide for broader and more diverse participation” of the laity in the governance of the church.
The overture from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, proposed by the session of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, seeks to increase the number of elder representatives at presbytery meetings. Smaller congregations would be able to appoint additional elder commissioners to presbytery, which they presently are prohibited from doing – in a denomination of which more than half of the churches have fewer than 100 members (approximately 7,300 of the 11,178 congregations).
In proposing broader and more diverse participation by the laity in the governance of the church, the overture echoes two points proposed in November by the Presbyterian Coalition for the transformation of the denomination.
In a “Strategic Vision for the Presbyterian Church (USA),” the Coalition – in sections 3 and 4 under point 5, “Commitment,” calls for a Church that will be “truly representative of the committed people in the pews” and “governed through fairness at all levels by true parity between active elders and ministers who are accountable to viable congregations.”
The overture would amend section G-11.0101 of the Book of Order as follows [text to be deleted is shown with bold type; text to be added or inserted is shown underlined]:
G-11.0101 Membership
Presbytery is a corporate expression of the church consisting of all the churches and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within a certain district. When a presbytery meets, each church shall be represented by an elder commissioned by the session. with the following additional provisions: a. Churches with membership over 500 250 shall be represented as follows:
501-1000 – 2 elders
1001-1500 – 3 elders
1501-2000 – 4 elders
2001-3000 – 5 elders
From 3,001 members there shall be by an additional elder representative for each 1,000 250 additional active members or major fraction thereof.
In its overture, the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta includes the following rationale:
“We would be faithful to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to our brothers and sisters in Christ, by increasing the breadth and diversity of participation in the higher governing bodies of our denomination, and the greater inclusion of all the members and congregations within our community of faith.
“Our journey of faith in ministering to God’s people in the context of a large and diverse community convinces us that the capacity of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to serve as an effective witness for Jesus Christ in a sinful world depends in large part upon its ability to maintain a close and responsive connection between the laity in the local churches and the higher governing bodies of the denomination. We would be faithful to our Form of Government by providing for proportional representation in the higher governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church (USA), thereby increasing its capacity to effectively utilize the energies, talents and experiences of the laity in local congregations that have grown in the service of Jesus Christ, even while the overall membership of the denomination has shrunk.
“We would be faithful to the traditions of our faith if we seek to follow the governing principle of ‘one man, one vote,’ while always remembering that we are ultimately to be guided by and accountable to God alone.”